22 things to do in Bristol this week, March 23-29 2026

Monday: Movement is the Movement, St Paul’s Learning Centre
The first instalment in a three-part series, Easton Cowfolk’s Radical Film Club is hosting screenings to highlight the disparities faced by Black communities in the 1980s.

Radical Film Club – photo: Easton Cowfolk

SPONSORED
Monday-Sunday: The Big Broadmead Spring Clean, Broadmead
Bristol BID invites volunteers to join the Big Broadmead Spring Clean. Choose a time that suits you and help refresh streets and public spaces. Volunteer solo, with friends, or bring your team. Enjoy fun challenges while making a positive impact in one of Bristol’s busiest shopping areas.

Big Broadmead Spring Clean – photo: Bristol Bid

Tuesday: Wildernesses, Exchange
London-based ‘heavy pop’ quartet Wildernesses are an alternative, shoegaze outfit, billed as “one of the main acts to watch in the new wave of post-gaze”.

Wildernesses – photo: Wildernesses

Tuesday: Wonder and Loss: A Practical Memoir for Writing About Grief, Bookhaus
Novelist and poet Sam Meekings discusses the personal journey through grief and how to navigate the translation of that to the written word, promising a “compellingly honest and introspective look at the transformation through grief”.

Sam Meekings is the writer of ‘Wonder and Loss’ – photo: Sam Meekings

Wednesday: Daoirí Farrell, The Mount Without
“Real deal” Irish folk singer and bouzouki player Daoirí Farrell is an award-winning performer of traditional and international folk, widely respected as a “remarkable voice” in the field.

Daoirí Farrell – photo: Daoirí Farrell

Wednesday: Elly Hopkins and The Adam Stokes Trio, St George’s
In a tribute to jazz great Hoagy Carmichael, composer of Skylark, Stardust and The Nearness of You, vocalist Elly Hopkins is joining forces with The Adam Stokes Trio.

Elly Hopkins – photo: Elly Hopkins

Wednesday: Soft Butch, Lost Horizon
The last instalment of this popular club night until Pride festival, Soft Butch is a “somatics-infused” club night for women, trans and non-binary individuals featuring breakdancer Emma Houston and tunes from LEXX.

Soft Butch club night – photo: Soft Butch

SPONSORED
Wedesday: Kae Kurd’s Comedy Club On The Road, The Gaffe Comedy Club
Kae Kurd brings his smash-hit comedy club tour to The Gaffe! After a sold-out, two-year residency at London’s legendary Up The Creek Comedy Club, one of stand-up’s most exciting breakout stars is bringing top-tier stand-up, interactive games, chaotic crowd moments, and special guests to Bristol.

Kae Kurd – photo: The Gaffe Comedy Club

Thursday: Hay Festival After Hours, Bristol Beacon
The second annual evening of “words, ideas and reimagined worlds” featuring Rana Dasgupta, Zakia Sewell and Vanessa Kisuule.

Vanessa Kisuule – photo: University of Bristol

Thursday: West African Dance, The Island
Suitable for beginners and experienced dancers alike, these sessions promise “an unforgettable experience of rhythm, movement and culture”.

West African Dance workshops – photo: Sabar Family

Friday: Dubquake 20 x Teachings in Dub, Trinity Centre
Celebrating 20 years of Dubquake in Bristol, this special event spotlights all things reggae and dub from around the world.

Teachings in Dub – photo: Teachings in Dub

SPONSORED
Friday-April 2: Orwell 2+2=5, Watershed
Acclaimed director Raoul Peck (Oscar®-nominated I Am Not Your Negro), working in collaboration with the Orwell Estate, seamlessly interweaves historical clips, readings from Orwell’s diary, cinematic references, and dynamic modern day footage to craft not only a definitive portrait of the writer himself, but an entirely fresh take on how remarkably relevant and prophetic his work has become. Tickets £5.00 – £11.50

ORWELL 2+2=5 – photo: Watershed

Saturday: Trans Pride Bristol, various venues
A day filled with marches, after parties and celebration of Bristol’s trans communities and allies.

Trans Pride march – photo: Rob Browne

SPONSORED
Saturday: Michael Shafar: Inappropriate, The Gaffe Comedy Club
★★★★ TimeOut  ★★★★½ The Age ★★★★★ Edinburgh Reporter
Since moving to the UK, Australian comic Michael Shafar has quickly become one of the most exciting new acts on the circuit. In this unfiltered and unapologetic hour, Michael weighs into the topics that most comedians are smart enough to avoid.

Michael Shafar – photo: The Gaffe Comedy Club

Saturday: Back to 1848 – Immersive theatre, The Robin Hood
The St Michael’s Hill pub is going back in time for one night only as it hosts an immersive theatre night set in 1848, the year it opened.

The Robin Hood – photo: Martin Booth

Saturday: Ritual Union, various venues
The popular multi-venue day festival is returning to Electric, Rough Trade and Strange Brew, this year featuring the likes of Keo and Working Men’s Club.

Ritual Union festival – photo: Ritual Union

SPONSORED
Sunday: A Squash and a Squeeze, Redgrave Theatre
Join us for the  musical adaptation based on the best-selling book A Squash and a Squeeze by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. This heartwarming and hilarious adventure, full of beautiful puppets and enchanting songs.

