Things To Do / Sponsored
31 things to do in Bristol this week, June 5-11, 2023
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Now-July 23: Street Life, RWA
Presenting Street Life, a multidisciplinary exhibition of work themed around urban landscapes, curated by our very own Academicians Malcolm Ashman RWA, and Stephen Jacobson RWA. 20 RWA Academicians were invited to take part in the show, using their practices to explore the experience of urban living through architecture, sculpture, printmaking, and painting.
Streetlife features the work of 20 artists – photo: RWA
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Now-August 13: Found Cities, Lost Objects: Women in the City, RWA
Curated by Turner Prize winner, Lubaina Himid CBE, this Arts Council Collection touring exhibition explores modern city life from a female perspective. Themes range from safety and navigation to concepts of belonging and power. Included are Bristol artists whose work examines Bristol’s history – where it has come from and where it is now.
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Now-June 11: Active archives + Afrikan as futuresummertide seminary, The Mount Without
A Creative Exploration Into Healing, dichotomised between a deep acknowledgement of the intergenerational genius, creativity, civilisational contributions and resistance of African heritage people with Bristol’s historic and significant involvement in the enslavement and exploitation of African people and the contemporary legacies. The Active Archives + Afrikan As Future Summertide Seminary invites participants of all backgrounds to gather over a week, a day, a workshop or a performance in order to hold space in Bristol towards realising individual, collective healing.
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Now-June 8: Amanda, Watershed
Writer-director Carolina Cavalli’s darkly comic feature debut, which received its world premiere at the 2022 Venice Film Festival, is a deliciously satirical character study of a twenty-something looking for purpose… and maybe also a friend.
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Now-June 8: The Old Man Movie, Watershed
Based on a popular Estonian web series, The Old Man Movie has been touted as one of the most outrageous, crowd-pleasing stop-motion comedies in years.
Monday: Jungle Crooks, Kuumba Centre
Jungle Crooks bring ‘dem soulful vibes’ to African Arts and Community resource hub, the Kuumba Centre in St Paul’s. Expect a night of dub, DnB and jungle to start off your week right. The event is free but donations are welcomed.
Monday-Wednesday: (Host)ile, Centrespace Gallery
This exhibition explores how hostile architecture is utilised to deter certain groups in society, from sex workers, to the homeless, to asylum seekers. The series of sculptures from artist Alaric’s project uses different colours, materials and etymology to represent the injustice that these systems hold.
Alaric plays with the material, colours and etymology of hostile architecture in their work – photo: Centrespace Gallery
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Monday: Feeling, hearing & dancing with colour exhibition by Lauren Smart, Mount Without
Laurel has been painting all her life but only concentrating on Abstract Expression for the last five years. She has developed a distinctive style which has its roots in the quality of the paint, mark making and, most importantly, the emotional impact of colour. Laurel works large, the canvas is her landscape. Every inch of space is carefully considered and populated with loose, energetic marks. Her works mostly sing and dance, but sometimes they are quieter and just hum. Laurel’s work takes time to see, ever changing in different lights and revealing itself over time. These paintings will not be hurried. They take months to complete and hours to fully appreciate.
Tuesday: Marvellous Mushrooms: The Science of Fungi, Hen & Chicken
This fascinating event will explore the psychedelic world of mushrooms with PhD ecologist and independent researcher, Dr Sam Gandy. Learn about all things science from mushrooms’ mycelial networks to their psychedelic and medicinal properties.
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Tuesday: Danny Beard Live, The Redgrave Theatre
The winner of Rupaul’s Drag Race UK is hitting the road with their debut solo tour! Join Danny as they take to the stage with a show which promises to be bigger, better, and more CAMP than ever before.
Danny Beard won the fourth series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK – photo: Redgrave Theatre
Tuesday: Party Girl (Cert 18), The Cube
Shown in 4K restoration, Party Girl explores the life of Mary, a free-spirited young woman with a run-down New York apartment and a high fashion wardrobe in the 90s.. This forgotten underground classic explores New York ‘before it got cleaned up. Backed by a 90s dance soundtrack, Party Girl is 94 minutes of pure camp fun.
