Things To Do / Sponsored
32 things to do in Bristol this week, September 25-October 1 2023
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Now-January 14: 170 Annual Open (Buy art pay later), RWA
Explore, discover, and purchase amazing artwork from the most exciting artists of today in our 170 Annual Open Exhibition. With over 600 unique pieces, all for sale, you will be spoilt for choice! It’s the perfect opportunity to discover new artists or invest in well-known names, and you can browse – and buy – the artworks from your home online as well. Our partners, Own Art, make buying art easy and affordable by letting you spread the cost of your purchase over 10 months with an interest-free loan. Visit us today and start your own art collection!
Affordable art ownership – photo: RWA
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Monday-Thursday: Love Life, Watershed
From the Cannes award-winning director of Harmonium and Goodbye Summer, Kōji Fukada’s new family drama is a beguiling, beautifully paced portrait of a family navigating the aftermath of a tragedy.
Monday: Ten Trips: The new reality of psychedelics, Bookhaus
After taking psychedelics in ten vastly different circumstances – from under the guidance of a traditional shaman to in a basement kitchen – neuropsychologist Andy Mitchell compiled a book on his experiences, and what he has learned from the experience about the capabilities of these substances. He’ll be in conversation at Bookhaus.
Ten Trips Andy Mitchell book cover – photo: Andy Mitchell
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Now-October 8: Circus Extreme, The Downs
Circus Extreme is thrilled to be returning to England in 2023 as part of its World Tour. A one-of-a-kind performance, that was five years in the making and features some of the most talented performers in the world. Merging modern and contemporary styles with extreme stunts and classic clown escapades, audiences will be amazed by the jam-packed Circus Extreme production which features show-stopping performances that will have you on the edge of your seat.
Circus Extreme – photo: Andrea Giachi
Tuesday: England vs Ireland, Seat Unique Stadium
Head to the Ashley Down cricket ground this week to enjoy the last chunk of summer one-day internationals, as England face off against Ireland, before jetting off to India to defend their world title in October.
Seat Unique stadium – photo: Gloucestershire Cricket Club
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Open now: Mulligans Bristol
Get ready to par-tee Bristol. Mulligans is here to delight and entertain with 2 x 12 hole Crazy Golf Courses, Shuffleboard, Pool, Electro-Darts, Arcade Games & More!
Mulligans Bristol – photo: Mulligans
Tuesday: Creative Workshop Series: Abstract painting, 395 Studio
Using general basic stimuli based on observing and focussing on the simple things that surround us everyday, this workshop at the St Jude’s creative space will teach you to single out specific objects and view them in a new light, creating a colourful abstract work using your newfound perspective.
Abstract painting workshop – photo: 395 studio
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Bristol to Paris cycle 2024!
Four days, over 400km by bike, all to raise funds for Hospice care in Bristol.
Bristol to Paris cycle poster – photo: Bristol to Paris cycle
Wednesday-Sunday: Encounters Film Festival, Watershed
The incredibly popular annual film festival returns, bringing with it a host of undiscovered gems from independent filmmakers, alongside Q&As, panel talks and discussions with some of the scene’s current and future leaders.
The Encounters festival takes place at Watershed – photo: Ellie Pipe
Wednesday: Bluescreen, The Cube
The popular independent short film showcase returns to the micro-cinema just off Stokes Croft, presenting a host of short flicks made by budding filmmakers from across the South West.
Bluescreen – photo: The Cube
Thursday-Sunday: Invisible Circus: Welcome to the Future, Unit 15 Creation Space
A bittersweet goodbye to the renowned home for The Invisible Circus, as they put on one final production before the premises is sold on to developers. The production looks ahead to what the future holds, and promises to not be all doom and gloom, but to theorise the potential for development, teamwork and a brighter tomorrow.
Welcome to the Future (cropped) – photo: Invisible Circus
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Friday: Described Gallery Tours, RWA
Join us for our Described Gallery Tour for Blind and Partially Sighted Adults, exploring our current exhibition, 170 Annual Open Exhibition. This tour is led by our experienced facilitator, Sarah Kelly, and will focus on a selection of artworks in the exhibition. You will have the opportunity to touch some of the works in the exhibition and hear directly from exhibiting artists about their work. The tour will conclude with refreshments and time for group discussion. You are welcome to bring a companion and/or guide dog.
Described gallery tour – photo: RWA
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Friday: Alexander O’Neal (full live band) + Support from Laid Blak (full live band), Central Warehouse
After nearly five decades in the business it is with great excitement that legendary singer Alexander O’Neal heads out on his Time to Say Goodbye: Farewell World Tour.The beloved soul star is hitting the road one final time with this show being his final Bristol appearance, with a full live band.
Alexander O’Neal at Central Warehouse – photo: Central Warehouse
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Friday: Preview night: Solo Exhibition by Chris Rydlewski, The Mount Without
Award-winning Bristol photographer is publishing the third photobook in “an unanticipated trilogy”. Chris Rydlewski has lived and worked in Bristol (UK) for 45 years. For 35 of those, he worked as a freelance photographer and as a photography lecturer at City of Bristol College. Recently retired Chris is now concentrating on personal projects, mainly based in France, which he and his family have visited regularly for many years. These projects take the form of self-published, limited-edition photobooks. Chris also exhibits his work regularly, both in the UK and France. ‘Confluence’ is his third France-based photobook, making what he calls “an unanticipated trilogy”.
