25 things to do in Bristol this week, October 6-12 2025

Monday: Stick In The Wheel + Faith Eliott, Strange Brew
Experience a spellbinding night as Stick In The Wheel fuse folk, synths, and spoken word into raw, modern storytelling, while Faith Eliott weaves intimate, lyric-driven soundscapes. This dual performance promises boundary-defying music for adventurous ears.

Stick in the wheel – photo: Strange Brew

SPONSORED
Monday: Sissoko, Segal, Peirani and Parisien: Les Egares, Bristol Beacon
Experience Les Égarés with Ballaké Sissoko & Vincent Segal (kora & cello) and Vincent Peirani & Émile Parisien (accordion & sax). Blurring jazz, trad, chamber, and avant-garde, this quartet crafts a single fluid sound through virtuosity and deep listening. A rare musical communion in a beautifully intimate performance.

Les Egares – photo: Bristol Beacon

Monday: Exhibition: Setlist, Centrespace Gallery
Set List brings together four artists whose shared interest in process, materials, and surfaces creates a dynamic and improvisational exhibition.

Setlist – photo: Centrespace Gallery

SPONSORED
Monday-Thursday: Urchin, Watershed
Featuring an outstanding performance from Frank Dillane, Urchin is the stunning directorial debut feature from Harris Dickinson.

Urchin – photo: Watershed

Tuesday: Kaidi Akinnibi, Mr Wolfs
Known for his emotive saxophone and warm vocals, Akinnibi blends influences from Black Midi, Kokoroko, Ezra Collective and beyond. Expect open jam sessions, a band set and DJ until late.

Kaidi Akinnibi – photo: Ben Cremin

SPONSORED
Tuesday: Jake Cornell: HEY BIG GUY, The Gaffe Comedy Club
HEY BIG GUY has toured around the US with sold out shows in New York, DC, Chicago, Boston and more. Jake Cornell’s solo show touches on everything from family dynamics, to elementary school traumas, to being a gay guy in modern times.

Jake Cornell – photo: The Gaffe Comedy Club

Tuesday-Sunday: En Masse, various venues
Celebrating its fifth birthday this year, En Masse is a multi-venue event celebrating the city’s innovative and underground electronic music scene.

Eldaon and Bethany Ley at En Masse – photo: Simon Holliday

Wednesday: Open Morning Class, The Island
RISE Youth Dance returns to DanceSpace at The Island with a series of morning technique classes for dancers. Each morning features expert-led classes designed to strengthen your core skills and boost your professional confidence.

Open Morning Class – photo: Rise Youth Dance

SPONSORED
Wednesday: British Comedian of the Year – Bristol Heat, The Gaffe Comedy Club
The FA Cup of Comedy! Nine comedians (from TV comics to the best rising stars) battle it out to see who will go through to the semi final of the £10,001 British Comedian of the Year competition!

Comedian of the Year – photo: The Gaffe Comedy Club

Wednesday: Zeitgeist Freedom Energy Exchange, The Jam Jar
A kaleidoscopic journey blending live jazz-funk, broken beats and psychedelic synths. Led by Melbourne drummer Ziggy Zeitgeist, the project fuses dance music with improvised instrumentation, weaving flutes, drums and electronic textures into a transcendental sonic odyssey.

Energy Exchange – photo: Ziggy Zeitgeist

Thursday: International short film showcase, Millenium Square
Dedicated to experimental circus forms and film-making approaches, these shorts, featuring acrobats, dancers and aerialists often floating at lofty heights, bring fresh perspectives to human relationships and wild and urban landscapes.

Circus City – photo: Ken Fanning & Angelique Ros

SPONSORED
Thursday: Tom Hickox, Bristol Beacon
Tom Hickox brings his cinematic songwriting to Bristol Beacon, performing songs from his new album The Orchestra of Stories. Known for his rich baritone voice and evocative storytelling, Hickox crafts melancholic, dramatic songs that feel like vivid, self-contained worlds. Expect an evening of haunting, poetic chamber pop.

Tom Hickox – photo: Bristol Beacon

Thursday: Repo! The Genetic Opera, The Ill Repute
Be Kind Rewind Bristol and Bristol Queer Cinema Club’s** Halloween season continues in The Ill Repute basement with the outrageous, blood-soaked cult musical Repo: A Genetic Opera (2008). Part rock opera, part horror, part comic book fever dream, Repo imagines a near-future where organ failure has ravaged the population and a biotech corporation sells body parts on credit.

