Our 2024 Festival Guide is here! You can now take a look our our full line up for events for this year’s festival. Taking place from 28th June – 13 July, over 40 events will be taking place this year across two weeks and as we mark our 15th Anniversary of delivering the festival we are excited to say it’s our biggest ever festival yet.
The Festival Guide is now available to read online and collect, for free, from venues and spaces across the city and features all the information on events taking place this year, as well as the Pride Day info, acts, and those all important stage times!
We are excited to soon see the city come alive with Pride with events including theatre, music, boat tours, circus, comedy, talks, cinema and more. This year we also host our first ever Ballroom event with Bristol Ballroom Community. The Pioneers of Pride Kiki Ball will be one of the opening events for the festival on Saturday 29 June at St George’s Bristol and will pay homage the rich history of Ballroom, Pride and the trailblazing icons who pathed they was, as members of the community compete for the grand prize.
The Bristol Pride Circus Night will take place on Thursday 4 July hosted at Circomedia. A spellbinding fundraiser brings dazzling contemporary circus skills and performances from talented LGBT+ performers.
The Pride Dog Show, returns on Saturday 6 July in Castle Park. The relaxed and fun event will see canine companions compete in rounds such as waggiest tail and musical sit. Also taking place on Saturday 6 July is a special 30th anniversary screening of Priscilla, Queen of The Desert which will be taking place in the former Bristol Imax and includes a bus ride to the venue on the special Pride branded First Bus service.
A host of theatre events will be taking place including Wreckage, taking place at The Wardrobe Theatre on Tuesday 9 and Wednesday 10 July. Winner of The Lustram Award at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2022 this incredible piece by Tom Ratcliffe was also directed by the incredible Rikki Beadle-Blair and is a must see. The Wardrobe Theatre will also host a week long edition of the Murder, He Didn’t Write, a special Pride twist of the Edinburgh Fringe hit sell-out improv murder mystery show Murder, She Didn’t Write from Bristol based theatre troupe Degrees Of Error.
One of our most popular events, the Pride Comedy Night takes place on Thursday 11 July at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre. Hosted by Bristolian comedian, and TV star, Jayde Adams with an incredible line up featuring Chloe Petts, James Barr, Louise Davis and Celya AB. Tickets are available from just £15 but are selling fast!
Let’s not forget our film festival Queer Vision which this year brings a bumper run of screenings across the two weeks of Pride at Watershed, The Cube as well as the former IMAX. Presenting a diverse programme of UK & International LGBT+ films including independently-made feature, animation and award-winning short films including The South West Shorts programme on Sunday 7 July and sees our shortlist of submissions from South West-based LGBT+ filmmakers as part of the IRIS Prize Best of British category and will see the winning selection entered into the finals with a chance to win a coveted £30,000 prize.
The culmination of the two weeks of events of course is Pride Day on The Downs on Saturday 13 July. Over the last 15 years Bristol has grown to be one of largest Pride events taking place in the UK and we are so proud to have won multiple awards including Best Event in the Bristol Life Awards, Best Pride Organisation in the Gaydio Awards (2024) and twice been named in the Top50 Global Pride Events. Pride Days starts with our incredible Parade March which departs Castle Park in the morning as we march for equality and diversity, visibility and showcase the power of community but keeping to the protest roots of Pride as we raise our voices because we still continue to need to stand up and call for an end to prejudice and hate.
The main festival on The Downs opens at midday and this year will be headlined by The Human League on the Main Stage alongside acts like dance star Georgia, 90s legend Rozalla, MantarayBryn, synth band CATBEAR, Basement Jaxx singer and Ronnie Scott’s resident Vula Malinga, Sing Out Bristol, Swedish pop royalty Charlotte Perrelli and BBC Project Icon winner Dylan and The Moon. Bringing euphoric pop to the stage Claire Richards from Steps also joins the festival this year along with global icons and electro band Ladytron.
Over 200 artists will be performing at the festival across 5 stages with our newly named Uplift Stage, Dance Performance Stage, Circus Tent and Cabaret Stage which will be headlined by RuPaul’s Drag Race star Heidi n Closet and Pixie Polite. The day also features a dedicated Family Area and Youth Area, Community Area, Silent Disco and multiple bars and food stalls.
The evening sees The Official Afterparty taking place at the O2 Academy, as we again takeover over for 3 incredible rooms with headline set by Confidence Man DJs plus DTYM, 90s & 00s party One More Time plus Bristol’s own Jersey The Devil and Macha Zu takeover room 1. There’s also special performances from aerial hoop artist Alexa, Streetenvy Dance, drag gogo dancers and more. Grrrl Crush also return to Basement 45 with headline DJ set from Lezzer Quest
Bristol Pride Day remains donation entry, ensuring that it remains financially accessible for everyone who wants to attend Pride, however, Supporter Wristbands for this year’s festival are available online and are on sale from £9. Not only will you support Pride happening and help enable future events, but they offer great rewards including free bus travel all day on Pride Day via First Bus and Pride’s dedicated shuttle service to The Downs, 50p off bar prices at the festival, dedicated quick access entry to the festival and discounts or freebies with the onsite