Chris Rydlewski – photo: The Mount Without
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Friday: Watch This Space with Will Gater, Redgrave Theatre
Watch This Space sees astronomer Will Gater bring to the stage the story of the extraordinary things humans see when we look to the stars. Blending spectacular visuals, live demos and inspiring storytelling, Watch This Space will take you on a journey like no other, jumping from our small corner of the Milky Way to some of the most distant objects in the known universe.
Watch this space with Will Gater – photo: Redgrave Theatre
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Friday: Up Late @ SS Great Britain, SS Great Britain
Experience a free, family-friendly late opening at Brunel’s historic S.S. Great Britain. Dive into interactive exhibits showcasing innovative research and enjoy live accounts from researchers. Ideal for ages 8-12, but open to all. Advance booking required.
Up Late at SS Great Britain – photo: Futures Festival
Friday: Mr Scruff & MC Kwasi, Lost Horizon
The producer/DJ, known for his incredibly varied DJ sets ranging everything from trip-hop to house, comes to Lost Horizon for a special night of fun, upbeat grooves, hosted by close friend and fellow groove lover MC Kwasi.
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Friday-Sunday: Planet Local Summit, various locations
The Planet Local Summit is a landmark event for the worldwide movement for local food, community resilience, new economies and decentralisation, and it’s happening in Bristol this week.
Planet Local artwork at Upfest – photo: Planet Local
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Friday: Futures Festival: Back to the future, Filwood Community Centre
Free event (as part of FUTURES festival) exploring Knowle West’s history and future. Activities include hearing community voices, discussing ideas for Filwood, watching film trailers of the Broadway gone by, and a Back to the Future film screening. Part of the City Centre and High Streets Recovery and Renewal programme.
Back to the future – photo: Futures Festival
Saturday: Spiced rum & tequila festival, Full Moon
A celebration of all things South American & Caribbean, the Full Moon isn’t letting go of summer just yet, as it hosts a day of summery cocktails, street food and DJs in their courtyard space – with two cocktails for a tenner between 1pm and 4pm.
Spiced Rum and Tequila festival – photo: Full Moon & Attic Bar
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Saturday: The King of Nothing, Redgrave Theatre
MONSTRO and Little Angel’s Theatre’s latest Puppet Musical is an anarchic re-telling of Hans Christian Andersen’s Emperor’s New Clothes, in which the characters discover that people can be made to believe ANYTHING. With songs, puppetry, slapstick and more, the two Swindlers will weave their cunning magic on children and adults alike…
The King of Nothing – photo: Redgrave Theatre
Sunday: Ofelia Rodríguez: Solo exhibition, Spike Island
Crafted over the past 50 years, the late Colombian artist has been creating colourful, dream-like worlds of all shapes and sizes, using any medium available to her. Blending animal folklore from her heritage and combining it with pop art, sculpture and painting, she creates a wild world begging to be explored. The exhibition will be on show at Spike Island until January 14 2024.
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Sunday: Bristol City Vs Leicester City – Womens Super League, Ashton Gate Stadium
Kicking off their 2023/24 Barclays Womens Super League season, Bristol City women’s face off against Leicester City, in a hotly contested matchup that will hopefully see the season off to a flying start.
Ashton Gate Stadium – photo: Rogan/Fever Pitch
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Sunday: Bristol Beacon presents: LYR, Redgrave Theatre
LYR – the musical collaboration between poet laureate Simon Armitage and artist/producers Richard Walters and Patrick Pearson – present their powerful second album ‘The Ultraviolet Age’. More accessible, more poignant, more widescreen than their debut, the album is pitched somewhere between the enigmatic brood of late period Talk Talk, the lo-fi expanse of Low and their British sprechgesang contemporaries including Dry Cleaning, Yard Act and Black Country, New Road. It is an album of deft character sketches, dictatorships, the climate crisis and its centrepiece a gorgeous and moving reflection on the COVID-19 pandemic.
And coming soon…
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October 3: Dawta the podcast live, The Mount Without
DAWTA The Podcast first broadcast this May 2023 inspired by DAWTA a one woman musical about Sarah a black transracial adoptee fighting to survive in 1970’s/80’s Britain. DAWTA The Podcast has broadcast 5 episodes and has already reached over 500 downloads.
This Black History Month, 2023 The Mount Without Crypt is hosting DAWTA The Podcast Live on Tuesday 3rd October, 7.30pm. Plush leather sofas and illustrious arm chairs provide the perfect seats to enjoy DAWTA The Podcast’s world of performance, discussion, and music…and this time you can ask the questions! Of course there will be a BIG theme that frames the whole night (DAWTA fans out there it’s a big question that was asked in one of the episodes….can you guess?)
So, join DAWTA’s writer and producer Dionne Draper, co-host multidisciplinary artist writer/singer Lisa Marie-Simmons and DAWTA’s podcast guests, for a soulful night of real talk, discussion and dancing to Bristol’s finest, ‘DJ Mystri’. Can’t wait to see you.
