20 things to do in Bristol this week, October 31-November 6 2022

Monday: Grindhouse Halloween Special: Texas Chainsaw, Sidney & Eden
To celebrate Halloween, Gloucester Road’s Sidney & Eden are hosting a free screening of the slasher horror classic, aside from their usual schedule of showcasing indie, low-budget cinema.

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Now-November 10: Secret Postcard Auction, RWA (online)
The RWA Secret Postcard Exhibition is live! Snap up artwork by leading figures from the art and cultural world for as little as £40, whilst supporting the RWA as a registered charity. Contributors include Turner Prize artists like Jeremy Deller and Gilbert & George; renowned painters like Frank Bowling, Eileen Cooper, Richard Long and Alison Wilding, much-loved illustrators like Sam Toft; and household names such as Harry Hill.

The Auction is the perfect chance to grab a bargain on some fantastic works of art – photo: RWA

Tuesday: Free Haunted Bristol Walking Tour, city centre
Brought to you by the Redcliffe & Temple BID, this 45-minute lunchtime tour promises to be an “entertaining and informative way to spend your lunch break.” Walking around the city centre and surrounding areas, you’ll be taught about the sordid, often spooky past of the city, along with some humorous facts and trivia.

The tour begins at Temple Church, and works it’s way around the city centre – Photo: English Heritage

Tuesday-Saturday: Old Market (Remixed), Wardrobe Theatre
“This is local history, but not as you know it,” explains Tom Marshman. “Enjoy tales of messy nights out, questionable business decisions, brushes with the law and walking the dog, as told by the most colourful characters who have lived, worked and partied here over the years.” Marshman promises to shines a light on the 1990s to present day, weaving through memories of a lawless place, the proclaimed gay village and the home of gentrification; an area that continues to undergo radical change.

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Until January 8 2023: RWA Annual Open, RWA
The RWA’s renowned Annual Open Exhibition has returned! Visit for a showcase of some of the most exciting artists from across the country and beyond. Spot something you like? All artwork is for sale and available to purchase though the RWA website.

The exhibition happens once a year, and runs until the new year – photo: Alice Hendy

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Wednesday: Music Masterclass: t l k, Trinity Centre
Free music workshop with producer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist t l k for ages 16 to 25

Wednesday: Kafka: Live In Action, The Crown
The newest exciting addition to Bristol’s growing independent radio scene, Kafka Radio host their first club night at The Crown, showcasing a handful of their residents who play on the station on a monthly basis.

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Thursday: Bristol Beacon Presents: Baduizm, Trinity Centre
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Erykah Badu’s seminal and enduringly influential debut album Baduzim. To celebrate this milestone, rising-star vocalists Ava Joseph and Akin Soul, backed by an all-star ensemble from London’s jazz scene, unite to bring a live vibrancy to these tracks. Expect to hear everything you love about ‘Baduizm’, propelled by the sound and urgency of our time.

Thursday: Lunchtime Lecture with Dr Edson Burton, Bristol Central Library
Part of Bristol Libraries’ free weekly Thursday lunchtime talks, poet Dr Edson Burton is holding a lecture on the legacy of slavery and colonialism on the modern expression of Christianity.

Each week, the library hosts an inspiring speaker to keep you entertained during lunch hour – photo: Bristol City Council

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Thursday: Bristol Beacon Presents: Aoife O’Donovan, St Thomas the Martyr Church
Irish-American musician Aoife O’Donovan crafts songs imbued with rich humanity and an ethereal grace. With her resonant, velveteen vocals and intricate instrumentation O’Donovan’s songwriting is poetic and poignant, earning her comparison to the likes of Joni Mitchell. On her third album Age of Apathy, released earlier this year, O’Donovan takes her vivid, evocative artistry to new levels. Across the record, her existential reflections are both deeply personal and speak to a universal experience, conveyed via strikingly impressionistic string, guitar and piano melodies that accompany O’Donovan’s emotive vocals.

