My Bristol Favourites: Dan Clibery

Musician and promoter Dan Clibery is the organiser of Big Gorgeous Festival, taking place on Windsor Terrace in Clifton on July 27.

Raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support and Caring in Bristol, this year’s 400-people capacity one-day event features a lineup including Lonely Tourist, The Bristol Ensemble and Daisy Chapman; activities including kids activities and a capoeira demonstrations; and food and drink from

For more information, visit www.biggorgeousfestival.co.uk.

These are Dan’s top-five Bristol favourites:

Lido

“There’s nothing better than a swim out in the open. I love the Lido pool and its lack of chlorine. If it’s cold you can cook yourself in the sauna and steam room before leaping back into the chilly water. There’s no better way of shaking off the stress of a busy day. Equally fantastic is their restaurant which serves up some of the best food I’ve encountered in Bristol. It’s like a carbon offsetting for calories. Pile them on in the restaurant; swim them off in the pool.”

Bravas

“I love Spain. My wife has family there and we try and get over every year or so. We spent a couple of months hitching around it in our 20s, sleeping on beaches and mountains in a tent we bought from a toy shop! The tapas served in Bravas are as good as some of the best dishes we have found on our travels. Not only is the food pretty special, the staff are lovely too. It’s a tiny, narrow little restaurant on Cotham Hill and you’ll quite often find yourself hanging around for a table if you don’t book. It’s always worth the wait though.”

20th Century Flicks

“You’ve got to be doing something pretty special to keep a video shop operating as a viable business these days. Surely their can’t be many left at all and especially not quite as great as 20th Century Flicks. I don’t use this place quite as often as I should but have been a member for years. Not only do they have an encyclopedic knowledge of film but they’re also pretty cool when you don’t quite get your rental back on time. Which to my shame I’m often guilty of! Since they moved to Christmas Steps we’ve rented out one of their two kinos quite a few times, which are always good for super relaxed kids birthday parties.”

The Mothers’ Ruin

“I’ve played in bands for years and was drawn to Bristol, like many others I know, by its fantastic, diverse music scene. Over the years I’ve played in bands of all kinds of styles and have gigged in a multitude of venues. My music career has never quite hit the stratospheric heights of my dreams and I’ve played more dive bars than stadiums. Not a bad thing really, especially when they’re as good as the Mothers’ Ruin on St Nicholas Street. What makes this place even better is that it’s run by Marc Griffiths, singer of The King Dukes, one of the bands I drum for and we have a rehearsal space there. Rehearsal studio in a bar: living the dream after all!”

The uncomfortable bench

“There’s a bench on Brandon Hill, the exact location I will keep to myself. For years it was missing several wooden struts which made it pretty uncomfortable to sit on. Despite this it has amazing views across Bristol and we are always drawn to it when visiting Brandon Hill, which is pretty regularly. It became affectionately known as ‘The Uncomfortable Bench’. A few years back the council attempted to repair it and somehow managed to make it even more uncomfortable. I love it all the more for this.”

Read more: 66 festivals happening in July 2019