Dawta the podcast live – photo: The Mount Without
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October 5: Jean-Michel Blais, Bristol Beacon
Classical piano icon Jean-Michel Blais began his relationship with the instrument aged 9, writing his first compositions at 11, and eventually releasing a stream of piano-focused albums which earned him a Libera Award, two Polaris prize nominations, a #1 on the Billboard Classical chart and more. As the pandemic took hold in 2020, Blais started to wonder if there was more to music than his solitary practice, leading to a time of great catharsis that paved the way for the bold new direction of his next album, ‘aubades’. Named after the Middle Ages notion of romantic music written for dawn and daybreak, with this new record Jean-Michel Blais has created 11 aubades for 12 musicians, all of which celebrate rebirth, a season in bloom and the expectation of a new day to come. Having spent most of his career playing, writing and performing music alone, the circumstances of life around April 2020 suddenly put this solitary way of working into stark relief.
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October 7: In:Motion: TSHA, Prospa & more, Motion
In:Motion are proud to present one of the most exciting talents to come out of the UK in recent years, TSHA. Known for her flawless productions and diverse DJ sets, she has cemented herself as a household name in electronic music. Joining her will be Prospa, an electronic duo who’s reimagining of classic dance sounds has accelerated their rise. More acts to be announced soon.
TSHA comes to Motion this October – photo: Alastair Brookes
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October 7: Henleaze Concert Society: Glories of the Baroque, Trinity Henleaze URC
For this first concert of our season, come and join the Bristol Ensemble for a programme of Baroque favourites:
- Handel- Arrival of the Queen of Sheba
- Vivaldi- Trio Sonata in D minor ‘La Follia’
- Bach- Brandenburg Concerto No.1 in F major, BWV 1046
- Handel- Water Music
Glories of the baroque – photo: Henleaze Concert Society
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October 14: Mozart by candlelight, Bristol Cathedral
Mozart’s infamous Requiem in D minor is a masterpiece shrouded in mystery, making it all the more fascinating, compelling and emotionally stirring. The story of the creation of the work involves a shady commission and a blanket of deceit.
It all began in July 1791, when a stranger turned up at Mozart’s door with a commission to write a requiem. Mozart accepted and obsessively threw himself into the piece and worked on almost nothing else for several months. However, by this time, his health was deteriorating and he was unable to finish what he started. Mozart wasn’t sound of mind when he received the commission and believed he’d been cursed to write the piece as a swansong because he knew he would shortly die. Was he writing his own Requiem?
Experience this extraordinary work in the majestic setting of a candlelit Bristol Cathedral, with over 400 candles recreating the original performance in Vienna 230 years ago on January 2, 1793.
Mozart by Candlelight – photo: Bristol Ensemble
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October 14: In:Motion & Percolate x Steel City Dance Discs, Marble Factory
On the 14th October, In:Motion team up with London party starters Percolate and Steel City Dance Discs to bring you a stacked line up featuring SCDD head honcho Mall Grab, plus KETTAMA, Effy and more. Expect heavy duty house and techno selections and high-energy from start to finish.
Mall Grab – photo: Alastair Brookes
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October 18: Children of Zeus + Support from Eva Lazarus, King Original and Hold Tight Records, Central Warehouse
Manchester’s kings of neo-soul Children of Zeus return to Bristol for a headline midweek concert, alongside Bristol’s stage queen Eva Lazarus, East London’s King Original (Footsie, Sir Spyro & Jah Model), Hold Tight Records and upcoming afrobeats selectress Leiko, in Bristol’s newly licensed ‘Central Warehouse’ event space.
Children of Zeus – photo: Central Warehouse
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October 18: Beethoven 5 by candlelight, St George’s
Beethoven’s iconic Symphony No. 5 is widely considered one of the cornerstones of western music. First performed in Vienna’s Theater an der Wien in 1808, the work achieved its prodigious reputation soon afterward and is described as “one of the most important works of the time”. The symphony, and the four-note opening motif in particular, are known worldwide, with the motif appearing frequently in popular culture, from disco versions to rock and roll covers, to uses in film and television.
Equal in stature to the Fifth Symphony, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 redefined the relationship between the piano and the orchestra, and its heroic and majestic character makes it one of the best-loved works of the repertoire.
Beethoven by candlelight – photo: Bristol Ensemble
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November 25: Henleaze Concert Society: Romantic Nights, Trinity Henleaze URC
For this second concert of our season, come and enjoy two of Rachmaninov’s cherished works performed by the Bristol Ensemble and soloist Paul Israel:
- Rachmaninov- Piano Concerto No.2 (arr. Iain Farrington)
- Rachmaninov- Symphonic Dances (arr. Iain Farrington)
Romantic nights – photo: Henleaze Concert Society
Main photo: Invisible Circus
Read next:
- New book ‘museum bums’ celebrates the posterior in art
- International art exhibition on human disappearance at Centrespace Studios & Gallery
- Bristol photographer Chris Hoare’s new photobook highlights inequality in his home city
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