BRISTOL HARBOUR FESTIVAL IS BACK
The renowned Bristol Harbour Festival is returning to the city’s picturesque waterfront, bringing together Bristol’s diverse communities for one big free celebration. The cultural event is taking place a week earlier than usual, from Friday July 20th to Sunday July 22nd.
Organisers have promised a packed three day event, across a two mile stretch of the city from Brunel’s ss Great Britain to M Shed, and from Queen Square to the city’s leafy Castle Park. Visitors will be entertained by a vibrant mix of live performance, artists, musicians, dancers, circus acts, markets and street stalls. On the water, hundreds of sailing vessels, from historic ships and boats to pleasure yachts and harbour ferries will provide a colourful backdrop to Bristol’s annual celebration of its maritime heritage.
Guy Poultney, Bristol City Council Cabinet Member for Communities talks in more detail about the festival: “The Bristol Harbour Festival is a rich and diverse platform for the city’s wealth of creativity, from dance performers to circus acts and a variety of musical stages including walking bands, interactive theatre and so much more.
“The festival is one of the remaining free cultural celebrations in the UK and attracts over 200,000 visitors to the city each year, bringing in a growing amount of tourism revenue. It is also unique in its ability to bring together all of Bristol’s communities in one huge celebration of the city and its history.”
Castle Park
Castle Park offering a fabulous array of lively children friendly activities including playful storytelling, creative activities, face painting, interactive performances and a multitude of rides. Cirque Bijou will return to dazzle the crowds with a full circus stage, complete with aerial and static trapeze performers, juggling, acrobatics and hoop artists with performances that will entrance all ages.
Queen Square
Musically, the free festival has an impressive lineup, drawing on the city’s vibrant music scene, covering a hugely diverse range from soul to folk, and from reggae to funk. Programmed by a team from the famous Colston Hall, the Queen Square stage is filled with the best of local music acts and visiting national and international artists, creating a fantastic atmosphere with picnics and dancing combining. If the audience can drag themselves away, the Cascade Steps stage offers a mellow location on the water, with acoustic musicians and slam poetry. The evening programme will be finishing at 9.30pm.
Millennium Square
The vibrant Dance Village area of the festival attracts renowned performers from across the UK. Visitors this year will be blown away by the assortment of beautiful, wild and mesmerising artists, including a mixture of acts from the worlds of ballet, African, salsa, Bollywood and street dance to name but a few.
Those inspired to give dance a try can head down to the participation dance stage, where the ‘Let’s Dance’ performance area, brought to you by NHS Bristol, gives visitors the chance to enjoy free dance sessions where they can tap, shake and swing their way to fitness, festival style.
Amphitheatre
A mood enhancing mixture of music, locally sourced food and eco living interactive zones help transform the Amphitheatre. The focus, as always, is on green living, along with healthy, local food, visitors can sample the delights of craft beers and learn how to make urban gardens more wildlife friendly. Located in the heart of the action, with the iconic Lloyd’s building as a backdrop, the Amphitheatre is a great spot to take refuge, admire the visiting flotilla and plan the rest of the weekend at the Bristol Harbour Festival.
The 2012 Bristol Harbour Festival has been funded by Bristol City Council working in partnership with Bristol-based and award-winning event management company, Richmond Event Management.
Entry to the festival is free and many of the festival events and activities are also free. Some shows and performance will incur a charge.
For more information and regular updates please visit www.bristolharbourfestival.co.uk
