27 things to do in Bristol this week, April 8-14 2024

Monday-Wednesday: Nothing grows in a straight line, Centrespace Gallery
Visual artist, music producer and DJ AK-One celebrates the launch of their debut album with a pairing exhibition, exploring the themes of connection and belonging. The exhibition aims to be an immersive experience, with the album playing as you explore AK-One’s many abstract, striking works.

Nothing Grows in a straight line – photo: Centrespace Gallery

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Monday-Thursday: Luca, Watershed
Set in a beautiful seaside town on the Italian Riviera, Pixar’s 2021 feature film Luca follows a boy experiencing an unforgettable summer filled with gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides.

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Tuesday: Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Bristol Beacon
Artistic transformation is often associated with a blast of fanfare. However, in his latest album Some Things Break (Dirty Hit Records), singer-songwriter Benjamin Francis Leftwich explores reinvention with calculated subtlety. Produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Jimmy Hogarth, Some Things Break features collaborations with fellow songwriters including Mikky Ekko, The 1975’s Jamie Squire, Jon Green and more. Fans of Leftwich’s work will associate him with a rich but pared-back acoustic singer-songwriter sound infused with a charming wistfulness and disarmingly candid lyrics. Aside from his own material, Benjamin’s songwriting, co-writing and collaboration with other songwriters and artists include The 1975, Nick Mulvey, Jasmine Jethwa, Rachel Chinouriri, CMAT and Holly Humberstone. Final tickets remain.

Benjamin Francis Leftwich – photo: Bristol Beacon

Tuesday: Ceramic vase pottery workshop, Wild Clay Studios
From the initial sketches to adding your own personal stamps and touches, the experienced tutors at Wild Clay Studios will walk you through the process of creating your very own clay vase to take home with you. Don’t fret if you’ve never touched pottery before, this workshop is designed to be fun, accessible and for all experience levels.

Create your own vase workshop – photo: Yuup/Wild Clay Studios

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Throughout April: NYC on Film, Watershed
A whistle-stop cinematic tour of New York City throughout April presented by Festival of the Future City. Kicking off with Joseph von Sternberg’s The Docks of New York and the corrupt streets of 1950s noirs, through the visceral energy of the films of New York, New York and Do The Right Thing and more.

NYC on film – photo: Watershed

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Wednesday-Sunday: Woodland of Wonder, Bristol Shopping Quarter
Visit Bristol Shopping Quarter’s Woodland of Wonder, a new family-friendly community arts festival taking place in Sparks Bristol and John Wesley’s New Room, Broadmead from 3rd to 6th and 10th to 13th April. Expect exhibitions, craft workshops, and photo walks – all activities are FREE!

Woodland of Wonder – photo: Bristol Shopping Quarter

Wednesday: An Evening with Manni & Reuben Coe, Waterstones
Brothers Manni and Reuben discuss their profoundly affecting and powerful joint memoir, the Sunday Times bestseller, brother. do. you. love. me.

Wednesday: Are you game?, The Jam Jar
Bring your own games, bring your own USB, bring both? The choice is yours, as the Jam Jar opens its doors for a free entry, open decks games night. There will, of course, be tunes and games provided, but if you’d like to contribute your own (no doubt) exquisite collection of either to the evening, it will be welcomed with open arms.

Are You Game? – photo: The Jam Jar

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Thursday: Samantha Lindo + Murmuration Choir, Bristol Beacon
Bristol-based singer, songwriter and multi-disciplinary artist Samantha Lindo blends the worlds of spiritual jazz, gospel and spoken word. Inspired by classic artists like Marvin Gaye, Carole King and Minnie Riperton, Samantha’s band includes some of Bristol’s finest new wave jazz musicians from Yeti, Snazzback, Cousin Kula, Dundundun and Worm Disco Club. For one night only, Samantha and her band will be performing her new album ‘Ancestry’ in collaboration with Murmuration Choir, renowned Bristol-based contemporary choral project that takes influence from neo-soul, electronica, contemporary folk and experimental pop, arranged into emotive 8-part harmony by director Isolde Freeth-Hale.

