2021 in Bristol!

As the biggest city in the west country looks forward to 2021 and recovering from the pandemic, Bristol leads the way with street art in the palm of your hands, COVID-safe and self-guided tour apps, a light festival to brighten up the dark winter nights, and the return of the city’s iconic summer events and festivals.

What’s new in Bristol in 2021

A Piece of Banksy: Where the Wall street art tour smart phone app
Award-winning street art tour operator Where The Wall has devised a new smart phone tour app for the ultimate Covid-secure self-guided street art experience. Narrated by ‘the Godfather of graffiti’ and Banksy mentor John Nation, the app has already featured in the Telegraph as a lockdown activity for locals, and will continue to be available for visitors in 2021. A Piece of Banksy uncovers the story of the elusive street artist and over 30 years of graffiti art history with 13 audio commentaries in 13 different locations around the city. The tour is downloadable on any smart phone and can be used by two devices at once, for 24 hours so users can go on the tour at their own pace.

http://www.wherethewall.com/self-guided-tours/

Bristol Open Doors tour app
On a similar thread of Covid-safe tours, Bristol Open Doors has launched a smart phone tour app for visitors to download and enjoy three self-guided audio tours of the city. The app was debuted in September 2020, instead of the usual annual Open Doors event, and has since been launched as a year-round offering as part of the Hidden Bristol app. The three tours include Vibrant Bristol which explores street art scene in Bedminster; Hidden Harbour which uncovers 1,000 years of Bristol history; and Historic Bristol which travels around the Temple Quarter area of the city. The immersive audio tours are narrated by over 100 Bristolians from street artists to craft beer brewers, ship captains to historians and take from 60-90 minutes each.

https://bristolopendoors.org.uk/hidden-bristol-audio-walking-tours/

Iconic Black Britons tour
A 90-minute guided tour of the Seven Saints of St Pauls murals, a collection of street art pieces celebrating Black Bristolians whose activism has changed the city. Easton-born artist Michele Curtis painted the murals to promote positive Black social history in Bristol, with murals depicting Carmen Beckford, Audley Evans, Delores Campbell, Barbara Dettering, Owen Henry, Clifford Drummond and Roy Hackett.

https://www.iconicblackbritons.com/heritage-trail

Project What If at We The Curious (date to be confirmed)
We The Curious, the educational charity and visitor attraction with a vision to “create a culture of curiosity”, will be reopening (date to be confirmed) with a bold new exhibition, Project What If. Inspired by 10,000 questions collected from people from every postcode of Bristol, Project What If will be the first major science centre exhibition in the UK inspired entirely by the curiosity of a city’s residents. Tickets for Project What If need to be booked, but are included within general admission. Opening date to be confirmed.

https://www.wethecurious.org/projectwhatif

What’s On in Bristol in 2021
Major festivals, events and openings

Bristol Light Festival (date tbc, likely March 2021)
After a hugely successful inaugural event in 2020, Bristol Light Festival returns in 2021 (likely to be March). Last year’s festival saw a trail that explored a variety of the city’s streets and parks, including Queen Square, Harbourside, Castle Park, Finzels Reach and Park Street helping visitors and locals explore the diverse cityscape during what are normally long, quiet winter nights. The 2020 interactive art installations included illuminated musical see saws to play on, a multi-coloured mist covered winding Castle Bridge and Banksy’s infamous Well Hung Lover piece brought to life with projected animations, so expectations are high for the follow-up event in 2021.
https://visitbristol.co.uk/bristollightfestival

Upfest (5-6 June)
Despite Upfest 2020 being cancelled due to Covid-19, the Upfest crew still made headlines across the world with their ‘Hearts in the Park’ campaign. In association with Visit Bristol and Bristol City Centre Business Improvement District, the campaign saw street artists spray paint large hearts in the city’s green spaces all 2 metres apart, to encourage social distancing during the pandemic. In 2021, after two years’ break, the annual celebration of street art returns to the streets and parks of south Bristol with a new date in June (it’s usually in July). Europe’s biggest free street art and graffiti art festival, attracts 250 international artists and over 25,000 visitors.
https://visitbristol.co.uk/whats-on/upfest-p2379983

Bristol Harbour Festival (16-18 July)
The city’s iconic festival takes place in July 2021 with the usual mix of music, maritime fun and markets based around Bristol’s historic and beautiful harbourside. Expect live performances, family entertainment, circus acts, children’s events, street food and market stalls, with hundreds of sailing ships in the harbour.
https://visitbristol.co.uk/whats-on/bristol-harbour-festival-p2369253

Bristol International Balloon Fiesta (12-15 August)
Bristol’s largest free fiesta returns in August at Ashton Court Estate. Over 100 hot air balloons gather for mass ascents, tethered displays and the highly anticipated Night Glow spectacles at the largest event of its kind in Europe. Held over four days, there are market stalls, live music, fairground rides and street food stalls that also help attract over half a million people to the fiesta each year.
https://visitbristol.co.uk/whats-on/bristol-international-balloon-fiesta-p1987343

Planet Ice skating rink to open (Spring 2021)
Planet Ice is set to open the UK’s largest ice skating rink at Cribbs Causeway, north Bristol in spring 2021. With capacity to seat 1300 spectators and kitted out with international standard skating facilities, the rink will host ice sports and become the new home for local ice hockey team, The Bristol Pitbulls, as well as be a welcome addition to the visitor attractions in the area (including Aerospace Bristol, The Wave, Wild Place Project and The Mall at Cribbs Causeway).

