48 things to do in Bristol in March 2024

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March 1: Radio 2 Sounds of the 80s: Live Tour, O2 Academy
Legendary DJ Gary Davies brings the UK’s most popular 80s radio show live on stage! Party along to specially curated Mastermixes, dance to your favourite 80s anthems and watch as our brilliant Sounds of the 80s dancers recreate classic scenes from 80s films and videos.

Sounds of the 80s – photo: BBC Radio 2/O2 Academy

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March 1-30: Starter for Ten, Bristol Old Vic
Adapted from the hilarious novel by David Nicholls and the subsequent film, Starter for Ten is a bright, big-hearted new musical. Featuring an irresistible ’80s-inspired original score, this coming-of-age comedy is about love, belonging and the all-important difference between knowledge and wisdom.

Starter for Ten – photo: Bristol Old Vic

March 1: Livity Sound w/ DJ Swisha & Jurango, Strange Brew
The Bristol born lineup brings the American footwork champion to the Brew, alongside local legend Jurango.

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March 1-9: Dear Young Monster, Bristol Old Vic
Struggling at the beginning of his medical transition, a young trans man catches a midnight screening of Frankenstein. Pete MacHale’s (Doctor Who) debut solo show pulls apart fear, otherness, and what it means to embrace being the monster that the world keeps telling you that you are.

Dear Young Monster – photo: Bristol Old Vic

March 2: Be a barista, Odd Kin Coffee Roasters
A workshop teaching the basics and the techniques behind making the ultimate barista coffee.

March 3: Biophilia, Snuff Mills
Dance collective Body Language bring a unique, site specific dance class to the magical woods of Snuff Mills.

March 4: Scrambled Comedy, The Crafty Egg Fishponds
The first Monday of every month brings some of the most exciting up and coming local comedians to Fishponds.

March 5: Your Wild and Precious Life launch, Bookhaus
An inspiring story of how one woman picked herself up from a series of horrific events occurring.

March 6: The Big Lebowski, The Ill Repute
A special screening of the classic absurd cinematic masterpiece at the Old Market bar/taco spot.

March 7: Sound Man Ting – Record launch party, Strange Brew
French dub label Dubquake Records celebrate the release of their latest plate in the back rooms of the Brew, with some special guests.

March 8: Joe Wells – King of the autistics, Hen & Chicken
The neurodiverse stand-up comic wrestles with the topics surrounding his neurodiversity as part of his latest hour.

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March 9-16: Tiger Country, Tobacco Factory Theatres
Take a glimpse inside a hospital at Christmastime: Exhausted A&E staff power through gruelling shifts, caring for patients and navigating relationships whilst management cracks the whip. Tiger Country spotlights the hectic days of NHS heroes as a witty and moving portrait of embattled frontline workers soldiering on whatever the season.

Tiger Country – photo: BOVTS

March 9: The art of astrophysics, PRSC
Celebrate British science week with poetry, photography and drawing relating to the science of the stars.

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March 9: Spot’s Birthday Party, Redgrave Theatre
Spot is having a very special party and you’re invited! With party hats, songs, dancing and lots of interactive party games, this is going to be the best birthday party ever! Join Steve the Monkey, Tom the Crocodile and Helen the Hippo to say a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY SPOT!

Spot’s Birthday Party – photo: Redgrave Theatre

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March 9: Hania Rani, Bristol Beacon
Hania Rani reintroduced herself this spring with Hello, the preliminary taster for her new album, Ghosts. The pianist and composer’s supernatural talent is apparent over 13 tracks of unfolding ambience and endlessly refracting synths, which pass gracefully between distinct, richly textured worlds and feature a host of guest musicians including Patrick Watson, Portico Quartet’s Duncan Bellamy and Ólafur Arnalds.

Hania Rani – photo: Bristol Beacon

March 10: The Taste of Things, The Cube
The food obsessed film has garnered critical acclaim since its release – it gets a screening at one of the city’s smallest cinema rooms.

March 11: Welcome to Night Vale, St. George’s
The world’s most popular fiction podcast comes to Bristol on its world tour.

