Things To Do / 10 things to do this week
25 things to do in Bristol this week, May 13-19 2024
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Monday-July 5: National Theatre Live, Watershed
National Theatre Live brings the best of British theatre to our Waterside 3 Event Space. As part of the Spring 2024 season, we’ll be screening Andrew Scott’s one-person Vanya, Michael Sheen as Nye Bevan who created the NHS and more.
National Theatre Live – photo: Watershed
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Now-July 22: Hamilton, Bristol Hippodrome
Bristol will have to Wait For It no longer; the multi-award-winning masterpiece by Lin-Manuel Miranda is now open at the Bristol Hippodrome!
Hamilton is the winner of 11 Tony Awards including Best Musical, 7 Olivier Awards, the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album.
Hamilton – photo: Bristol Hippodrome
Monday: Learn to cook Japanese ramen, Cooking It
Learn how to make your own heartwarming, soul quenching bowl of the traditional Japanese noodle soup dish, from nose to tail (apart from making your own noodles). Create the stock soup base from scratch, and learn the secrets to the perfect toppings for the dish.
Tonkotsu Ramen – photo: Tonkotsu
Tuesday: Crywank, Exchange
The return of the folk punk powerhouse band who pull no punches won’t be one to miss for fans of the subgenre of sad, angry punk music. The Old Market live music space/cafe/record store hosts the group as part of their 2024 England tour, off the back of playing 16 shows in two days (yes, you read that right.)
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Wednesday: 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 meets Richter by candlelight – photo: Bristol Ensemble
Wednesday: Collage Crew: Cosmic, L’Étoile Studio
Collaging can be quiet, therapeutic and thoughtful, but also an incredibly bold and powerful way of combining many different juxtaposed visual styles to make an impactful point. Led by the collage experts at the Collage Crew, they will give you helpful exercises to get your inspiration moving, and useful collaging tips to get you on your way.
Collage Crew Cosmic – photo: L’Etoile Studio
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Monday-Thursday: La Chimera, Watershed
The Crown’s Josh O’Connor proves he’s just as good in Italian as he is in English in Alice Rohrwacher’s heady mix of gritty social drama and magical realism.
La Chimera – photo: Watershed
Thursday-Sunday: Forbidden Worlds Film Festival, Aquarium IMAX
A film festival focussing on science fiction, action, fantasy and horror films of all stripes, the Forbidden Worlds Film Festival takes over the impressive IMAX screen hidden in Bristol’s Aquarium, this year celebrating “cinema’s most deadly women”.
Forbidden Worlds Film Festival 2024 – photo: Forbidden Worlds
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Friday-26 May: Mayfest 2024, Across Bristol
Bristol’s international festival of contemporary theatre and live performance curated and produced by MAYK is back! Spanning ten days, expect dozens of performances, events, parties, meet ups and talks in some of Bristol’s best-loved venues as well as unexpected sites and locations throughout the city. All tickets are pay what you can.
Friday: AnExperience presents: A Proper Jungle Night, Broad Plain Boxing Gym
Known for putting on no holds barred, hedonism fuelled parties where the music and the dancing always comes first, AnExperience continues their run of serious, ‘92-’96 jungle raves, this time heading to the Boxing Gym near Lost Horizon. With a 5am licence and being powered by Scotland Yard soundsystem, it’s got all the hallmarks of a real jungle party.
A Proper Jungle Night – photo: AnExperience
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Saturday: SK Shlomo: Breathe, Bristol Beacon
Described by The Times as a “one-person music festival”, international non-binary beatboxing star SK Shlomo returns with award-winning new solo show BREATHE: a rollercoaster love-letter to the lifesaving power of beats, bass & breathing. With rave reviews after premiering at the world-famous Royal Albert Hall, and winning a Fringe Award at Edinburgh Festival, BREATHE is a thrilling mix of cutting-edge music tech, heartwarmingly personal storytelling, and the breathtaking virtuosity that makes SK Shlomo a main-stage festival favourite, a world-champion beatboxer, and collaborator of choice for megastar acts like Ed Sheeran, Bjork and Gorillaz.
