Bristol Summer Festivals Approaching

As mentioned last week, Bristol hosts a number of cultural festivals over the summer months. Here in chronological order is the semi-definitive list.

Festival of Nature
6 - 7th June, Harbourside "The UK's biggest celebration of the natural world" includes films, animal encounters, workshops and exhibitions. The local food market is also popular and the whole event is FREE.

Bristol's Biggest Bike Ride
21st June, Millennium Square. Placed at the end of Bike Week, the event provides five different length rides to the Portway and countryside beyond plus a family fun day for those who, like me, remain bike averse.

St Paul's Carnival
4th July. Should need no introduction as the entire neighbourhood becomes the scene for one of Europe's largest Afro-Caribbean FREE festivals. 60,000 attended last year. Link

Harbour Festival
31st July - 2nd August, Harbourside (surprisingly). Music, dance, circus, ships, fireworks . Enough said, apart from the fact that it is also FREE.

Bristol International Balloon Fiesta
6 - 9th August, Ashton Court. Probably Bristol's most well-known event nationally. A must-see, even if it's from your house as the balloons sail over the rooftops. Cameras required. Free with a car park ticket.

Bristol Festival of Puppetry
28th Aug - 6th Sept. Tobacco Factory . A new event for 2009 with the fascinating promise of "socks to latex and street theatre to celluloid". With Aardman involved as well, it should be worth a look.

Bristol International Festival of Kite and Air Creations
12 -13th September, Ashton Court. Possibly your only opportunity this year to gaze upon a 30-foot pink flying octopus. Free with car park ticket. Link

The Bristol Festival
19 - 20th September, Waterside Sq and Amphitheatre. Rising Phoenix-like from the now-disbanded and debt-laden Bristol Community Festival, which attracted up to 50,000 at its Ashton Court events each summer, the trimmed down Bristol Festival is trying to build "from the ground up" to provide a grass-roots community event for local performers. Line up to be confirmed.

Al Shaw is a freelance writer and runs the Kumon maths and English study centre in Redland