Christmas Step BBQ

If you don't have a plan for this Bank Holiday Sunday (30th August), here is one: BBQ at Christmas Steps! After the Shapes Harbourside Festival party, the Chrstimas Steps courtyard will open again. 

It will be more than music and food in the sun (hopefully in the sun!) featuring an outdoor BBQ of culinary delights expertly cooked by the Christmas Steps' head chef as well as 11 hours of music. The outdoor free event will start at 2pm until 9pm at the courtyard. Then, the party will continue inside until 1am. 

With expert selections from three of Bristol's finest musical staples (Feel The Real Soundsystem, Soulworks Bristol and Boogie Cafe Records) expect some good house, boogie, funk and sould sounds. 

OUR POST ON "Christmas Steps":
http://greatlittleplacecalledbristol.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/christmas-steps.html

FACEBOOK EVENT: https://www.facebook.com/events/1489479201367470/

The Graffiti Festival

Europe's largest, free street art and graffiti festival is happening this weekend, 25-26th July 2015, in Bedminster and Southville. Upfest 2015 will gather over 250 talented artists coming from 25 different countries to paint live on 30,000sqft of surfaces. 

There are 28 venues where all the art sale, music and workshops will take place including Tobacco Factory, Red Point Climbing Centre, North Street Green and The Old Book Shop among others (download map here). Artists such as Angus Art, Cheo, Miss Wah, Stina Jones and Vlong will be decorating the neighbourhood with street art stencils.  The live artist painting will take place on Saturday and Sunday (11am to 7pm), whereas Monday has been designated as a viewing day and special family day with extra workshops for kids.

An exhibition called "The Standard" will be featuring original artwork from selected festival artist at North Street Standard. Also, outside in the garden of The Steam Crane, will be Black Flag Brewery setting up a pop up bar which will offer a selection of craft beers on tap, and in the garden barn will be a series of local creative traders opening for a weekend-long mini-market. A similar event will be at The Rising Sun, serving cask ales, beers and ciders at the large rear garden which hosts DJs, live music and also a BBQ.

There is Scribble 'N Scratch at Tobacco Factory, a monthly illustration battle and hip-hop night based in Bristol. The main focus of the battles is to take artists out of their comfort zone and push boundaries as artists accompanied by a selection of DJs playing hip-hop, soul and break. Two heats on Saturday and one on Sunday down-select artists for the Grand Final, happening at 4pm on Sunday 26th July. 

If you bring your kids, in the back garden of Hungry Caterpillar Play Cafe will have urban fairy tales with Peter Pan and Princess Pal, and pose for pictures between 10am and 12pm. On Sunday (11am-2pm), families are invited to join Brillustration in drawing all over the wall inside and out with chalk.

The festival is FREE but organisers do ask to buy a programme on site and donate to NACOA... and do not forget to pick up you limited edition festival T-shirt at The Upfest Gallery!

WEBSITE: http://www.upfest.co.uk/

Cheo's graffiti picture "borrowed" from the official website. Thank you! ;)

Moonlight Cinema

Summer is the time where our calendars are busier than the usual. For the past few years, the popularity of al fresco cinemas have been increasing and this year, we are having plenty of options to enjoy a movie in an uncommon way.  This weekend, after announcing the event early April this year, The Moonlight Cinema will finally be happening. The even has been confirmed and early bird tickets are already SOLD OUT! Do not worry, though. There are still general tickets left!

After an online voting to select the screened movies, these are the finalists:

Grease will be screened on Friday, 24th July. That's the American musical romantic comedy-drama from the 1978, where Australian Sandy Olsen meets local boy Danny Zuko at the beach and fall in love. Thinking they will never see each other again, they bump into each other at Rydell High and that's basically when all the drama starts.

If you prefer Pretty Woman, get the tickets for Saturday, 25th July. Julia Roberts and Richard Gere start one of the most famous movie from the 90s, where man in a legal but hurtful business needs an escort for some social events, and hires a beautiful prostitute... only to fall in love with her.

On Sunday, 26th July, the movie is The Wolf of Wall Street, a more recent movie where Leonardo Dicaprio plays the role of Jordan Belfort, a wealthy stock-broker living the high life who finally gets involved in crime, corruption and issues with the federal government.

Tickets are still available and can be purchased here. General admission is £9, and children's ticket costs £1. I could not find discount tickets for students but there some limited Premium Tickets available (£16.50) if you want to get prime position, avoid queuing and get a complimentary drink!

We will be there. Will you?

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/themoonlightcinemas

WEBSITE: http://www.themoonlightcinemas.co.uk/

Note: picture borrowed from the Moonlight Cinema's Facebook page. Thank you! ;)

Where is Shaun?

Two years after Gromit (read here), it's Shaun The Sheep's time to raise some money for the Children's Charity. Today, 6th July 2015, it's official day for the Shaun Trail in Bristol but I have been able to spot some of them during the weekend!