SK Shlomo – photo: Bristol Beacon
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Saturday-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
Saturday & Sunday: asses.masses, Watershed
An exciting piece of participatory theatre that incorporates video games, political revolution and audience participation makes its UK premiere at Watershed as part of Mayfest. A group of donkeys aim to rise up against their human owners, who have cast them aside in the name of technology and machines – everyone gets a go on the controller as part of the day of gaming, and heckling, open discussion/movement is encouraged.
Asses.masses – photo: Watershed_mayfest
Saturday & Sunday: Bristol Transformed
Returning for its fifth year, Bristol Transformed is billed as “a festival of socialist ideas, culture & art”. Taking place at Trinity, the two-day event will include debates, workshops, talks, games and parties. Themes include: the basics of radical economics, ‘Madness Under Capitalism – Imagining Radical Care’, apartheid-free zones – solidarity with Palestine and how to unionise your workplace.
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Saturday: GoGo Penguin, Bristol Beacon
Emotive, cinematic break-beat trio GoGo Penguin are back, playing music from their exhilarating new album Everything Is Going to Be OK, together with songs from their luminous back catalogue. Bursting with the optimism of new beginnings, with a new drummer, a new record label and a subtly updated and developed sound, the band are ushering in a more sonically liberated era. Support comes from Daudi Matsiko.
GoGo Penguin – photo: Bristol Beacon
Saturday: Free ice cream, Radical Roasters in Easton
The kind people at Radical Roasters on St Mark’s Road in Easton are giving away 100 free ice creams from midday on Saturday to mark the launch of their new soft serve ice cream machine. They say: “We are the first cafe in Bristol to serve Oatly soft serve. So, not only is it vegan, it’s super delicious. We want to keep the ice cream affordable for families so ice creams for kids and teenagers up to 18 will always be £1.”
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Sunday: Sleight of Hand, Sparks Bristol
An installation based on touch and tactile stimulation at the Broadmead community arts hub. Combining dance and ASMR along with physical elements, the exhibition aims to shut off the senses from the outside world, and allow the visitor to focus on what happens when your senses are truly engulfed by stimulating theatre.
Sleight of Hand – photo: Mayfest
And coming soon…
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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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May 26: Six Chick Flicks, Redgrave Theatre
Fresh from a sold-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe, this smash hit comedy parodies your favourite chick flicks in one hysterical, fast-paced show. From the deck of the Titanic to the glittery pink halls of Harvard Law, watch as New York City comedians Kerry Ipema and KK Apple transform the stage with songs, dance breaks and pop culture hilarity. If you love chick flicks, you’ll love this show. If you hate chick flicks… you’ll love this show!
Six Chick Flicks – photo: Redgrave Theatre
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May 30: Gloucestershire v Essex, Seat Unique Stadium
The 2023 finalists, Essex, visit Bristol for the opening game of the 2024 T20 Blast. The only half-term game of the year this match is sure to be a hit for the family.
GlosvEssex – photo: Glos Cricket
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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: NHC
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June 5-15: Clifton International Festival of Music, Clifton Cathedral & St Paul’s
Spellbinding sounds from renowned artists, tenor James Gilchrist and mezzo soprano Helen Charlston, and festival favourites, early music vocal group The Erebus Ensemble, plus Bristol Symphony Orchestra. You’ll find masterpieces including Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.6 and Faure’s much-loved Requiem.
Clifton International Festival of Music – photo: Clifton International Festival of Music
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June 5: Kevin Quantum – Momentum, Redgrave Theatre
Explore the exotic space where science and magic meet with the magician-scientist-adventurer, trained by US magic legends Penn & Teller. With over a decade of Edinburgh Fringe sell-outs, performances around Europe and tours of Australia, Kevin embarks on his first ever UK tour with an entrancing collection of unique magic inventions, stunning sleight-of-hand and beautiful (yet deadly) stunts in a show – inspired by science but targeted at humans.
Kevin Quantum Momentum – photo: Redgrave Theatre
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June 7: Gloucestershire v Hampshire, Seat Unique Stadium
One of only two Friday night matches in Bristol this year, Hampshire Hawks visit Bristol, this game is sure to be one of the top cricket socials of the year!
GlosvHampshire – photo: Glos Cricket
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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: Watershed/Mayfest
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