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March 11: Moor Mother, Bristol Beacon
On her latest album ‘The Great Bailout’, Moor Mother invites you on an evocative trail through themes of Afrofuturism and collective memory with the forebearers of jazz, hip hop and beat poetry in mind. Tender and atmospheric, the album invites listeners to face Britain’s complicity in enslavement and its afterlives, but also its very making as a built environment and social-political formation.

Moor Mother – photo: Bristol Beacon

March 12: Phil Green: Four weddings and a breakdown, The Room Above
After his sell out show at the Edinburgh Fringe, Phil Green brings his highly rated show to The Room Above.

March 13: Sketch Book Club, Clifton Community Bookshop
A welcoming, relaxing environment to get creative and crafty – materials are provided, but you can also bring your own.

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March 14: Festival of Sustainable Business, The Bristol Hotel
The MET Office cited 2023 as the warmest year on record. The latest IPCC report underlines the imperative need for the immediate peaking of greenhouse gas emissions if we are to avoid the most devastating impacts of the climate emergency. Despite the ambitious commitments outlined at COP28, the government’s pledges do not align with this imperative. It is therefore up to us as individuals and as a business community to take collective action, and the Festival of Sustainable Business will help you do just that. Get your ticket now!

Festival of Sustainable Business conference – photo: Future Leap

March 14: Sparks of Change, Sparks Bristol
Thought leaders come together to discuss the tumultuous future of Bristol amidst economic uncertainty at the Broadmead creative space.

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Sundays throughout March: Last Movies, Watershed
Join Watershed every Sunday throughout March for Last Movies – a season which remaps the first century of cinema according to the final films watched by its cultural icons, from JFK to Kurt Cobain – conceived and curated by Stanley Schtinter to coincide with the publication of his book of the same name. Published by Bristol-based Tenement Press.

Last Movies – photo: Watershed

March 15: Circus of Dreams cabaret, Albany Centre
A circus performance at a circus performance training centre, raising money for the upkeep of the centre.

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March 15-21: Drive Away Dolls, Watershed
This comedy caper follows Jamie, a free spirit bemoaning her breakup with a girlfriend, and her demure friend Marian who desperately needs to loosen up.

March 16: The Great Gatsby, The Old Picture House Totterdown
A special screening at the old, rarely used picture house on Winton St, showing an equally classic picture.

March 17: Subversion presents: A drawing workshop, Cass Art
Led by local artist Samudera, the workshop will teach you the basics of creating a vibrant comic book style drawing.

March 18: How the mind heals the body with Dr. David Hamilton, Hen & Chicken
An eye opening talk from Dr. Hamilton on the powers of mindfulness and meditation.

March 19: Nationality & Feminism: Studying Rosa Luxemburg, PRSC
Part of 7 weeks of talks surrounding the Polish-German revolutionary, analysing many aspects of her life.

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March 20-21: Self-Raising, Tobacco Factory Theatres
Award-winning Artistic Director, Jenny Sealey, has spent a lifetime championing stories by Deaf and disabled artists. Now she takes to the stage to tell her own. Unravelling the past and facing the future, Self-Raising is a blisteringly honest, laugh-out-loud one-woman show about growing up deaf in a family with secrets.

Self-Raising – photo: Tobacco Factory Theatres

March 20: Shapeshifting, Alma Tavern & Theatre
A one woman show from Italian born Lara Parmiana, detailing her emigration journey from a cultural perspective.

March 21: 1-800-GIRLS (Live), The Love Inn
With a range of influences throughout dance music, 1-800-GIRLS will no doubt bring a lesson in electronic music to The Love Inn with a special live set.

March 22-24: Bristol Jazz Festival, Tobacco Factory/Tobacco Factory Theatres
The annual jazz festival returns for its 11th year, this time taking place at the Tobacco Factory.

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March 23: Ritual Union Festival, multiple venues
With a variety of top-notch live acts, on Saturday 23rd March music fans will be able discover the next wave of upcoming talent, alongside performances from some old favourites and international guests, across multiple venues in one of the UK’s most vital musical cities.

Ritual Union lineup poster – photo: Crosstown Concerts

Charlotte Sawyer (right) has created a feature-length film documenting how people are fighting to make an east Bristol beauty spot safe for swimming – photo: David Morris

March 23: Rave On For The Avon premiere, PYTCH
The premiere of a new feature length documentary showcasing the fight for Bristolians to preserve a natural bathing location.

