Bristol Harbour Festival will be returning to the city centre with brand new entertainment zones and layout changes for 2023. The huge free family event has confirmed the dates for July and will celebrate local talent at the forefront of its programming after concerns last year that the festival had become "too white and middle class".
The free event, which is one of the UK's largest public events, attracts 250,000 visitors to the harbourside to enjoy aquatic events, world-class circus stunts and music acts. Last year, Bristol Harbour Festival returned for the first time in three years after the pandemic.
In August 2022, a report to the city council’s cabinet recommended the award-winning extravaganza should be “reimagined”, potentially with fewer stages, and be more inclusive.
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Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, said: “Bristol’s Harbour Festival is a big part of our city’s calendar, and an incredible platform for aspiring artists and local talent to perform in front of huge audiences. The Harbour Festival is an event for all communities and is an opportunity to showcase the diverse Bristol we’re proud to call home. We look forward to celebrating together and bringing another brilliant free festival to Bristol this summer.”
This year, the number of stages will be shrinking from 12 to five and the event will aim to create a more inclusive water programme for three days from July 14-16, 2023. Easton theatre group Cirque Bijou will be bringing its trapeze stunts and children's entertainment to the Circus Playground, moving from Queen Square to College Green.
Millennium Square will become Jelli Shack, a beach bar that will offer an acoustic music programme organised by Jelli Records that will platform Bristol talent. There will also be dodgems as well as food and drink to refuel throughout the day. On the water, entertainment will return to the Harbour Festival, showcasing much-loved maritime events from jet ski stunts to cardboard boat races as well as the iconic Pyrounaut and high octane jetpack stunts.
The Amphitheatre, which was previously a music stage, has been renamed Harbour View and will become the main food court. Queen Square will transform into the Music Quarter with a line-up curated by Harbour Festival programming legend, Tony Benjamin. This space will kick start the festival on Friday night and will also feature the brightest talent from Access Creative College alongside established acts.
The festival has opened its annual expression of interest applications for those wanting to perform and get involved with the festival this year, hoping to attract the newest and coolest into the festival from all over corners of the city once again. Applications are open to everyone and anyone looking to share their talent.
Applications for boat owners and visiting vessels who wish to attend this year’s festival can apply from April 17, 2023 on the Sail Bristol app. Allocations will be made on a first come first serve basis and more information can be found on the Harbour Festival website.
Bristol Harbour Festival’s new and reformed festival is brought to the city by Bristol City Council. The Circus Playground is supported and funded by the High Street Recovery Fund.
Bristol Harbour Festival returns to the harbourside from July 14-16, 2023. https://www.bristolharbourfestival.co.uk/
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