Samantha Lindo – photo: Bristol Beacon

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Thursday-Saturday: Young Ferment, Bristol Old Vic
An exciting collaboration between Bristol Old Vic’s Engagement and New Work team, ten emerging writers, composers, directors and devisors have worked with professional creative mentors to take their ideas from page to stage. Performed by Young Company and Young SixSix performers aged Year 9 and above.

Young Ferment – photo: Bristol Old Vic

Thursday: Sacred Frequencies, The Mount Without
A stunning, intimate concert at The Mount Without, raising money for Doctors Without Borders, a charity offering medical support to innocent civilians caught up in areas of conflict across the world. The evening will be soundtracked by a variety of impressive musical talent, with everything from emotive solo piano to sound healing to poetry.

Sacred Frequencies – photo: Artists Against War

Friday-April 21: Lyra Poetry Festival, various venues
Bristol’s annual celebration of the spoken word returns to the city, lighting up venues with incredible performances from poets of all stripes. Some of the events taking place are happening in person for the first time since 2020, too – but don’t worry, you can still get live stream tickets for most of the events to be enjoyed from the comfort of your own home.

Linton Kwesi Johnson – photo: Lyra Fest

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Friday: Alice in Wonderland, Redgrave Theatre
Multi award-nominated Immersion Theatre, bring their trademark energy to their biggest, funniest, and most spectacular family musical to date: Alice in Wonderland! Follow Alice and the White Rabbit as they set off on a colourful, topsy-turvy adventure and meet a host of outlandish characters including Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, the Queen of Hearts, the Chesire cat and of course, the Mad-as a bat-Hatter!

Alice in Wonderland – photo: Redgrave Theatre

Saturday: Up Ya Archives x Save Our Scene, secret location
A mega rave in a mega secret underground location. Whilst we can’t spill the beans on exactly where it is, we can say that it’s certainly going to be a special night, with the astronomical junglist Nia Archives taking the reins to raise money for the nightlife support initiative Save Our Scene.

Nia Archives headlines a massive secret location party this weekend – photo: Save Our Scene/Up Ya Archives

Sunday: Rediscovered, Ashton Court Mansion
If Ashton Court wasn’t already the perfect place to while away a Sunday, the opulent arts mansion within its grounds is hosting an arts exhibition within its walls across the weekend. With a focus on showcasing “genuinely affordable artworks”, the pieces range from £5-500, and are all from the collections of four established dealers who have worked together to curate the exhibition.

Rediscovered – photo: Ashton Court Mansion

And coming soon…

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April 16-27: The Last Show Before We Die, Bristol Old Vic
How do you know when it’s the end? ? Inspired by zombies, heartbreak, and the humble cockroach, this Edinburgh smash hit is a “sensory feast… a narrative that could be the anthem of every 20-something” (★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Fringe Biscuit).

The Last Show Before we Die – photo: Bristol Old Vic

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April 17-20: ‘Hedda’ by Andrew Whittle (after Henrik Ibsen), Factory Theatre
Here To There Productions bring their inspired adaptation of Ibsen’s classic story to Bristol on a 27-date UK tour.

Written by Company Director, Andrew Whittle, it perfectly meshes the traditional with accessible. It is a complex tale of power, jealousy and manipulation, of drunkenness and sexual weakness and is a compelling, fast-paced, roller-coaster of a story.

Hedda – photo: Here to There productions

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April 22: Jackie Fabulous – Full Circle, Redgrave Theatre
Jackie Fabulous has been carving her place in comedy in her native America since being a semi-finalist in America’s Got Talent, even getting Simon Cowell to blush! Jackie Fabulous is a hilarious and affable stand-up comedian, writer, actor, producer, motivational speaker, and headliner who uses her sparkling nature to simultaneously entertain, encourage, and empower audiences.

Jackie Fabulous – photo: Redgrave Theatre

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April 26-29: City Nature Challenge, multiple locations
City Nature Challenge is an exciting collaborative mission to record as much wildlife as possible from 26 – 29 April, using the free iNaturalist app. Get involved in the Bristol effort as we come together to collect records of biodiversity across our area, alongside 500+ other cities around the globe!