Tuesday: The Drag Dungeoneers – Big Birthday Bash!, The Crown
After unprecedented demand, a venue upgrade will see this monthly dose of twisted sword and sorcery-themed genderf*****y come to the Crown for a night of Dungeons and Dragons. With live dice-rolling, interactive warfare and hilarious roleplay, will you escape the Crown dungeons un-dragged?
Dungeons and Dragons but not as you know it – photo: The Drag Dungeoneers
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Wednesday-June 24: Anna Karenina, Bristol Old Vic
Tolstoy’s masterpiece reimagined for the stage. A heartbreaking story of relationships, marriage, and betrayal, Lesley Hart’s boldly theatrical adaptation brings the language bang up to date, while Polina Kalinina’s direction sweeps you up in the breathtaking pace of the story and places no limits on opulence, decadence and, above all, passion.
Lesley Hart’s boldly theatrical adaptation of Anna Karenina brings Tolstoy’s epic bang up to date – photo: Bristol Old Vic
Wednesday: LowKey Presents: Joshua Idehen, Jam Jar
In a special evening, Sons of Kemet wordsmith Joshua Idehen brings his uplifting poetry melded with soul, spiritual jazz and dusty hip hop to the Jam Jar. The British-born Nigerian spoken word artist and musician has contributed to Mercury-nominated albums from the Comet is Coming, Sons of Kemet and Alabaster DePlume. In 2022, he began his journey as a solo musical artist.
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Wednesday: Giggles for a good cause, The Station
A special comedy night with newcomers to the region’s finest. Fantastic comedians including Robin Morgan and host Morgan Rees. Held in central Bristol’s 1930s fire station for Creative Youth Network.
Giggles for a good cause at The Station – photo: Giggles for a good cause
Wednesday: Play Sessions with Spilt Ink Theatre, Trinity Centre
“For adults whose inner child needs some love”, Spilt Ink Theatre offers adults the chance to get silly, move your body, connect with others, laugh and de-stress in the hopes of promoting positive mental and physical health using theatre games, movement, clown games and mindfulness exercises.
“For adults whose inner child needs some love” – photo: Trinity Centre
Thursday: Macramé and Prosecco evening workshop, Prior Shop, Cabot Circus
Lovers of boho handmade accessories unite! At Prior Shop’s macramé earring-making workshop, you’ll learn how to knot your own pair of wooden and macramé earrings, spending time in the workshop with host Aggy from Knots and Stalks. Macramé has gained popularity recently due to its nature as a relaxing craft.
Thursday-June 15: UWE Showcase 2023, Bower Ashton Campus, UWE Bristol
The first evening of a week-long showcase sees UWE’s graduating students from across the university’s College of Arts, Technology and Environment showcase their work. Beautiful exhibitions at Bower Ashton, Arnolfini, Spike Island and Frenchay Campus will celebrate the exceptional work of the next generation of more than 100 talented young artists.
Fashion Communication graduate, Miriam Huk’s ‘#CONSYOUMER & #CONSUBEACH’ as part of UWE Showcase – photo: Miriam Huk
Thursday: All the Houses I’ve Ever Lived In: A talk, Q&A and signing event with Kieran Yates, Gloucester Road Books
The celebrated journalist and broadcaster, Keiran Yates (VICE, the Guardian, the Independent, FADER) is coming to Gloucester Road to talk about her essential new book. A semi-autobiographical exploration of Kieran’s runins with dodgy landlords, All the Houses I’ve Ever Lived In charts the heartbreaks and joys of a life spent navigating the chaos of a housing system, drawing on interviews with marginalised tenants across the country. Kieran’s new book is both a rallying cry for change and a love letter to home in all its forms.
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Thursday: The Greatest Magician – An Evening of Wonders, The Redgrave Theatre
Following a completely sold out run in 2022 – James Phelan, the magician most infamous for jamming the BBC switchboard after correctly predicting the lottery, presents with an all new show for 2023. This dazzling, five star rated magic show will leave you aching with laughter and dizzy in disbelief.