Repo! The Genetic Opera – photo: Bristol Queer Cinema Club

SPONSORED
Thursday-December 19: Planetarium Nights, We The Curious
Fancy a Thursday night trip to space? Wander into the giant silver ball to enjoy an evening hour-long planetarium show. Delve into the science of dark matter in new show ‘The Space Between’ or catch the seasonal stargazing show ‘The Story of Stars’ and witness the majestic life cycle of star.

We The Curious – photo: Alastair Brookes

Friday: World Mental Health Day, Stockwood Open Space
Take a break from your busy schedule and immerse yourself in nature. Connect with others, participate in calming activities, and learn valuable strategies to support your mental health. This event is a reminder to prioritize self-care and seek help when needed.

World Mental Health Day – photo: Samuel Malley

Friday: Night Market, The Mount Without
Taking inspiration from the famous Las Dalias Night Market in Ibiza, expect curated stalls selling a variety of food, clothes, jewellery and more.

Night market – photo: somucheverything

SPONSORED
Friday: Dreamcoat Stars, Redgrave Theatre
Stars of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat sing the greatest musical hits in this spectacular stage show! Experience the UK’s biggest night of musical smash-hits in this star-studded musical concert featuring brand new songs and arrangements. Grab your coat of many colours and join us on our Dreamcoat Journey where Any Dream Will Do.

Dreamcoat Stars – photo: Redgrave Theatre

Friday: Chaosbay, Rough Trade
More self-confident, more experienced, more authentic than before and virtuoso as ever, the four musicians promise to deliver a brilliant show of brutal riffs, virtuoso instrumental passages and catchy songwriting.

Chaosbay – photo: Vivien Huss

Saturday: OMEGA NEBULA, Thekla
OMEGA NEBULA return this Autumn with an explosive live/electronic show, that transcends the boundaries of traditional dub and reggae. Join them in the dance for your next dose musical healing.

OMEGA NEBULA – photo: Thekla

Saturday: Ayetian Tour, Lakota
Dancehall sensation Ayetian touches down in the UK for an unmissable tour this October – alongside the legendary Rampage SoundSystem. Catch him live & direct at Lakota in Bristol performing hits like ‘Balance’, ‘Anyweh’, and ‘Tip’ (featuring Skillibeng and Nvtzz), backed by one of the UK’s best sound systems.

Ayetian tour – photo: Lakota

SPONSORED
Saturday & Sunday: West Bristol Arts Trail, various venues
This year 150 artists will exhibit painting, sculpture, prints, ceramics, jewellery, textiles, photography and mixed media in over 46 venues in Clifton, Cliftonwood, Hotwells and parts of Redland on 11 th & 12 th October. The art is affordable and you can chat to the artists.

WBAT graphic – photo: Kevin

Sunday: Family Business, The Gallimaufry
Hosted by some of the most prolific faces on the scene, the weekly hip-hop jam invites collaborators to the stage – make yourself known to the house band and get involved! The stage is open to musicians, MC’s, poets and everything in between. Express your creativity with the house band other collaborators.

Family Business – photo: The Gallimaufry

SPONSORED
Sunday: Party101 with DJ Matt Bennett, The Prospect Building
Nickelodeon star Matt Bennett brings Party101 to The Prospect Building! Since 2022, the throwback dance party has rocked 30+ cities, drawing tens of thousands with hits from Disney and Nickelodeon. With surprise celebrity guests and nonstop nostalgia, Party101 continues to sell out – don’t miss your chance to join the party!

Party101 – photo: The Prospect Building

Sunday: Life Drawing with Dogs (and Beer), Wiper & True Taproom
Join this art class with a difference and get to know your fluffy models with a tail who just love scratches, pets and treats. Each class will feature multiple dogs of all shapes and sizes – expect snorting flat faces, long legs, tight curls and waggy tails. Try to keep up with the dogs movements and capture a variety of sketches, or spend longer on timed exercises led by artist Cai Burton.

