People / My Bristol Favourites
My Bristol Favourites: Jules Smith
Jules Smith is Boomtown’s venue and events manager, and one of the driving forces between Area 404 in St Philip’s, which is holding its first New Year’s Eve party on Tuesday night featuring DJ sets from the likes of Rodigan and Chinese Man.
Jules helped to run the BlowPop club night for 15 years; ran the first parties at Motion alongside Just Jack when it was still the SK8 & Ride; joined forces with Team Love’s Tom Paine and launched The Tube, Massive Attack’s micro venue on Unity Street; took on Kingsdown pub the White Bear where the Wardrobe Theatre was founded; opened The Old Crown Courts nightclub; ran Wonka Vision club shows with Boomtown colleague James Cousins; is a director of community festival Redfest; and helped launch Area 404 earlier this year, with plenty of incredible events to come in 2020.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzRFxr5i2z0
is needed now More than ever
Here are Jules’ top-five Bristol favourites:
The Plough
New Year’s Eve 2019 at the Plough on Easton Road will feature resident DJs Ngaio, Lexxi, DJ Dad, Hombre Lobo and Paul Moylan
“Quite simply my favourite pub in Bristol. It’s difficult to believe you can fit so many wonderful humans in one place.”
Redfest
Redfest 2019 – photo by Laure Noverraz
“Redfest has been supporting east Bristol’s thriving creative and performance arts scene for years now. It’s rare to find a community festival attracting 20,000 Bristolians over the day. It’s jam-packed full of exclusively Bristol performers across eight stages in what is surely Bristol’s best park, St George Park. Oh, and it’s all free!”
Adelina Yard
Adelina Yard opened on Welsh Back in early 2016
“I just can’t quite get enough of this place. Adelina Yard on Welsh Back is the perfect restaurant for a locally sourced fine dining experience from chefs Jamie Randall and Olivia Barry. It’s local businesses like this that make our city. Aged beef fillet, burrata, ponzu, smoked ox heart… nuff said!”
Temwa
https://www.instagram.com/p/BumBjyWj5WW/
“Temwa is a longtime Bristol-based charity, run by the hugely talented and irrepressible Jo Hook and her amazing team. Temwa work to bring about sustainable community development in remote, rural areas of northern Malawi. Their creative fundraising events such as Bristol Come Dancing are fantastic fun.”
Wanted Records
Wanted Records owner John Stapleton outside his shop in St Nick’s Market – photo by Joe Pymar
“The best of the best at this collectors vinyl emporium. I am slightly biased as Wanted Records is owned and run by the man who got it all going in Bristol for me back in 1995. We all owe John Stapleton a cultural debt of gratitude. No one knows music like John does so pay him a visit in St Nick’s Market.”
Read more: Area 404 reveals lineups for New Year’s Eve party
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