James Phelan successfully predicted the lottery numbers in 2019 – photo: The Redgrave Theatre
Friday: Gloucestershire vs Somerset
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club take on Somerset at the Seat Unique Stadium. This game has already sold-out but if you’ve managed to secure tickets, you’re in for a treat as the fierce local rivals take each other on for West Country bragging rights.
Friday: Electric Feels, Cafe Kino
This free event explores different visions for a sustainable future, with conversations from artists and researchers imagining the hopeful, woeful and the ridiculous scenarios of living with sustainable technologies. There will also be a selection of large-scale powerful pieces from four artists exploring the intersection of energy, digital technology and emotions.
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Friday-June 18: Festival of Nature, Millenium Square
Join the celebration for Festival of Nature’s 20th anniversary with its unmissable programme of vibrant city-centre events, family nature parties, wildlife workshops, walks and talks, film screenings, and spectacular performances across 10 days. Don’t miss out on the festival’s feature Bristol event at Millennium Square and Anchor Square 17th & 18th June – two days of free nature activities, stalls, food and drink, and special guest talks.
Festival of Nature – photo: Natural History Consortium
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Friday: زن، زندگی، آزادی Women / Life / Freedom, Bristol Old Vic
A rare and exciting opportunity to hear new writing by Iranian female playwrights. Directed by Bristol based, British-Iranian artist Roxana Vilk, extracts from four plays are performed script-in-hand in The Weston Studio. Ticket sales go to local Bristol charity Aid Box Community, which provides support, supplies and sanctuary for refugees and people seeking asylum in Bristol.
Friday: Dockside Latin Orchestra, The Old Market Assembly
The seventeen piece super slick Latin big band based in Bristol will be performing their latest selection of retro and modern big band salsa, mambo and cha cha, bringing soring trumpets, rhythmic trickery and melodic mambos to the Old Market Assembly. Don’t miss the rare opportunity to see the Dockside Latin Orchestra, made up of some of the South West’s finest latin musicians.
Dockside Latin Orchestra will perform for the first time in three years – photo: Dockside Latin Orchestra
Friday: Channel One meets Sasha Steppa, Trinity Centre
Legendary soundsystem Channel One are back by popular demand, featuring Ramon Judah on the mic and Mikey Dread at the controls. Meeting with Bristol’s very own Sasha Steppa Soundsystem, with special guests Junior Roy and Ashanti Selah, this night is due to go down in the dub history books.
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Friday: LOWES, Dareshack
Vocalist Evie Plumb and producers/multi-instrumentalists Jamie Walker and Luke Paget are LOWES – an electronic trio that take pride in their penchant for thunderous pop imbued with unapologetic authenticity, allowing their music to be both powerful and vulnerable. The trio have enjoyed a meteoric rise since their initial breakthrough on Soundcloud in 2018 – with several critically acclaimed records, high-profile collaborations and even a Radio 1 Dance Award for Best Dance Singer now under their belts.
LOWES won Radio 1’s Dance Award for Best Dance Singer – photo: Bristol Beacon
Saturday-June 13: Bristol School of Art Degree Show, Bristol School of Art
A second degree show graces Bristol this week, showcasing the work and creative projects of Bristol School of Art. Expect everything from sculture, painting, drawing, collage, video, textiles, ceramics, writing and more in show that celebrates the rarely seen work of this little art school.
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Saturday: The Comedy Box promotes Stand Up For The Weekend with ALUN COCHRANE and GUESTS, The Hen & Chicken
Award-winning stand up comedian Alun Cochrane has appeared on numerous TV shows including Michae McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, Russell Howard’s Good News, Mock The Week, Dave’s One Night Stand, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Have I Got News For You and 8 Out Of 10 Cats. He was featured as series regular ‘Sam’ in the Sky Living sitcom Trying Again, alongside Chris Addison and has appeared in Coronation Street, Boomers and Russell Howard’s Christmas film A Gert Lush Christmas.
