Bristol Harbour Festival returns this summer with the first event since 2019. And this year marks the 50th anniversary of the celebration.
Organised by Bristol City Council, the festival attracts over 250,000 visitors to enjoy over 120 hours of entertainment, across seven stages. Covering a mile of the harbourside, events include spoken word, local dance performers, world-class circus and on-water activity.
This year, the festival celebrates its 50th anniversary on July 15-17 with an inclusive programme showcasing community collaborations and emerging and established creative voices. The theme ‘ebb and flow’ will look at the changing face of the city and the transformation of the harbour over the last half a century.
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This year’s festival aims to further its engagement with the diverse range of communities that call Bristol home and champion these groups. It celebrates in the unique setting of its harbour and will see artists work with communities and partners to reflect the 'ebb and flow' of the people of Bristol.
Through installations around the harbour, the project will create a performative and interactive trail reflecting the city’s diverse communities. Highlights include, homelessness and housing charities Caring in Bristol & CHAS working with artist Rachael Clerke to recognise the thousands of Bristolians who live in precarious housing situations.
The interactive space promises to invite people to take part in an awards ceremony, celebrating housing achievements big and small on a specially-designed podium. The installation has been developed collaboratively with the communities in which Caring in Bristol's & CHAS Early Doors partnership works, with the interactive space will taking place close to the SS Great Britain.
City mayor Marvin Rees said: “This is a very special year for Bristol Harbour Festival. Not only are we celebrating its 50th anniversary, but it is also the first to take place since the start of the pandemic. Since 1971, communities from across Bristol have celebrated the special setting of the harbour and docks.
"Five decades on, our city’s diverse and creative talent comes together for one of the biggest outdoor family events of the year. Free to enjoy for all, the festival brings together some of the best of our city’s exceptional culture, as we share in our sense of community and place.”
Also lined up for the festival is Bristol Older People’s Forum, which will collaborate with poet Malaika Kegode to create a poem to be displayed around the harbour. Bristol Refugee Festival will work with a visual artist to create interpretations of the ebb and flow theme.
A group of young people from the West of England Centre for Inclusive Living will work with celebrated sound designer and composer Dom Coyote to create a space to encourage people to take a break and rest. WECIL is a charity run by and for Disabled people in Bristol and the surrounding area. The groups are currently collaborating on an immersive sound experience to be enjoyed at the festival.
Bristol School of Acting will create small walkabout performances that will pop up throughout the festival, exploring the theme. A Banner for Bristol workshop on the theme of activism in the city, curated by Ruth Ramsey in partnership with Trinity's Art of Resistance Programme and visitors will be invited to participate and make their own banners.
Councillor Ellie King, cabinet lead for public health, communities and Bristol One City, said: “I want to thank the local artists and community groups for helping us create such an exciting and inclusive programme. These collaborations are the beating-heart of Bristol Harbour Festival and enable us to create a world-class creative event.
"This year’s theme is all about championing the diverse communities that call Bristol home. I’m looking forward to seeing visitors explore the festival and all the wonderful activities on offer.”
Liz Counsell, project manager for Ebb and Flow, added: “Bristol Harbour has massive historical importance in the city, and has a role as an iconic cultural hub. We have developed a programme to welcome and invite everyone in the city to add their unique perspectives on life in Bristol.
"We are excited to showcase work by emerging and established artists as they create interventions across the festival. The Ebb and Flow project reflects the festival’s commitment to inclusivity and diversity and will be a great addition to the programme in the festival’s 50th year.”
Details of timings and locations of the Ebb and Flow interventions will be available on the Bristol Harbour Festival website.
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