Bristol Harbour Festival returns
Around a quarter of a million people are expected to attend
Last updated 19th Jul 2024
Hundreds of thousands of people are set to visit the centre of Bristol this weekend for the city's Harbour Festival.
The annual event is one of the UK's biggest free to attend celebrations of music, food and maritime activities.
This year the festival's main stage returns to the Ampitheatre by the water and will highlight some of the best musical talent from across the South West.
Another platform in Queen Square known as the Bristol Rising Stage will showcase the city's rising talent, while there will also be a dance tent and and Expression stage in Millennium Square, hosting talks, debates and panel discussions.
The festival officially begins at 6pm tonight (Friday 19th July).
On the water
As always moorings on the harbourside will be packed with boaters wishing to soak up the atmosphere, but various bits of entertainment and events are also planned.
Beginning proceedings on Saturday morning, former fire fighting boat The Pyronaut will perform a display of its powerful water cannon at 11am.
That will be followed by other spectacles including a parade of steam boats, a cardboard boat race and on both Saturday and Sunday, performances by a professional flyboarder.
Organiser Harry Feigen said: "It's been one of our aims to really focus on the maritime aspect of the Harbour Festival.
"It's something that is incredibly important to Bristol and something that we really wanted to feature front and centre within the event."
To finish the festival on Sunday a Parade of Sail will take place on the water, when boats and ships of all kinds will parade up and down the harbour, to crowds watching on.
Other things to look out for
Having celebrated its 40th anniversary earlier this year, iconic Bristol music venue Thekla will host a silent disco from 2pm until 10pm on Satuday, with music on throughout both days.
A new element called Fringe Festival will also feature other events like gin tasting, film showings and a coffee club, while the food on offer is set to include, tacos, pizza, pasties and briskets.
Visitors are encouraged not to bring any single use plastics with water fountains in use across the harbourside. Around a quarter of a million people are expected to attend.
If you want to find out more about the Harbour Festival, visit the event website here.