Saturday: Bankstock, The Greenbank
For the first time, The Greenbank pub will host its very own street party. Featuring performances from the likes of Jake Blackmore (fka Binbag Wisdom), Dwell, Telgate, Bethany Ley (fka Stanlaey), Beverly Shrills, Lorcan and many more until late, Bankstock will serve great beer as a part of a tap takeover all day
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Saturday: Afrofest, Trinity Centre
After a sold out second edition of AfroFest in 2022, they return to Trinity for another day of music, dance, fashion and more. Featuring Headliners from Bristol and London, expect live music, DJ sets, an African Fabric Fashion Exhibition, food stalls and more.
Sunday: Around the World in BS5, Stapleton Road
Travel across the globe (on foot) in this wonderfully imaginative new tour from Compass Presents. Experience one of the most diverse streets in the UK through a promenade immersive experience exploring the cuisines, cultures and stories from the Stapleton Road community. This will be the first of a run of Sunday tours.
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June 10-18: Clifton International Festival of Music, various locations
Bristol’s very own classical music festival is back with a special 10th anniversary edition. The lineup includes favourite artists The Tallis Scholars, and iconic masterpieces including Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, alongside performances from some of the country’s brightest classical rising stars.
Clifton International Festival of Music – photo: Clifton International Festival of Music
Sunday: The Cult, Dareshack
Join Katie Fishlock for a delightful 90 minute workshop aimed ay nurturing your soul in a warm and supportive setting. The artist behind workshops that explore burnout and how to overcome it brings a space for the public to sit and explore fresh ideas to allow for relaxation, introspection, connection and inspiration!
Katie Fishlock became a burnout coach after lockdown – photo: Katie Fishlock
And coming soon…
is needed now More than ever
Monday, 12 June: Arab Strap, The Fleece
Pioneers of Scottish slowcore and indie rock darlings, Arab Strap invite you to join them for Philophobia Undressed – a humble celebration of the duo’s seminal 1998 album to mark the 25th anniversary of its release. The duo, consisting of Aidan Moffat and Malcom Middleton, have been credited with trailblazing the flourishing Glaswegian indie scene in the 1990s with an earnest blend of minimal instrumentation and haunting, introspective lyrics. With Philophobia serving as a culmination of the pair’s sound in the early days, it seems apt for the band to use this anniversary tour as a means of dissecting, reconstructing and reimagining the album as they perform all 13 tracks in their most raw and intimate iteration so far.
Arab Strap will celebrate their seminal 1998 album to mark its 25th anniversary – photo: Arab Strap
June 28-July 1: Godot Is A Woman, Tobacco Factory
Since Beckett wrote Waiting for Godot, he and his estate have notoriously challenged – often legally – non-male companies that wish to perform it. Godot is a Woman ran at the Pleasance London in 2021 to rapturous audiences and critical acclaim before transferring to the Pleasance at Edinburgh Fringe in 2022, where the show enjoyed sold-out audiences, award nominations and multiple 5-star reviews.
Godot Is A Woman’s Tobacco Factory run follows its successful debut at Pleasance London in 2021 and Edinburgh Fringe in 2022 – photo: Ali Wright
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Opening July: Beyond Submergence, Propyard
Wondering what a 20,000sq. ft. immersive experience looks like? Step into Beyond Submergence this summer, a world-first exhibition of light & sound by Squidsoup, brought to Bristol by the team behind Four Tet’s immersive live performances dubbed ‘the best live show in the world’ by Mixmag. Take part in a once-in-a-lifetime experience, discover the host of events taking place in the exhibition space and find out how to book below.
Beyond Submergence – photo: Propyard
Main photo: Afrofest
Read next:
- Bristol’s month in Jazz – June
- 47 things to do in Bristol in June 2023
- New show hopes to celebrate cuisine and culture of east Bristol high street
- Kuumba Centre faces uncertain future
- New day festival taking place in Easton
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