What’s happening in Bristol this week: 28 September – 5 October 2026
It is a quieter stretch in Bristol, with 2 events on this week, which makes choosing easy. All of them are concerts. Here is what is on, who it suits and how to plan your days out.
For music fans
Choose between Freya Ridings at Bristol Beacon (Monday, 19:00) and Joe Jackson - Hope and Fury Tour 2026 at Bristol Beacon (Tuesday, 19:30).
Planning your days out
Most start between 19:00 and 19:30, which leaves time for dinner first. All of them are within 3 km of the centre.
Monday is the busiest day, with 1 events.
Bristol this week: quick answers
What’s on in Bristol this week?
2 events, including Freya Ridings at Bristol Beacon and Joe Jackson - Hope and Fury Tour 2026 at Bristol Beacon.
Which venues are busiest?
Bristol Beacon (2 events).
Where to go in Bristol: events, concerts, games and shows worth your night
Bristol made trip-hop, drum and bass and a good share of Britain’s street art, and it still runs one of the best nights in the country: a floating harbour of bars and boats, a legendary club in a former cinema, a beacon of a concert hall reopened after years of rebuilding, and a hillside of festival sites. Below is where to go in Bristol for a night out, with addresses, and what tends to be on when.
Concerts and live music in Bristol
Bristol Beacon (Trenchard Street, bristolbeacon.org), the city’s concert hall, reopened in 2023 and takes everything from the Bristol Ensemble to touring rock; the O2 Academy (Frogmore Street) the mid-sized tours; Thekla, a boat moored in the harbour, and the Fleece and the Exchange the new bands. Motion in a former skatepark by Temple Meads is one of Britain’s great clubs, and Lakota in Stokes Croft the old one. Arena tours will play the YTL Arena when it opens at the former Brabazon hangar in Filton.
Bristol nightlife: Stokes Croft, the harbourside and King Street
Stokes Croft and Gloucester Road have the bars and small venues; the harbourside the boats, terraces and Thekla; King Street the pubs and the Old Vic; Clifton the wine bars. Bars close at 1 or 2, clubs at 4 or later. The last trains and buses go around midnight.
Theatre and comedy in Bristol
The Bristol Old Vic (King Street) is the oldest continuously working theatre in the English-speaking world and produces its own season; the Hippodrome takes the touring musicals, and the Tobacco Factory in Southville the new work. The Comedy Box at the Hen and Chicken and the Bristol Comedy Garden in Queen Square in June cover stand-up.
Sports in Bristol
Bristol City at Ashton Gate and Bristol Rovers at the Memorial Stadium, Bristol Bears rugby at Ashton Gate too, and Gloucestershire cricket at the County Ground. The Bristol Half Marathon in September and the Balloon Fiesta’s dawn launches in August are the city’s other crowds.
Museums and galleries in Bristol
The Arnolfini on the harbourside is the free contemporary art centre; Spike Island in a former tea factory holds studios and a gallery; the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery and M Shed are free too. Upfest in Bedminster paints the streets in a weekend every other year.
Bristol festivals and events by season
- Winter: the Bristol Beacon’s winter season and the Slapstick Festival in January.
- Spring: Bristol Jazz and Blues Festival, and the Bristol Comedy Garden’s early dates.
- Summer: Love Saves the Day in May, the Downs Festival and the Harbour Festival in July, the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta in August, and the Bristol Pride parade.
- Autumn: Simple Things in October, the Encounters Film Festival, and the Old Vic and Beacon seasons opening.
Things to do in Bristol tonight and this weekend
The listings above are the live version of all this: every concert, show, game, club night and exhibition on in Bristol tonight, tomorrow and this weekend, with times, prices and tickets, updated every hour.