All 70 Shaun sculptures, which have been created by artists, designers and celebrities, will be guarding Bristol's corners until the 31st August. Then, they will go to auction to raise funds for The Grand Appeal and Wallace & Gromit's Children's Charity, supporting children in hospitals accross the UK.

If you haven't already come across with any of them yet, go for a walk around Bristol and I bet that you will spot at least one in less than 5 minutes. As a help, you can download the trail map here. On the website, there is also a list of all Shauns, with pictures and detailed information of the author and sponsor(see here).

This year, I will try to take a picture of all Shaun the Sheep sculptures and post them here. So far, I have 7 of them. Do you think I will managed to take pictures all of them? Place your bet!

WEBSITE: http://shauninthecity.org.uk/
Where is Gromit?: http://greatlittleplacecalledbristol.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/where-is-gromit.html

Foodies Festival 2015

Regardless the drizzly day, we have been at the Foodies Festival on Sunday. It is a food festival which happened between 26-28^th June this year, and as a novelty, it has been held at the beautiful Clifton Downs instead of the Harbourside.

As recommended by the organisers of the event, we took the bus to get to The Downs, and our invitations were waiting for us at the ticket office right at the entrance. Two days earlier I was lucky enough to win a couple of day tickets in a competition at the blog A Life Less Organised, which I am very thankful for. ;)

I personally love food festivals because I love tasting free samples of... everything! Ginger beer, cheese, chocolate, chilli sauces, special oils an vinegars... Nonetheless, we also filled our shopping bags with some Ruby Mist cheese from the Snowdonia Cheese Company (one for £4; three for £11); chocolate from Sciolti Botanical Chocolates (£4), biscuits from The Sawley Kitchen (Offer! £1.50), although there were plenty of other tasty things we could have bought!

We stopped for lunch, which was a tasty rib-eye sandwich (£8) at BoyMeatsGrill and a glass of great wine (£4.50) at the Rioja stand, and continued with the route once our stomachs were full. There were many events for adults. I have been told that each ticket got you access to one of the events on each stage but on Sunday, probably because the weather was not in favour, there were many seats available except for the wine tasting event, which was very popular.

Nonetheless, it is not a festival for adults only. There were many activities for children as well. Starting from cookery classes to bouncy castles and slides, kinds can also have a lot of fun! However, only cookery classes were free: face painting for example cost £3.50, and the bouncy slide wasn’t free either (£1).

On our way out, we were given a set of freebies including a nice Stella Antois chalice, Chupa Chups bubble gum, a can of energy drink and some tea. Brilliant!

WEBSITE: http://www.foodiesfestival.com/bristol/

Fancy some live outdoor opera?

After a month on holidays refilling batteries with fresh energy, the blog Great little place called Bristol is back on business with loads of plans and surprises!

Tomorrow will be the perfect day for some outdoor classical music. Nice and warm 21ºC and sunny intervals are forecasted for tomorrow evening, perfect weather for you to enjoy a world-class opera performed live directly from the Royal Opera House: Giuseppe Verdi's Rigolleto.

Rigolleto is considered by many to be the first of the operatic masterpieces of Verdi's middle-to-late career. Its tragic story revolves around the licentious Duke of Mantua, his hunch-backed court jester Rigoletto, and Rigoletto's beautiful daughter Gilda.

The Big Screen at Millenium Square will be screening the second live opera this summer. It's fine if it's your first time seeing an opera. It will start at 7.30pm and free event programmes will be available on the night. Seatings will be limited, provided on a first come first served basis but you could always bring your own blanket or picnic chair to secure a comfortable seat.  It is a free event, you have nothing to lose and loads to win!

WEBSITE:  http://www.roh.org.uk/about/bp-big-screens

Summer Garden Series

I am aware that it is very difficult for small events to get Bristolian's attention on a weekend when the big and widely-known Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is happening. People from all over the country come to see the balloons in the sky (read here). That's probably the reason why I post this, to offer alternatives for those who might want a more relaxed Saturday afternoon.

St George's Chapel has been celebrating their new Summer Garden Series at the gardens. Every Friday (5-9pm) and Saturday (1-9pm) throughout August there will be live music, food, outdoor bars and cocktails shaken by the Rummer Hotel at the gardens of the classical music venue off Park Street. The entrance is fee and no ticket is required. Just pop up and enjoy the evening. 

Today, 9th August, there will be the Bristol Brass Quartet at 3pm and Laurence Morgan, a solo vocalist music student from University of York, at 7pm including genres such as soul, folk, pop and alternative indie. 

INTERESTING LINKS
Summer Garden Series: http://www.stgeorgesbristol.co.uk/event/summer-garden-series-iv/
Laurence Morgan: www.soundcloud.com/laurencemorgan

Balloons for two pounds

Sun came out for the biggest and most colourful event of the year in Bristol. Last Saturday, a crowded St Paul's hosted the famous St Paul's Carnival with a few hours-long masquerade parade and several acts and concerts in different stages around the neighbourhood. 

