Expect a blaze of colour and lots of impressive music as Bristol’s biggest and longest-running Afro-Caribbean event finally returns to our city. Scores of market stalls and dozens of acts will line the streets as St Pauls Carnival kicks off on Saturday.
This year's carnival pays homage to Bristol Bus Boycott activist and Carnival forefather, Roy Hackett MBE, who passed away in August last year and celebrates the 75th anniversary of Windrush. This year will be the first full St Pauls Carnival since 2019 and for chair, Levi Roots, who was appointed in 2021.
Revellers will be able to watch the procession from 12:30 - there will also be music, costumes, food, musicians, dancers, children’s activities and activist-led cultural arts. Scroll down for the full line-up of acts, after-parties and additional venues of interest worth visiting on the day.
READ MORE: St Pauls Carnival full line up revealed as main stage is renamed
The event started in 1968, just two years after the first Notting Hill Carnival. The Caribbean carnival culture began in Trinidad and Tobago in the 18th century during the period of slavery and was organised as an alternative to the balls and masquerades held by slave owners during the beginning of lent.
The procession
The carnival procession will begin at 12.30pm at Portland Square. It will travel along Dean Street, Brigstocke Road before turning right onto City Road and then onto Ashley Road, Lower Ashley Road, Tudor Road and Fern Street.
The procession will end on Dove Street at approximately 3pm before turning right along Newfoundland Road. Designated toilets along the route can be found at Portland Square, the corner of City and Ashley Road, St Agnes Park at the end of Tudor Road.
Windrush Bus, Afro Lena Mas Camp, Piloxersise, Hype Dance, Afon Systema, Batala, Ujima, One Jam Troupe, Gas Girls, Bristol School of Samba and St Pauls Carnival Dance Troupe will be included in the procession.
Stages
Alongside the moving carnival floats and procession, there will be four static stages, each with its own unique line-up of acts throughout the day.
The main stage, which has been renamed Roy Hackett Memorial Stage, will be located on the green outside St Pauls Learning centre on Grosvenor Road . Jendayi Serwah and Lawrence Hoo will open the show at the Roy Hackett Memorial Stage at 12pm. Music will include performances from Laid Blak and Da Fuchaman and his Fire Blaze band.
Performances at the Radical Roots stage at Brunswick Square will kick off at 12.30. The daytime session will include activist-led cultural art including spoken word, dance and music.
National slam champion and Bristol spoken word performer Solomon OB will be on stage as well as Bristol Windrush Reggae Choir . From 4.45pm there will be a Booty Base takeover until 10pm.
Mandela’s Hideaway at St Agnes Park is the designated families area which will see youth talent and Bristol grassroots acts such as Krush Landing , Lorna Da’Angel alongside storytelling, drumming and arts and crafts. Activities and performances will start at 12pm with an earlier finish time of 6pm.
Raising Legends stage at St Pauls Park will be open from 12-9pm and will feature emerging Bristol talent. K-Dogg who has since recovered from injuries following a racist attack in Horfied in 2020 , will be among other local rappers taking to the stage alongside a live mural from Jasmine Thompson.
Events taking place outside of carnival
DJ Docta Flex will be hosting an additional stage outside Comries Caribbean Cuisine on Grosvenor Road. The Rastafari Culture Centre , also on Grosvenor Road, will be offering a safe space for anyone who needs some quiet time away from the crowds, they are fundraising to save the community space.
Kuumba Centre: located on Hepburn Road, the venue has been part of St Pauls Carnival since its humble beginnings. Kuumba is currently in a dispute with Bristol City Council. The centre will be hosting The Takeover stage which will include performances from King Aggi who will join others in the Wordlife takeover.
Sound systems will be scattered throughout the carnival area and their locations are marked on the carnival map. Ghetto Force sound system on Portland Square has already put out the details of their line-up.
Additional information
More than 140 applications have been submitted for market stalls with priority given to local residents. Expect to find a range of stalls throughout St Pauls on the pavements outside people’s homes. Brunswick Square will be the communities area where you can expect to find stalls from local organisations and charities.
A full carnival programme will be available on the day to pick up at Portland Square on the day for £2. Proceeds from the sale of the programme will go towards funding the carnival.
Parking restrictions will be in place from 2pm on Friday, June 30 until 7am. Any cars parked within the event site will need to be moved to Dove Lane ( proof of address needed) before 2pm on Friday. There will be a secure residents' parking site on Dove Lane where any remaining vehicles will be towed at 6pm on Friday, June 30. Vehicles can be retrieved from 7am, July 2.
Road closures: Lower Ashley Road is closed from 2pm-8pm on July 1. There will be more than 70 additional road closures in and around the carnival procession route.
After parties
There will be three after-parties on July 1 at Motion nightclub, Lost Horizon and Trinity Centre. All profits raised from the Lost Horizon event will go directly to supporting the carnival’s future and Trinity Centre’s afterparty is a fundraiser for St Pauls Carnival in the interests of the community.
Tropixx at Motion is presented by Bristol VIP and JS Ent, who will be hosting a lineup of DJs to keep the Carnival spirit going after dark from 10pm to 5am. Early bird tickets start at £10 and will be moving up to £15 for its first release, available on See Tickets .
Official St Pauls after party at Lost Horizon will feature Bristol’s own 1Relation Sound System and Joker. They will be joined by East London’s King Original and special guests from 10pm to 4am. There are a few early bird tickets left at £11.25 or general admission is priced at £16.75 (plus booking fees). Tickets can be purchased on Skiddle here .
One Love Jam presents St Paul’s Carnival Fundraiser after party at Trinity from 10pm to 5pm. The line-up includes Bugzy Sound, FR. London, Norris B, So-Sikk Movements, The Elite Squad, Dj Karrizma, DJ Lloyd Rice, DJ Mani, DJ Pandora, DJ Skel, DJ Tweet and DJ Wally. Tickets start at £8 and can be purchased directly from Trinity centre online (accessible seating is available).