Drawing with Dogs – photo: Wiper & True Taproom

SPONSORED
Throughout October: Pumpkin Patch, Avon Valley
The South West’s biggest PYO pumpkin patch and speciality squash market is now open. Visit during the day for a wholesome excursion or  visit on an evening as the patch lights up and enjoy live music in the Pumpkin & Firkin. Street food, seasonal drinks and snacks. Dog friendly. Free parking.

Pumpkin Patch – photo: Avon Valley

And coming soon…

SPONSORED
October 14: Glenn Hughes, O2 Academy
Legendary former bassist and singer of Deep Purple and known to millions as the ‘Voice of Rock’, Glenn Hughes heads out on The Chosen Years tour. A dynamic, two-hour live extravaganza homage to his illustrious solo career, which spans five decades and features hits penned with some of rock’s most influential bands and musicians.

Glenn Hughes – photo: O2 Academy

SPONSORED
October 15: Idlewild, O2 Academy
Cult Scottish Alternative rock band Idlewild return for their first UK tour in six years. Idlewild’s punk rock sound evolved naturally over several albums into a unique, richly melodic alternative rock. Later albums introduced elements of both art rock and folk rock, underpinned by poetic lyrics and a consummate gift for melody.

Idlewild – photo: Cameron Brisbane | O2 Academy

SPONSORED
October 20: Lawrence Chaney Memoirs From My Sh*gpipes, Redgrave Theatre
These pipes have a lot of stories to tell! Lawrence Chaney’s triumphant return to the stage for another stand-up comedy tour. The Scottish BAFTA winner talks Living in America during an election year, life four years after Drag Race UK, celebrity run ins, a banged-up manager and of course as the title suggests – some embarrassing sexcepades.

Lawrence – photo: Redgrave Theatre

SPONSORED
October 23: Hot Water Music, The Prospect Building
Bristol’s finest Deadpunk are bringing Hot Water Music to The Prospect Building on 23rd October. The lineup is stacked, featuring Modern Life is War, Dave Hause, MakeWar, and Northcote – with even more special guests still to be announced!

Hot Water Music – photo: The Prospect Building

SPONSORED
October 24: Jodie Nicholson, Folk House
Jodie Nicholson creates powerfully intimate, achingly human music. With walls of tightly-knit harmonies, Nicholson’s reed-like vocals remain the compelling constant over a constantly evolving sound. Join her for an intimate night at the Folk House this October. Tickets on sale now.

Jodie Nicholson – photo: Ellen Dixon

SPONSORED
October 25: Bramble basketry, Red Fox Bushcraft
Learn the ancient art of basketry using brambles. You’ll be taught the skills and techniques to safely harvest and prepare brambles, and make a small bramble basket. The baskets are ideal for foraging, trick or treaters, or a present for a loved one. Adults and families welcome, (children aged 8+).

Bramble baskets – photo: Red Fox Bushcraft

SPONSORED
October 25-November 2: Greenhouse of Horrors, Bristol Aquarium
Follow the mushroom trail, take a guided tour on perilous plants and get hands on with a slime making workshop at Bristol Aquarium. Discover the fascinating and dangerous plants that lurk in their giant botanical house. Included in your admission.

Greenhouse of Horrors – photo: Bristol Aquarium

SPONSORED
October 26: Mushroom Season Wood Carving Day, Red Fox Bushcraft
The day consists of two workshops with a mushroom theme. The first, “Whittle a Mushroom, where you whittle a small mushroom. The second is “Carve a mushroom spoon”, where you’ll learn how to carve a spoon with a mushroom on the top. Adults and families welcome, (children aged 8+).

Mushspoon – photo: Red Fox Bushcraft

SPONSORED
October 30: Mumble Tide, The Louisiana
Buoyed by an ever-evolving collage of pop influences, Mumble Tide’s work has regularly swung between the sweet and savage, the grungy and glistening. Named “One of UK indie’s most intriguing acts” by CLUNK Magazine. Catch them this October at The Louisiana! Tickets on sale now.

Mumble Tide – photo: Crosstown Concerts

SPONSORED
November 13: Sleep Out 2025, Lloyd’s Amphitheatre
Sleep Out Bristol 2025 is back at the iconic Lloyd’s Amphitheatre! On Thursday 13 November, join 1625 Independent People for an unforgettable night of live music, food, and powerful talks. Take on the Sleep Out challenge, help put youth homelessness to bed, and make a real difference.

Main photo: Family Business, The Gallimaufry