A Squash and a Squeeze – photo: Redgrave Theatre

SPONSORED
Sunday: A Concert for the Countryside: Celebrating the Centenary of the CPRE, Bristol Beacon
Join us for a special one-night celebration as the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and the Bristol Youth Orchestra present, A Concert for the Countryside. A powerful tribute to 100 years of championing England’s rural heritage told through live orchestral music and stunning film.

A Concert for the Countryside – photo: Bristol Beacon

Sunday: Brizzle Boyz, Strange Brew
A cabaret celebrating a decade of drag performer Fluxx Wyldly, this queer punk drag king night promises to pull out all the stops.

Brizzle Boyz artists – photo: Brizzle Boyz

SPONSORED
Sunday: Poppy Ackroyd, Bristol Beacon
Poppy Ackroyd headlines Piano Day with a spellbinding set of delicate melodies, violin loops and inside-piano textures. Blending classical precision with inventive sound design, she crafts immersive, cinematic music that feels both intimate and expansive. A quietly powerful performance exploring the full expressive range of the piano.

Poppy Ackroyd photo: Bristol Beacon

SPONSORED
Until April 12; The Everyworld, Watershed
In The Everyworld exhibition, artists Andrew and Eden Kötting invite you into an exuberant kaleidoscope of visions, snippets, memories, and collisions. Opens Fri 23 Jan. Tickets pay-what-you-can starting from £5.00.

The Everyworld – photo: Watershed

SPONSORED
Until May 10: Poster Power! at Victoria Art Gallery
Discover 200 years of British poster design at the Victoria Art Gallery in Bath. Poster Power! showcases an exceptional range of British advertising posters from the 19th and 20th centuries, promoting everything from theatre shows, events and travel to political campaigns and World War One recruitment.

Bath official guide book – photo: Victoria Art Gallery

And coming soon…

SPONSORED
April 1-4: The Liar King, The Wardrobe Theatre
Phenomenal storyteller and Blindboy Podcast guest Clare Murphy (The Spanking Goddess & Other Discarded Tales) weaves a witty satire on the nature of power and stupid kings. Clare blends contemporary reporting and folklore with her playful wit to unmask who has the real power in the world. Evening performances at 7.30pm with a matinee at 2pm on April 3. Age 12+.

The Liar King – photo: The Wardrobe Theatre

SPONSORED
April 4: One Night In Dublin, Redgrave Theatre
Get ready for a night of laughter, love, music and mischief as One Night In Dublin returns with a brand-new show bursting with Irish charm. Covering all of your favourite sing-along Irish classics including One Night In Dublin is a must-see for anyone who loves Irish music.

One night in Dublin – photo: Redgrave Theatre

SPONSORED
April 18: The Improv Gauntlet, PRSC
The Improv Gauntlet has returned for its third instalment! Four teams will take to the stage on April 18th, but only one can be crowned champion. To take the crown, the performers must first appease Queen Rhiannon of the North, our iron-fisted ruler. Who will be crowned? Will it be I Know What I Saw, G.O.D.S, After the Interval, The Grims Brothers? Any one of these troupes could be crowned the Champion of the Gauntlet!

The Improv Gauntlet – photo: Live In Da Hive

SPONSORED
May 9: From Grace To Grandeur, Trinity Henleaze URC
Mozart Divertimento in D, Stamitz Concerto for Flute, Oboe and Strings in G major, Schubert Octet. This refined and radiant programme brings together three masters of the Classical and early Romantic eras, offering a journey from sparkling elegance to expansive lyricism. Pre-concert talk with Steve Clarke begins at 6.45pm. Ticket price includes the pre concert talk, a programme and interval drink.

From Grace to Grandeur – photo: Bristol Ensemble

SPONSORED
May 17: Billy Lockett, Strange Brew
Billy Lockett is a Northampton-born singer-songwriter known for emotive, piano-led ballads blending indie and pop. With over 100 million streams and support slots for Lana Del Rey and Lewis Capaldi, his raw, confessional songwriting and powerful live performances have built a loyal UK fanbase and growing international attention.

Billy Lockett – photo: Crosstown Concerts

SPONSORED
May 20: Permanent Joy, Exchange
Liverpool-based indie rock band are playing Exchange Basement on May 20th! Their sound leans darker and more surreal, blending atmospheric textures with sharp guitar work. Early momentum includes UK support slots with Inhaler and Blossoms and a debut EP release. Come along! On sale now

Permanent Joy – photo: Crosstown Concerts

SPONSORED
May 20: Red Ink: Bristol Ensemble Directed by Leon Bosch, St Georges Bristol
Leon Bosch is one of the few double bass players to conduct chamber and symphonic ensembles directly from the instrument. Red Ink serves as a musical memorial to the Soweto Uprising of 1976 in South Africa, an event that marked a turning point in the fight against apartheid but which came at a devastating human cost.

Leon Bosch – photo: Bristol Ensemble

Read next:

• Hay Festival brings second After Hours event to Bristol Beacon
• Arnolfini welcomes second edition of successful South Asian storytelling night
• Storytelling extraordinaire Clare Murphy is back in Bristol with ‘The Liar King’

Main photo: Sabar Family