March 24: Cute Cartel DIY merch worksop fundraiser, 395
The colourful, no holds barred femme/queer collective host another of their always popular craft workshops at the St Jude’s community events hub.

March 25: The Stranglers, Bristol Beacon
Celebrating half a century together as a band, one of the defining groups of the UK sound come to Bristol Beacon for their 50th anniversary tour.

March 26: Fresh + Teenage Halloween + guests, Moor Beer Co.
The independent Bristol brewers puts on yet another well curated lineup of hard, fast emo and punk music.

March 27: Wine tasting & cheese pairing, The Scrandit
The pop up spot notorious for well curated one time only food happenings returns with an expertly curated wine and cheese tasting.

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March 27: Goreckis Symphony no. 3 by candlelight, St. George’s
A hypnotic evening of music featuring mesmerising works by Ludovico Einaudi, together with Max Richter’s engagingly refreshing reimagining of Vivaldi’s ever popular Four Seasons.

Symphony by candlelight – photo: Bristol Ensemble

March 28: Acoustic guitar class & social, Clifton Community Bookshop
A biweekly chance to get to grips with the acoustic guitar, and meet others who are also trying to do so.

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March 29-April 13: The Passion of Living Spit, Tobacco Factory Theatres
Get ready to witness the most divine comedy of all time! Join Bristol’s much-loved Living Spit as they return with a hilarious theatrical journey through the life and unfortunate death of the bearded, ethnically ambiguous offspring of God, Jesus H. Christ.

The Passion of Living Spit – photo: Tobacco Factory Theatres

March 29 & 30: Deep Medi + Teachings in Dub weekender, Trinity Centre
An extra special weekender at the sound system church, as two of the largest dub collectives in the UK, powered by the mighty Sinai soundsystem.

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March 29: Hans Rey – Mishaps & Mayhem, Redgrave Theatre
Mountain Bike pioneer, adventurer, former Trials World Champion, Hans ‘No Way’ Rey. Hans will reveal the crazy and whacky that accompanied him on some of his adventures. Behind the scenes stories of his greatest stunts and adventures and how it felt to be lost, haunted, stalked and rescued. You know what they say, an adventure isn’t an adventure until things go wrong.

Hans Rey – photo: Redgrave Theatre

March 30: 23 Degrees: Oldboy (All night long), Crofters Rights
The young up and coming Sheffield producer has been making waves in the UK garage scene – he takes on his first all night long at Crofters.

March 31: The Wurzels, The Fleece
Are you really from the South West if you haven’t experienced the magic of the Wurzels? If you haven’t it might be time to change that.

And coming soon…

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May 11: Blown Away, Trinity Henleaze URC
A great programme of music for wind instruments performed by players from the Bristol Ensemble:

• Mozart Serenade for Wind in C minor K.388
• Dvořák Serenade for Winds in D minor Op.44

We’ll hear the powerful and characterful C minor serenade by Mozart, a four movement work full of ingenuity, twists and turns. And also, Dvořák’s Serenade for Winds in D minor, unmistakably Czech, an homage to music-making in Czech palaces and stately homes.

Blown Away – photo: Henleaze Concert Society

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May 15: Einaudi meets Max Richter, St. George’s
In the candlelight setting of St George’s and with beautiful visuals you will be immersed and transported by the glorious strings of the Bristol Ensemble with Paul Israel dazzling at the piano.

Einaudi mets Richter by candlelight – photo: Bristol Ensemble

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June 8: Summer Serenade, Trinity Henleaze URC
For this last concert of our season, the Bristol Ensemble will perform Schubert’s Trout Quintet and other pieces of light classical music.

Schubert’s enduringly popular Trout Quintet was written by the young composer at just 22 years of age.  It has a freshness and serenity that has engaged players and audiences for nearly 200 years.  Together with other pieces of light classical music, this will be a perfect programme for a Summer’s evening.

Summer Serenade – photo: Henleaze Concert Society

Main photo: Tim Dickeson

Read next:

• 23 things to do in Bristol this week, March 4-10 2024
• Livingstone St Ives announces 2024 open call for artists
• Review: A View From The Bridge, Theatre Royal Bath – ‘Unmissably golden’

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