Lady Boys of Bangkok @ Castle Park

Yesterday, I started the week off right with the Lady Boys of Bangkok. The best therapy to recharge your batteries with a spectacular cabaret show of dance, music, choreography... and great sense of humour! The Lady Boys are a honourable part of the rich cultural heritage of Thailand and for the 17th time, the Thailand's best-known export has come back to Bristol!

This year, the brand new show called Beauties and the Beats does not disappoint. An almost 2-hour show featuring from Grease to The Sound of Music, from Rihanna to Cindy Lauper, from jazz to disco music… everything is accepted and welcome in a brilliant shinny show full of flamboyant costumes. The audience, who is peacefully sitting around round tables, enjoy their drinks and food with their friends until some of them are randomly picked up to be part of the show! Just get on the stage and be ready to be seduced by one of the 16 lady boys! 

You have until next Saturday, 25^th April, to get your tickets (starting from £19.50; students £14.50) and enjoy one of the shows! Shows are at 18:30 and 20:30 at The Sabai Pavilion at Castle Park, which also features authentic Thai food (around £6-7) and a pair of licensed bars, so you won’t even need to worry about cooking the dinner that day! Highly recommended!

Website: http://www.ladyboysofbangkok.co.uk/

Copyright of pictures: Lady Boys of Bangkok

What can I do in Bristol during the Bank Holiday weekend?

I am not able to remember if it was the same last year but this May's Bank Holiday is full of festivals. It's been several weeks that most of the hostels are fully booked in Bristol with people coming if it's not for the VegFest, they are coming for the Love Saves the Day festival or Dot to Dot. The fact is that there are still some tickets available for the festivals so if you haven't plan anything for the long weekend, here you have some ideas:

23-24 May: Bristol VegFest 

I went to Bristol VegFest last year because Caravan Palace was playing. It was a great a great night of music, although pretty cold and rainy at the Amphitheatre. You can read about it here. This time it's Boney M who is leading the lineup. 

For those who don't have a clue who Boney M is, just type "Rivers of Babylon" or "Daddy Cool" on Youtube and I'm sure you will recognise the songs. Boney M was one of the biggest groups to stand out in the pure disco dancing 70s and 80s. Every discotheque around the world played Boney M when my mom was young and crazy! LOL. I'm sure she would love to be here! 

There are other interesting bands playing throughout the weekend too, for instance, Abba Gold (tribute to Abba), Peter Hook and The Light, Goldblade and many more. Check the whole programme here. Advance tickets for Friday cost 15 pounds but I found a deal on Groupon and Friday tickets cost 9.90  pounds (buy here).

Website: http://bristol.vegfest.co.uk/

24 May: Dot to Dot

This is a festival I also mentioned last year (read here) although I didn't have the chance to go as tickets were sold out. The festival started nine years ago in Nottingham and has established itself as the UK's premier festival for unearthing the hottest new talent around the globe (at least, that's what they say at their website). The festival takes place in Manchester on Friday, in Bristol on Saturday and in Nottingham on Sunday.

The lineup are Peace, Drenge and Real Estate although many more bands will be spread in different venues all over Bristol: O2 Academy, Trinity, Thekla, The Lousiana, The Fleece, Exchange, Start the Bus, The Birdcage, Stag & Hounds, The Lanes, Brewdog and Roll for the Soul. Advance tickets cost 22 pounds booking fees included and can be bought here.

Website: http://www.dottodotfestival.co.uk/

24-25 May: Love Saves the Day

Last year, they had a different name for each day of the festival ("Love Saves the Day" and "Love Saves Sunday") but apparently this year, the have chosen to keep the same name for both days. You can read about our experience last year at Love Saves Sunday, it was amazing! (Here) I really enjoyed the atmosphere, the place (Castle Park), the festival... 

This years lineups are Annie Mac, Eats Everything and Hercules and Love Affair on Saturday, and SBTRKT, Jamie XX and Neneh Cherry on Sunday. Advance tickets now cost 39.50 pounds on Sunday (Sorry, tickets for Saturday are sold out already!) and can be bought here. Volunteering is also possible for this festival and in return, you'll receive free entry to the festival, t-shirts, light refreshments during your shift and the opportunity to earn a Love Saves The Night ticket. Check the official website for more information.

Website: http://lovesavestheday.org/

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE TO READ ABOUT...
VegFest 2013
http://greatlittleplacecalledbristol.blogspot.com.es/2013/05/parisian-mischievousness.html
Dot to Dot 2013http://greatlittleplacecalledbristol.blogspot.com.es/2013/05/dot-to-dot.html
Love Saves Sunday 2013
http://greatlittleplacecalledbristol.blogspot.com.es/2013/05/all-you-need-is-love.html

Tokyo Dub

Castle Park has a non-stop programme. This Saturday 28th September takes place the Tokyo Dub Festival. Tickets can be purchased online (http://www.bristolticketshop.co.uk/events.aspx?q=tokyo+dub) for £32.50 but can also be bought in The Bristol Ticket Shop (BS1 2DP), Idle Hands (BS1 3QY), Cooshti (BS1 5NU) and Shop Dutty (BS6 5RW). Tickets are expected to be sold out by Friday so you must hurry up!

Click here to see the complete line-up. Highlights: Benny Page Blackboard Jungle, Boddika, Breakage, Buggsy, C@ In The H@, Channel One Soundsystem, Circoswing, Coki, Coxsone, Dark Sky, Don Johnston, Dreadsquad, Dub Boy, Dub Invaders, Dub Mafia, Dub Pistols (DJ Set), Dub Terror, Dubkasm, Dutty Moonshine, Earl Gateshead, Electric Swing Circus, Evermoor Sound, Flowdan, Full Dub (Live), Gardna, Gypsy Unit, Icicle, The Instrument Of Jah Soundsystem, Iration Steppas Sound System, Jackmaster, Jacky Murda, Jah Lokko Soundsystem, Jah Tubby’s World System, Kahn & Neek, Kromestar, Lenzman, Lionpulse Sound, Loefah, Lunatrix... and many more!

