Bristol Beacon announces reopening date after five-year transformation

The full reopening programme is set to be announced later this year

Bristol Beacon
Author: Oliver MorganPublished 14th Feb 2023
Last updated 9th Jun 2024

The team at Bristol Beacon are delivering a Valentines Day gift to the city - as they today announce when they'll reopen the centre following a five-year transformation.

They're calling their 'highly anticipated reopening' a 'cultural highlight of the year' when it fully opens three years on from when it was first expected to because of safety and refurbishment work.

Today, they're asking the city to 'Save the Date' - with the official opening date set for Thursday, November 30 2023.

When it reopens, it'll reveal stunning new performance spaces, including the 2000+ capacity Beacon Hall, the 500 capacity Lantern Hall and the brand new 200 capacity Weston Cellar.

Louise Mitchell, Chief Executive of Bristol Beacon explains: “We’re delighted to be able finally to confirm the reopening date. The team are busy putting the finishing touches to our opening season, where we will be showcasing a number of commissions and UK Premieres, and inviting all of our city’s communities into the Beacon to explore the new spaces, celebrating creativity and inclusivity in a way that only Bristol can. In the meantime, we’re delighted to announce we’ll be welcoming back some fantastic artists and festivals and put our first tickets on sale.”

Ahead of revealing the full reopening programme, some of the first events to take place in the transformed venue are revealed today, including the return of Simple Things Festival for its 10th edition after a five year hiatus since 2019.

The multi-disciplinary festival will be revealing line-up and ticketing details in the coming months.

Thomas Frost, Co-Founder of Simple Things Festival, said “The reopening of Bristol Beacon is one of the most significant moments for the city and it will be great to be back at our spiritual home for our 10th edition. The Beacon will be such an integral part of Bristol’s music scene, championing grassroots and local artists as well as supporting projects and events from every genre of music. We’re working with the team to really utilise every part of the building which will give us a great new dynamic for our tenth anniversary.”

Bristol favourites This Is The Kit will also play their first Beacon Hall concert on Saturday 3 February, marking their biggest show in the city to date. Kate Stables, the brains behind the band, delivers intricate lyrics and plucky strings to create her own brand of folk that has won plaudits from BBC 6 Music and countless critics. T

he show represents a continuation of the ‘Bristol Beacon presents’ in-house programme that has seen the Beacon work with over 40 venues during the five-year refurbishment.

This week will also see the team put on-sale a handful of shows with familiar artists who have a long-standing relationship with the venue including Jools Holland and Bootleg Beatles, as well as a December show from Sophie Ellis-Bextor, bringing her much-loved kitchen disco to Beacon Hall, and the acclaimed music collective Penguin Cafe.

December will also see the return of comedy to the Beacon stage with performances announced from John Robinsand Ross Noble.

To keep up to date with more news and reopening announcements, including ticket details for these first shows, sign up to the Bristol Beacon newsletter at bristolbeacon.org and follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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