Other events:

Wallace & Gromit: The Big Fix Up (January)
Join Wallace & Gromit in a first-of-its kind augmented reality adventure. The duo have a new business venture called ‘Spick & Spanners’ which has won a contract to clean and fix the whole of Bristol. Fans from all over the UK, US and Canada can sign up to the app to enter Wallace and Gromit’s world safely from their home and become part of their Spick & Spanners crew. With authentic, colourful and detailed augmented reality, fans can join a clean-up operation like no other and help solve a mystery with some other familiar characters too. Famous voices taking part include Jim Carter, Miriam Margolyes, Issy Suttie and Ben Whitehead.
See this promo video for a taster of what’s in store with this COVID-secure self-guided AR adventure.
https://thebigfixup.co.uk

Slapstick Festival (1-7 March)
Bristol’s annual comedy festival is taking a new slot and fresh format for its 17th edition. Instead of using venues around Bristol, the festival will be online between 1-7 March for comedy fans around the world to enjoy live and catch-up shows. Full programme to be announced in January, with tickets for individual shows and full festival passes on sale.
Slapstick Festival – Visit Bristol

Bristol Folk Festival (30 April – 2 May)
With live folk music gracing stages across the city, including the renowned St Georges, Bristol Folk Festival returns in April/May 2021. Acts include Stick in the Wheel, Greg Russell & Ciaran Algar and Lucy Ward, among many others yet to be added.
https://visitbristol.co.uk/whats-on/bristol-folk-festival-p2641363

Love Saves the Day (29-30 May)
Another important date for live music in Bristol is Love Saves the Day festival, set to return on Bank Holiday weekend 29-30 May 2021. Acts are yet to be announced, but expect big name headliners in the dance, pop and electronic music world.
https://visitbristol.co.uk/whats-on/love-saves-the-day-p2361653

Vanguard – Bristol Street Art: The Evolution of a Global Movement at M Shed Museum (5 June-31 October)
A must-see exhibition that celebrates Bristol’s pivotal role in the development of British street art over the last four decades. The exhibit will include works previously not seen, and some not shown in public for 20 years in the city’s M Shed Museum on the Harbourside. Expect works from Banksy, Henry Chalfant, Beezer and Bristol’s earliest street artist, Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja. Booking essential.
https://visitbristol.co.uk/whats-on/vanguard-bristol-street-art-the-evolution-of-a-global-movement-at-m-shed-p2857323

Forest Live at Westonbirt Arboretum (10-12 June)
Forestry England presents Forest Live at Westonbirt Arboretum, a truly unique experience with The Arboretum providing a magical woodland arena for these live music events. In 2021, acts include Rag ‘n’ Bone Man (10 June), Keane (11 June) and Madness (12 June).
https://visitbristol.co.uk/whats-on/ragnbone-man-at-westonbirt-arboretum-p2825793

Bristol Craft Beer Festival (11-12 June)
With around 15 micro-breweries, numerous Bristol-born ales and a growing community of independent pubs and brewery tap rooms, Bristol is widely recognised as one of Britain’s leading beer cities. The annual Bristol Craft Beer Festival celebrates all that it has to offer and more in June 2021.
https://visitbristol.co.uk/whats-on/bristol-craft-beer-festival-p2436333

Lionel Ritchie and Bryan Adams open-air concerts (26 June)
As part of their open-air tours of the UK, music legends Lionel Ritchie and Bryan Adams are set to play in Bristol on 21 and 26 June respectively (exact location to be announced).
https://visitbristol.co.uk/whats-on/bryan-adams-p2911933
https://visitbristol.co.uk/whats-on/lionel-richie-in-bristol-p2912303

Bristol Beacon Presents: Nile Rodgers and CHIC (14-15 July) and Belle and Sebastian (16 July)
Bristol Beacon (formerly known as Colston Hall) presents three nights of astounding live music with guitarist legend Nile Rodgers and CHIC at Lloyds Amphitheatre, Harbourside on 14 and 15 July, followed by Glasgow indie stalwarts Belle and Sebastian on 16 July. The events were rescheduled after being cancelled in summer 2020 and will run just prior to the Bristol Harbour Festival, bringing the best warm-up to one of the busiest weekends in the city’s calendar.
https://visitbristol.co.uk/whats-on/colston-hall-presents-nile-rodgers-and-chic-at-lloyds-amphitheatre-p2850953

Valley Fest (30 July – 1 August)
This magical family-friendly festival celebrates, music, organic food and farming, in a stunning location overlooking Chew Valley lake. Music acts to be announced.
https://visitbristol.co.uk/whats-on/valley-fest-p2398503

Tokyo World (18-19 September)
Urban and dance music festival Tokyo World returns to Eastville Park in Bristol, September 2021. Over 100 acts take to the stages in 5 fields for the annual festival, and while acts are yet to be confirmed, the event is always a big draw for dance music lovers and ravers alike.
https://visitbristol.co.uk/whats-on/tokyo-world-p2260023