The Bristol Festival 2009

ow entering its second year, the Bristol Festival is planned for Friday 18th September until Sunday 20th September 2009, with the Friday being an evening warm up, showcasing performers and musicians from the Southwest region.

The festival will consist of multiple indoor venues and a central outdoor hub of activity at Bristol's Waterfront Square and Amphitheatre. Performances across 7 stages and 10 nightclubs will encompass arts, theatre, and music.

The artists performing at this year's festival include Babel, Babyhead, Bashema, Big Joan, Blackout, Central Spillz, Clayton Blizzard, Dr Meaker, Dynamo Rhythem Aces, First Degree Burns, Freefall Collective, Gecko, Hunting Lodge, Malakai, Mr Woodnote & The Bonobo Hobos, Pete Roe, Rossanne Hamilton, Sally Larkin, Shadz & the Root Elevation Band, SJ, Esau, The Black Bloc, The Black Sheep, The Flies, The Hats, The Hit Ups, The Monaros, The Swamps, Turbowolf, Vertebrae, Yes Rebels, Al Tourettes, Appleblim, Baobinga, Ben & Lex, Break, Deepgrove, DJ Die, Dr Moody, Eveson, Forsaken, Guido, Headhunter, Hyetal, Joker, Koast, Komonazmuk, Lomax, Minotaur Shock, October, Octogen, Superisk, TC & Jakes, The Insiders, and many, many more!
As part of their on-going effort to support local artistic talent, the BFCG are running an art auction in association with Goldbrick House, on Tuesday August 18th 2009 to raise money for this year's festival and to support local artists. With a mixture of established fine artists and stars of the future there will be over 40 lots to bid on with the main auction starting at 9pm. 50% of the profit generated will be donated to the Bristol Festival 2009 Art Fund. Artists involved include Hannah Davies, Deenagh Miller, Greg Trucker, Andrew Hood, Cheba and Acer.

At least seven dedicated music stages will feature Acoustic acts, Rock, Indie, Ska 'festival bands', Jazz, World music, Burlesque, Folk, Drumming and Dance. There will also be an open mic/ jam platform, circus zone, and Cabaret tent.

Programmed events will include exhibitions, a street art show, an interactive new media installation, local documentaries, short films and animations, educational workshops and talks, healing zone, live gigs, club nights, cabaret, stand-up, comedy, circus and theatre performances across the city, all covered by one festival ticket.

Tickets are priced at £10 for the weekend for an adult ticket, or £5 for 'Ave It' Friday in the Apmphitheatre. A combined BrizzolFest weekend Tickets and Rave-on-Avon evening pass for over 18's only is priced at £18. Children under 12 will be able to attend for free as long as they are accompanied by a ticket buying adult.

After dark things hot up with fire breathing sculptures by Glastonbury's Arcadia Spectacular, 3D video mapping by Metavisuals, and a breath-taking digital graffiti take over as entire buildings become engulfed in colour.

Friday is an Audio-Visual extravaganza! Large-scale light projections, digital graffiti, interactive music machines, GPS location activated poetry, films, new media theatre and a whole array of digital art. One of the most prominent of which is a digital graffiti wall where top local graff writers will get the chance to spray full colour digital graffiti onto a huge city centre office block using projection mapping technology – a world first.

The main stage for Friday night will include a Best of the West Comedy Showcase, interspersed with cabaret, music and burlesque. Featuring in the Cabaret Tent this year will be a host of homegrown entertainment including comedy, dancing divas, conjurers, poetry, circus, burlesque beauties, impromptu theatre, and naked acrobatics.

In Millennium Square there will be the Street stage; a converted Red Bull Sugga vehicle, which plays host to musicians, dance troupes, breakdancers, and dance classes throughout the day. The workshops tent also contains a diverse range of interactive workshops.

Local fire performers from Pariah Circus have designed a new family friendly show with a theme based on Bristol's seafaring history. The show will feature pirates and scurvy wenches, in a fast moving show of cheeky capers and rambunctious high sea antics in the fountains on Millennium Square. Expect hearty laughs, comedy skirmishes, swashbuckling, sword fights, and raucous sea shanties to sing along to!

Rave-on-Avon is the Bristol Festival's citywide nightclub takeover. With over 100 DJ's and ten clubs, one wristband offers access to see them all! Spread across 10 venues and bringing together Bristol's promoters and established club nights to showcase electronic talent in the City on Saturday 19th September.

Arnolfini and Bristol festival will be hosting an afternoon of workshops focusing on state-of-the-art tools for interactive, audio and visual media. Practising artists will be running through simple projects to participate in and sharing some of their tricks. For newcomers, tinkerers and old hands.

Millennium and Anchor Square will feature the Street Stage, Anchor Stage featuring acts and exclusive acoustic sets from well-known Bristol artists, and family entertainment, and will be free to enter. The main site, right in the city centre, will feature a wide range of attractions and have a strong emphasis on family entertainment.

The festival will also offer free workshops in arts and crafts, singing, dancing, poetry, spoken word, and circus classes, as well as dance on the Street Stage featuring salsa classes, break dancing and Capoiera.

Plus world food zone, vegetarian and vegan options, kids area with free entertainment, boat parties, Silent Disco, and an under 18's rave on Avon event.

Festival goers can also party on into the night at the official Bristol Festival after party. Just two minutes walk from the festival site, at the Thekla. DJs include special guests and friends of the festival.

There will be a range of year round activities, fundraising events, workshops and art drop in sessions to help fund the event.

More information will be here when available.

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