City Nature Challenge – photo: Natural History Consortium

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April 27: Sustainable Pop-Up Market: April, Future Leap Gloucester Road
Our Sustainable Pop-Up Market is back for April, giving you the opportunity to shop from an array of indie sellers!

Every market 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.

April Pop-Up Market – photo: Future Leap

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May 3: The Breath, Bristol Cathedral
‘Quietly, inexorably, The Breath have become one of the most exciting folk acts’ – The Financial Times *****
Softly-spoken guitar whizz Stuart McCallum (Cinematic Orchestra) and larger-than-life singer/flautist Ríoghnach Connolly (BBC Folk Singer Of The Year) are something very special indeed. Catch their opening concert at Bristol Cathedral.

‘The jaw-droppingly stunning, woozy voice of Ríoghnach Connolly” The Guardian

The Breath – photo: Bristol Folk Festival

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May 5: Sheelanagig + Filkin’s Ensemble, St. George’s
Raise the roof this Bank Holiday with foot-stomping folk & joint-jumping tunes. South West quintet Sheelanagig headline a special concert with support from stunningly beautiful 14-piece Filkin’s Ensemble. Think Penguin Café meets Bellowhead, not to be missed.

Sheelanagig – photo: Bristol Folk Festival

May 11: Blown Away, Trinity Henleaze URC
A great programme of music for wind instruments performed by players from the Bristol Ensemble:

• Mozart Serenade for Wind in C minor K.388
• Dvořák Serenade for Winds in D minor Op.44

We’ll hear the powerful and characterful C minor serenade by Mozart, a four movement work full of ingenuity, twists and turns.  And also, Dvořák’s Serenade for Winds in D minor, unmistakably Czech, an homage to music-making in Czech palaces and stately homes.

Blown Away – photo: Henleaze Concert Society

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May 15: Einaudi meets Max Richter, St. George’s
A hypnotic evening of music featuring mesmerising works by Ludovico Einaudi, together with Max Richter’s engagingly refreshing reimagining of Vivaldi’s ever popular Four Seasons.

Einaudi mets Richter by candlelight – photo: Bristol Ensemble

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May 18-June 2: SABOTAGE by NoFit State Circus, NoFit State Big Top, St Pauls
SABOTAGE is another full-on, boisterous, and audaciously fierce performance with the NoFit State signature style. This energising, uplifting and socially relevant contemporary circus production directed by Firenza Guidi will be back in Bristol this May.

Sabotage – photo: No Fit State Circus

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May 24: Gavin Bryars double bill, 1904 Arts Club
Bristol Ensemble performs The Sinking of the Titanic by British minimalist composer Gavin Bryars. The work was inspired by the story that the band on the RMS Titanic continued to perform as the ship sank in 1912 and imagines how the music performed by the band would reverberate through the water some time after they ceased performing.

Composed between 1969 and 1972, the work is now considered one of the classics of British classical experimental music. It was first recorded in 1975 when it became the first release on Brian Eno’s Obscure Records.

Gavin Bryars – photo: Bristol Ensemble

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June 1-9: Festival of Nature, multiple locations
Festival of Nature is the UK’s largest celebration of the natural world, taking place 1 – 9 June across Bristol and Bath. Running for over 20 years, Festival of Nature offers people the chance to connect with local wildlife, learn about the natural world, and take positive action for nature.

Festival of Nature – photo: Natural History Consortium

June 8: Music for a blue planet, Trinity Henleaze URC
In collaboration with the Festival of Nature, the Bristol Ensemble will take us on a breathtaking musical exploration of our beautiful planet with music from the BBC series Blue Planet by George Fenton together with Schubert’s enduringly popular Trout Quintet. Written by the young composer at just 22 years of age, this Quintet has a freshness and serenity that has engaged players and audiences for nearly 200 years.  This will be the last concert of our season, do come and join us.

Music for a blue planet – photo: Henleaze Concert Society

Main photo: Lyra Festival

Read next:

• Bristol24/7 to host all-day music show at the Fleece
• 45 things to do in Bristol in April 2024
• The Grinch attempts to steal Easter at Avon Valley

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