News / Redfest Bristol
Eleventh edition of much-loved community festival ‘postponed’
A free community arts festival that was scheduled to return in July has now been shelved.
The council has confirmed that while Redfest had sought necessary permissions for the event in St George Park, the team behind the event had decided to cancel the festival completely in May.
In a statement to Bristol24/7, a spokesperson from the council said: “We’ve checked with the teams here and can confirm that Redfest went through the proper Site Permissions process. Redfest notified the council on the 23rd May they had decided to cancel the event for 2025.
“For details of why the event was cancelled, you will need to speak to the organisers.”
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When contacted by Bristol24/7 on Tuesday, organisers of Redfest were perplexed by news of the festival being cancelled and said they would get back after conferring with the festival’s directors.
On Wednesday evening, the team shared an update about the festival which they say has been “postponed” to summer 2026.
They added: “After careful consideration, we’ve decided to postpone the park-based festival to summer 2026. This decision allows us to build the right operational structure and, importantly, create more time for meaningful community engagement to help shape the future direction of Redfest.
“But, we’re still celebrating on July 26th and over the summer.
“Join us for a small series of events including a sound system event, dance workshops and performances, comedy & spoken word, plus music and performances at venues on and around Church Rd.
“Redfest began over 10 years ago as a multi-venue, week-long community festival, and we’re returning to those roots as we prepare for our comeback to the park in 2026. As a collaborative, volunteer-led community event, Redfest has always thrived thanks to the people of BS5.
“We’re grateful to everyone who has supported us, including Bristol City Council for their patience and understanding, and all the local businesses and community members who continue to believe in Redfest. We appreciate your understanding of this change and look forward to your continued support.”
The tenth edition of the festival was held in August 2020, and after a five-year hiatus, community members were keen on welcoming it back in 2025, with some travelling to Bristol only to attend the festival.
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Read more: Much-loved south Bristol community event cancelled for 2023
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One user commented on the festival’s announcement post on Facebook: “Be nice to get an official announcement, friends coming from all over Bristol & 2 from Bournemouth specifically for the event.”
In August 2024, organisers had confirmed that the festival would happen in the last weekend of July 2025. Many stirred in excitement and waited for news through the rest of 2024 and early 2025, but no further details about the festival’s fate were shared.
However, in a letter seen by Bristol24/7 that was sent to residents living near St George Park organisers were affirmative about the festival taking over the park on July 26, with site building planned to start a few days earlier.
The letter, dated April 4 2025, also further explains the organisers plans to bring back the “vibrant celebration” including details about parking, a ‘street food village’, road closures and more.
Ever since its first festival in 2007, Redfest was seen as an important calendar event for east Bristol that united people over arts.
Main photo: Redfest
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