Tickets for the official afterparty are sold separately (£16.50) and the same wristband allows you to party at 4 different venues from 11pm to 5am: The Attic, The Bluemountain, The Old Coroners and The Bank.

LINKS

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Website: http://www.tokyodub.com/

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/TOKYO-DUB/178667638855782

Facebook event:https://www.facebook.com/events/153132178199541/

Tickets:http://www.tokyodub.com/?page_id=21

Bristol Pride 2013

I have to confess: I don't love chocolate. It is surprising, I know. People react the same way when I say it: "Why not?!". Basically, the amount of sugar it has is just too much for me. 

Not everybody loves chocolate (or pies, or sweets...). Not everybody loves what are "supposed to" love. Even in modern countries, accepting that fact has been a challenge for certain people yet. As far as I am concerned, "variety is the spice of life".

Some days ago, crowds flocked american streets for Gay Pride as same-sex couples celebrated a Supreme Court ruling on the legality of gay marriages and Bristol will wear multicoloured flags for the Pride Day this weekend. The South West's most colourful parade will leave Queens Square at 11:45 to go up Baldwin Street, along Wine Street and into Castle Park, where the free festival will held next 13th July. Organisers are asking people to gather in Queens Square from 11am to secure help carry the flag, soak in the atmosphere and to get flags and whistles for a donation to the team.
Local, national and international artists will be performing in the Main Stage and there will be a Cabaret Stage as well. The innovation will come along with a headphone party by introducing a Silent Disco dance area. Rather than using the traditional speaker system, music will be broadcasted via radio transmitters with the signal being picked up by wireless headphone available for a refundable deposit of £5 (+£1 fee for those who don't have a wristband).

Although the festival is free of charge, discounts will be applied on site (in food traders, free access to Dance Area and reduced prices at the Bar) if you purchase a supporter wristband for £5.

The afterparty will continue in the O2 Academy and tickets are still available for £8.  

LINKS

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Webpage: http://pridebristol.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/426404244074809/

All you need is love!

It has been a weekend full of love: Loves saves the day on Saturday, Love saves the night on Saturday night, Love saves Sunday on Sunday (obviously)... Online tickets for "Love Saves the Day 2013" festival were sold out last March. We ran late and didn't get any tickets for that day. However, we got some for "Love Saves Sunday". 

PICTURE: taken in Blue Mountain (BS1 3PR) 

The festival has been held in Castle Park, right in the city centre. The ruined St Mary-le-Port church stands to the west of the park which makes the part a very unique place for a festival. The area has been closed to the public at least since  last Wednesday.

I checked out some of the performances beforehand. Most of them were electronic music. Headline: Julio Bashmore; Clean Bandit, Ben Pearce and Walter Ego remind me a night out in Ibiza; Jacques Greene, a softer electronic music; Lulu James, very nice 80s essence; Lil Silva brasilian mix; Ms Dynamite, more vocal; Soom T (niiiceee); and Babyhead!!!

There was no reentry so we arrived at Castle Park after lunch. We first had a look around, the location of stages, bars, people... It is a very well organised event: food in one place, bars very well located next to every stage, enough toilets to avoid long queues (at least on Sunday), music in one stage was not merging with music in the closest stage... and we had an awesome weather for a festival!

The decoration of the event was very nice and I am sure it involved a lot of working hours. You could find anything related to love, hearts, red color, flowers... everywhere. 

        

We after decided to grab some drinks and lie on the grass. The weather was really good and most of the people were enjoying the sunshine. Colourful and funny sunglasses everywhere, as well as funny costumes and outfits. I couldn't say who wore them on purpose for that specific occasion and who wears them in their everyday life. Very funny.

We tried to be in every concert but it was impossible. Instead, we were rotating around the stages and checking out all the bands/artists we could. There are some few I didn't like. I am very critical with music and I found some of them were cheap versions of other artists, with no real talent. There were other groups that I suprisingly liked, though! And I can ensure you that we danced all the time, non stop. We did have a good time.

Definitely, it has been an awesome day and I'm sure we will come back next year!

Video: "All you need is love" by The Beatles

Lady Boys

Every Tuesday evening, I walk through Castle Park and enjoy the silence there. This week, however, as I was approaching, I could hear the first notes of a party hit. I am not sure if it was Lady Gaga, Rihanna or someone else. But as I was approaching I realised the "circus" came into town.

"Lady Boys of Bangkok", they are called. First thing that came to my mind when I read it was a night out in Castro District, San Francisco, CA a couple of years back. Castro District is one of the United States' first gay neighborhoods and it is currently the largest. Having transformed from a working-class neighborhood through the 60s-70s, Castro remains one of the most prominent symbols of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgeder (LGBT) activism and events.

You could see anything in this district. Things you might think people would keep for their most intimate moments could be seen at daylight in San Francisco.

The show is called Glamorous Amorous, and I can't give you my own feedback because to be honest, I haven't seen it. The logo speaks for itself, though. 

They promise a "party like there's no tomorrow under an exotic ambience". You can expect the "usual truly glamorous and funny cabaret antics, complete with even more flamboyant costumes, painstakingly immaculate make up and show stopping choreography".

I am more Cirque du Soleil kind of person, their name (The Lady Boys of Bangkok, seriously?) didn't catch my attention anyway. It could be an alternative plan if you don't have any for the weekend. They will be in town until tomorrow (27th April) and tickets can be bought in here £10-£48.80.