Things To Do / Sponsored
22 things to do in Bristol this week, December 9-15 2024
Monday: Bristol Cabot Choir Christmas Concert, Bristol Cathedral
On Monday evening, Bristol Cathedral will be filled with loyal followers of the Bristol Cabot Choir, a mixed-gender group who perform at least three concerts every year: one at Christmas, one at Easter and one in July. The group’s Christmas concert will feature hymns, carols and festive favourites.
The Bristol Cabot Choir is a mixed-voice amateur choir which was founded in 1972 – Bristol Cabot Choir
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Monday-Thursday: Nightbitch, Watershed
Mother (Amy Adams) puts her career on hold to parent her young toddler. The transformation of her feelings, sense of self and relationship to the world spark a change in her that is as liberating as it is radical.
Nightbitch – photo: Watershed
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Monday-Thursday: On Becoming A Guinea Fowl, Watershed
Rungano Nyoni’s follow-up to her BAFTA-winning debut I Am Not a Witch is a powerful and atmospheric tale of tradition, abuse and strength within a Zambian family.
On Becoming A Guinea Fowl – photo: Watershed
Tuesday: Lord Mayor of Bristol Children’s Appeal Christmas Concert, St George’s
On Tuesday St George’s will host a charity concert featuring music from Bold Brass, the Bristol Show Choir and Blackbird Children’s choir for the Lord Mayor of Bristol Children’s Appeal. The Lord Mayor of Bristol Children’s Appeal raises funds to help disadvantaged children and young people at Christmas.
The Lord Mayor of Bristol Children’s Appeal raises funds which help children get food, clothes and toys just in time for Christmas – photo: Jon Craig
Wednesday: Adam Ball’s Christmas Supper Club, KASK
MasterChef quarter-finalist Adam Ball is marking the Christmas season with an exclusive supper club at Kitchen by KASK. With promises of ‘great food’ and ‘fantastic wine’, this is not one to miss.
Adam Ball was a MasterChef quarter-finalist in the 2023 – photo: Adam Ball
Wednesday: Alpha Comedy Christmas Charity Spectacular, Alpha Bottle Shop
Alpha Bottle Shop in Bedminster are hosting a Christmas Charity Spectacular with a mystery line up of local comedians. The event will be MC’ed by local standup Phil Wathern and all proceeds will be donated to men’s mental health charity Talk Club.
Talk Club is a men’s mental health charity – photo: Alpha Bottle Shop
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Thursday: Breath Led with Lucy, Thursdays, Yogasara 10 – 11.15am
Join Lucy at Yogasara studio for a 75 minute kundalini global class working with breath, posture and strength, ending with a crystal singing bowls sound bath. As we quiet our minds and open our hearts, we are able to regulate our nervous systems. From this space we can soothe our stress and anxious and addictive minds. No experience necessary, not suitable during pregnancy.
Breath led with Lucy-photo: Lucy Spragge
Thursday: Skids + Spear of Destiny, Trinity Centre
Scottish punk rock and New wave band, Skids will be celebrating the 45th anniversary of their seminal album, Days in Europa. They will be joined by London-based rock band Spear of Destiny.
The Skids appeared on Top of the Pops in the 70s – photo: Skids
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Thursday: The Damned, Bristol Beacon
Punk veterans The Damned announce their plans for an extensive UK tour in 2024 to celebrate the return of original drummer Rat Scabies – marking the first time this line-up has played together since 1989. Revisiting the music from their 80s line-up, audiences can expect songs from Machine Gun Etiquette, The Black Album and Strawberries, as well as fan favourite such as Neat Neat Neat, New Rose and more. Following their formation in 1976, The Damned became the first UK punk band to officially release a single, ‘New Rose’, and an album Damned Damned Damned. With 12 studio albums and several UK chart singles, the band are pioneers who emerged from the London punk scene, earning an ever-expanding fan base fuelled by legendary live shows.
The Damned – photo: Bristol Beacon
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Friday: Half Happy, The Louisiana
Join Half Happy for their debut headline show in Bristol for an unforgettable night at The Louisiana. Known for their dynamic sound and captivating live shows, the band is ready to light up the stage in one of Bristol’s best-loved venues. Tickets are going fast, book while you can.
Half Happy – photo: Crosstown Concerts
Friday: Jack and Michael Whitehall: Live, Bristol Beacon
Comedian Jack Whitehall and his father Michael will drop by the Beacon on Friday after travelling the world together for the popular Netflix series, Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father. They will share family secrets and stories from their travels.
Jack’s mum Hilary will also make an appearance to ‘referee’ the chat between Jack and his dad – photo: ATG Entertainment
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Friday: Afriquoi, Bristol Beacon
Afriquoi fuses African music with UK electronic beats, creating a vibrant sound that makes you want to dance. Their unique blend features Gambian kora, Congolese guitar, and Mandinka percussion, mixed with house, garage, disco, and soul. This 5-piece supergroup brings together musicians from Africa, the Caribbean, and the UK. Since forming in 2011, Afriquoi has built a global fanbase, releasing standout tracks like ‘Kudaushe‘ and collaborating with top artists like Shabaka Hutchings. Their DJ sets with live percussion are life giving, they mix traditional African music with modern electronic styles, to light up the dancefloor.