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November 4: Hippo Soundsystem Live! + Sam Redmore and the Tropical Sound Clash Allstars, Old Market Assembly
Bristol’s Best Loved Tropical Tea Party staring the almighty HSS. The Hippo Sound System is a hybrid electronic/live band lead by Bristol’s notorious Samba Junglist, DJ Hiphopapotamus. This is pure sunshine. Genre defying producer and DJ Sam Redmore, backed now by a full live band, presents a truly rare fusion of Disco, Afrobeat, Broken beat, Cumbia and Samba.

Friday: Daytimers x RepresentAsian, Lost Horizon
London based South Asian collective Daytimers team up with their equally exciting Bristol counterpart RepresentAsian for a celebration of the incredible South Asian talent in the dance community .

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Friday: First Friday, Watershed
First Friday is a free monthly social event at Watershed’s Pervasive Media Studio and online that is open to anyone. At this month’s event, hear from Bristol Digital Games Lab about their work and Watershed’s Architectural and Environmental Action Researchers, who will invite you to play games which open up conversations about how buildings can be retrofitted as part of working towards a more sustainable future.

First Friday is Watershed’s monthly social – photo: Watershed

Friday: Terrarium Workshop, Wild Leaf
Gloucester Road’s plant shop hosts a relaxing Friday evening, making you an expert in the art of terrarium making, from their history to making one yourself to take home. All equipment and materials are provided, and there will be refreshments to keep you energised.

The Gloucester Road plant shop has a wide array of plants and knowledgeable staff – Photo: Wild Leaf

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Opens Friday: Neptune Frost, Watershed
The directorial debut of multidisciplinary artists Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman is an exhilarating Afrofuturist anti-capitalist sci-fi-punk-musical about a cosmic romance between an intersex hacker and a coltan miner which seeds a revolution. The Sun 6 Nov 17:45 screening features an introduction and Q&A from directors Anisia Uzeyman and Saul Williams.

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Saturday: Peachin’ with Juls, Trinity Centre
Peachin’ are a female events and DJ collective who curate intergenerational events, providing a space for fun, positivity, and forward thinking. The night welcomes Afrobeats pioneer Juls for his debut headline show, supported by the innovative and percussive Goddess of rhythm Karen Nyame KG, See No Evil, and Peachin’ residents.

Saturday: Creators Market Bristol, Strange Brew
A free to attend, no ticket required market at one of the city’s most celebrated DIY arts spaces. There’ll be stalls from independent creators from across the creative spectrum selling their wares, from skincare to records, soundtracked by DJ BMO with their carefully curated playlist, designed for your shopping pleasure.

The market is a regular occurrence at Strange Brew, and is always popular – photo: Strange Brew

Sunday: Swan Songs, Centrespace Gallery
An exhibition from local artist Lucia Sellars, examining the many “small deaths” that we experience in our personal lives, whether that be the feeling gained from achieving something, or the pain of loss. Told through colourful paintings, many of which involving swans, playing on the idea of a “swan song” and the many of them that we experience in our day to day lives.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkAtiEJMfm3/

And coming soon…

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November 13 & 14: The Canterville Ghost, Redgrave Theatre
Four audacious artistes perform Oscar Wilde’s spine-chilling ghost story for your delight and delectation. Interspersed with their own sensational acts, a comedian, a magician, a psychic and their charismatic compere tell the story of Sir Simon de Canterville, who disappeared mysteriously 300 years ago after being accused of murder.

The production aims to keep you in the spooky spirit post-Halloween – photo: Redgrave Theatre

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November 16: An evening of TerrorTome with Garth Marenghi, Redgrave Theatre
Following the dismal failure of his 80’s TV series Darkplace, horror literature’s greatest living author Garth Marenghi has largely avoided the limelight, but this autumn Marenghi makes a rare public appearance to mark the release of his long-lost multi-volume epic TerrorTome. 

The satirical actor/author comes to Redgrave Theatre this November – photo: Redgrave Theatre

Main photo: Strange Brew

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