19 things to look forward to in Bristol in 2019

From surfing lakes to a Dr Who-themed escape room, the old sorting office near Temple Meads being demolished and Casamia’s new development kitchen opening in Finzel’s Reach, it’s set to be an exciting year in Bristol.

1. Massive Attack are marking the 21st anniversary of the release of their seminal album Mezzanine with two hometown shows. Taking place on March 1 and 2, the gigs will take place in a special custom-built indoor venue called Steel Yard erected at Filton Airfield.

2. Michelin-starred restaurant Casamia is set to open a development kitchen at Finzels Reach with what promises to be experimental and innovative cooking. St Phillip’s brewery Left Handed Giant are also opening a new brewery and pub on the floor below, after successfully crowdfunding £1m.

3. In November 2018, Channel 4 chief executive Alex Mahon announced that the channel would be opening its Bristol office within nine months. Bristol will be the site of a new creative hub, bringing about 50 jobs including key decision makers to the city.

4. Wise Children promises to be one of 2019’s theatrical highlights when it comes to the Bristol Old Vic from January 23 to February 16. “Life-enhancing (and) brilliantly uninhibited” said The Observer in their five-star review. It’s the first show from the Bristol company of the same name.

5. 2019 is the 40th anniversary of Sustrans, the charity responsible for The National Cycle Network, a 16,575-mile network used by more than four million people a year. The Bristol & Bath Railway Path was the first route created, so expect some birthday celebrations.

6. Africa Writes showcases established and emerging talent from the African continent and its diaspora in what is now the UK’s biggest celebration of contemporary African writing. This year’s edition of the festival is returning to Bristol in late June.

7. The city’s third metrobus route, the m1 service from Hengrove to Cribbs Causeway, via the city centre, is due to begin this month. Bristol Community Transport will operate this service with 21 biogas buses for the route which are all carbon neutral and run on gas generated from food waste.

8. In 2018, more than 130 events were held as part of Food Connections, including afternoon tea served on a train, a community iftar at Barton Hill Settlement and an inter-generational pizza-making competition. This year’s festival takes place from June 12 to 23.

9. If you enjoy spotting Bristol locations on the big screen, you’re in luck. Stan & Ollie, released this month, sees several scenes featuring recognisable city sights, including the docks outside M Shed double as an Irish port, and other scenes filmed on board the Balmoral and on Denmark Street next to the Hippodrome’s stage door.

10. Four big shows have so far been announced at Ashton Gate this summer: Rod Stewart (May 22), Take That (May 28), Muse (June 5) and The Spice Girls (June 10). The stadium is licensed for five major shows this year, so expect one more act to be announced soon.

11. It will be possible to surf in Bristol as part of the autumn, as The Wave construct a massive inland lake packed with wave-making technology to a site in Easton Compton near Almondsbury. Up to 1,000 quality waves per hour are promised, in a space that can host 80 surfers at a time.

12. England play Pakistan in a one-day international at the Brightside Ground on May 14. Nevil Road is also hosting three games at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019: Afghanistan vs Australia on June 1, Pakistan vs Sri Lanka on June 7 and Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka on June 11.

Photo by Martin Bennett

13. Pint of Science will return to venues across the city from May 20 to 22, once again promising to bring some brilliant scientists to your local pub to discuss their latest research and findings. Last year, talks took place in locations including the Hen & Chicken and The Canteen.

14. The world’s first escape room experience based on Doctor Who will open in Cabot Circus on January 16. Players will have just 60 minutes to escape from the specially-designed set at Escape Hunt, before Cyberman break through a tear in space and attack Earth.

15. Southside Stories at the Tobacco Factory’s Spielman Theatre on February 6 and 7 tackles themes of deprivation, diversity and finding light in the darkest of times, in a mystical and little-known neighbourhood between Hartcliffe, Withywood and Bishopsworth.

16. Some of Bristol’s smallest food and drink venues will be hosting comedy shows this month as comedian Mark Olver brings Belly Laughs back for its second year, both raising money for The Julian Trust and helping hospitality businesses during a traditionally quiet period.

17. Sea Mills 100 is a project to celebrate 100 years of the estate’s beginnings in 1919. The history of the homes will be shared as part of a special heritage trail across the weekend of June 8 and 9, with a mini-museum opening in the old red phone box on Sea Mills Square.

18. For one month at the end of last year, The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes took over what is usually The Kitchen, with all of its staff people who have been diagnosed with dementia. The results will be broadcast in a five-part primetime series on Channel 4 in March.

19. In the coming months, the former sorting office on Cattle Market Road will be demolished to make way for the new University of Bristol Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus. It will be a major change from the sight currently greeting passengers arriving into Temple Meads.

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