Afriquoi – photo: Bristol Beacon
Friday: Critical Sound Bristol: Sinai Sound System, Lakota
Critical Music, an underground d&b record label from London, are teaming up with the Sheffield-based Sinai Sound System crew for a night of d&b and jungle jams at Lakota.
photo: Critical Music
Saturday: Picton Street Winter Fayre, Montpelier
The annual Picton Street Winter Fayre will return from 12 to 7pm on Saturday. The community-led Christmas fair will be raising funds for Aid Box and The Swan Project. A variety of arts, crafts and local produce stalls will be at the Fayre, including a stall selling weird and wonderful “Frankstein” lamps.
The Frankenstein Lamps stall only comes out once a year at the Picton Stret Fayre- photo: Shaun Williams
Frankenstein Lamps create lamps out of rejected items – photo: Shaun Williams
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Saturday: Sustainable Christmas Market – Support local indie makers!
Future Leap’s Sustainable Christmas Market is back, giving you the opportunity to shop from an array of indie sellers while supporting local artists and making your Christmas more sustainable. Every Saturday hosts a different selection of stallholders, and you can expect to find photography and art prints, eco-friendly beauty and hygiene products, greener household alternatives, ceramics, handsewn homewares and much, much more. Restore café will also be serving fresh coffee, food and treats to keep up your festive fuel.
Christmas Market – photo: Future Leap
Saturday: Bristol Film Festival, Clifton Chapel College
The Bristol Film Festival’s Christmas screenings continue this weekend with showings of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and The Muppet Christmas Carol at Clifton College Chapel.
The Muppet Christmas Carol stars Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge – photo: Disney
Sunday: The Crick Crack Club Christmas Carols Show, The Mount Without
On Sunday Sheema Mukherjee and Raoul Neumann will be on the sitar and bass while Tim Ralphs, Ben Haggarty and Steph Brittain share festive and funny tales. With mulled wine, mince pies and plenty of carols, the Crick Crack Club Christmas Carols Show is sure to make for a memorable night! All proceeds from the event will go to the Trussell Trust.
The Crick Crack Club hosted a similar show for families last week, but Sunday’s show is for ‘adults only’ – photo: Shutterstock
Sunday: CatGPT: The Nightmare Before Catmas, Hen & Chicken
After a successful showing at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, Welsh multimedia comedian Robin Wealleans is touring his one man show – CatGPT – across the UK this December. The show is described as the “mostly true tail of a Welshman’s attempts to bring back to life his beloved dead cat Lentil”.
Robin Weallans and AI Lentil, aka L3NT1L – photo: Robin Weallans
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Sunday: A fun and transformative Workshop, Gus Hoyt
You’ll dive into the Three Pillars of The WHM: Breath, Cold, and Mindset, as well as discovering the scientific basis and how to implement them into your daily life. Gus is also a Functional Breathwork Coach and a Conscious Breathwork guide and incorporates this to his workshops.
Fundamental workshop – photo: Gus Hoyt
Sunday: Mikey Kenney, Bristol Folk House
Mikey Kenney, a Liverpool-style fiddler with English and Irish heritage will be performing at the Folk House on Sunday in an event curated by Ear Trumpet.
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December 15: Bristol Ensemble Contemporary – Terry Riley ‘In C’
Bristol Ensemble performs an intriguing programme of contemporary works in the unique setting of Bristol 1904 Arts Club. In C is a musical piece composed by Terry Riley in 1964 and is often cited as the first minimalist composition to make a significant impact on the public consciousness. The programme also includes works by Ruth Gipps for solo oboe, Peter McGarr and Anna Meredith.
BE Contemporary – photo: Bristol Ensemble
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Until January 5: Christmas through the ages at Dyrham Park
Go on a festive journey back in time. Rooms decorated from six different eras from Tudor to 1980s. Giant wreath and family reindeer trail around the parkland. Choirs in the church each weekend before Christmas.
Christmas through the ages – photo: NTI/Steve Haywood
And coming soon…
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December 16: James Yorkston, The Jam Jar
Experience an evening of masterful songwriting with James Yorkston at The Jam Jar. Known for his rich storytelling and heartfelt performances, Yorkston will bring his unique blend of folk and warmth to this intimate Bristol venue.
James Yorkston – photo: Crosstown Concerts
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December 22: Christmas Special by Candlelight, Bristol Ensemble
The Military Wives Choir join the Bristol Ensemble for an uplifting programme of Christmas classics that will get you singing and clapping along. A perfect way to get into the Christmas mood!
Bristol Ensemble Christmas Special – photo: Bristol Ensemble
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December 31: NYE with Joy Orbison and more, The Prospect Building
We’re celebrating the first-ever NYE at The Prospect Building in style this year, with a huge lineup of DJs joining us for an extended event, including Joy Orbison, Special Request, Octo Octa and more. It’s set to be the perfect way to welcome 2025 in.
NYE with Joy Orbison – photo: The Prospect Building
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December 31: New Years Day Celebration at the Mount Without
Join Lucy in the stunning candlelit Mount Without on New Year’s Day for an afternoon of breathwork, yoga, sound, cacao and journaling to set our intentions as we move into 2025. Working with breath, stretch and posture will help us transition into the new year with clarity and calm. No experience necessary.
New Years Day Celebration – photo: Lucy Spragge
Main photo: Mikey Kennney
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