However, St Paul's Carnival has left a hangover loads of garbage on streets, injured people and more than one shocking piece of news. The garbage was quickly removed from the streets the next morning. However, some injured people are still at the hospital and the shocking news still rolling around in my head.

Yesterday, two men were still in hospital recovering from wounds that followed a series of stabbing at the carnival (read here). And not only that: ambulance staff were subject to threats and abuse as they tried to treat victims (read here). It is sad that after such a wonderful and delightful day, the only reference to Saturday are these kind of news. When too much alcohol (and not only alcohol) gets involved, the worst side of the human kind shows up and six people had to be taken to hospital with stab wounds following a number of separate violent confrontations. 

In this edition, I could see many people than ever who were consuming drugs, without covering it up at all. In this country, I had come across people talking as straight as an arrow about the kind of drugs they consume in a daily basis. Where I come from, this conversation is taboo. Unless you are also part of the gang, people will feel uncomfortable even talking about it with you.

On Saturday, there was a sign with "Balloons for 2 pounds" written on it in many of the stalls, loads of people sucking up the Nitrous Oxide (better known as Laughing Gas) from inside the balloon and hundreds of empty whippets were left on the street. I might be very naive but I have never heard about this kind of drug ever before.

It is a dissociative drug discovered in 1772 and apparently, it has been in common usage recreationally since the early 1800s. It is used by dentists and doctors to sedate patients, but also for culinary surposes (whipped cream). With a cracker, whippets are opened and the nitrous oxide is released into a balloon to be inhaled. When inhaled, nitrous oxide can cause euphoria, sedation, pain relief, laughter, auditive distortions and other phenomena a few seconds after inhaling and can last up to 30 seconds. 

I saw many people laying down, "recapturing" the nitrous (or exhaling into the balloon for reinhalation). This action reduces the available oxygen while increasing carbon dioxide and makes hypoxia (oxygen deprivation) more likely, which can get unconscious and fall down (and maybe hit your head against the floor).

Although I will never comprehend why some people choose to take drugs to feel better or different at parties, those guys laying down on the street were being smart after all.

LINKS

Bristol Post "Two men still in hospital following violence and stabbing":
http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/men-hospital-following-violence-stabbings-St-Paul/story-21338601-detail/story.html
Bristol Post "Ambulance staff speak out":
http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Ambulance-staff-speak-bedlam-St-Paul-s-Carnival/story-21341175-detail/story.html

Information about Nitrous Oxide:
http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/showwiki.php?title=Nitrous_Oxide#ixzz36s3IqZ6q

1-day trip to Wells and Chew Valley Lake

A bunch of friends and I spent last Sunday in Wells as it was forecast good weather for that day. It is around 23 miles south from Bristol, stopping in Chew Valley Lake on our way there.

We took the car and drove 30 minutes to get to the lake. First, you must follow Bridgwater Road (A38). After Barrow Gurney tanks, turn left and follow Barrow Lane. From there, the road should be well indicated to Chew Valley Lake.

The lake was built to provide water for Bristol. Not only supplies drinking water for the city but also offers many leisure and recreational facilities such as fishing, sailing, walks, bird watching.... However, swimming, canoeing and kayaking are not allowed.

There are some walking trails around the lake Bristol Water suggests (website), but we followed our own route which was around almost 4.5km and took us 1h in a very slow pace.

We arrived to the lake at the northeastern side. There is a car entrance at Denny Woods and a parking area right next to the lake. There were plenty of spaces available that day, as there weren't many cars that day. I guess it gets busier in the summer. Whole day parking fee is £1.5 although as the paying machine was covered, we assumed there was no need to pay the fee in winter.

The weather was perfectly sunny (pretty cold, though) to go for an early morning walk. Having parked the car, we started walking around the lake.

We came across a building which is a visitors centre and a coffee-shop, Chew Lake Tea Shop. It is open 10.30am - 5.30pm March-October and closes one hour earlier in Winter. Something not expected at all was that they have quite average prices: £1.90 for a mug of latte, orange juice for £0.90. They also serve some hot food such as soups (£3.75) and cod fillets with chips and peas (£6.75). See menu here. 

We continued, and we arrived to the dam, where the path reaches the traffic road. The path stopped there. We had to jump a wooden gate to continue the path as it was chained. The view was beautiful: sailors training, sunny day and blue lake. Amazing!

We continued the lake shore and arrived to the sailing area called CVLSC where the path stops with a "private area" sign. We then turned back and retraced our steps towards the car. It was already lunch time and our stomachs made noises so we decided to go on with our journey and head to Wells, which took around 30 minutes too. 

Wells is a cathedral city in Somerset. It has a city status because of the presence of a cathedral despite there are just around 10,500 inhabitants living in Wells. We were wondering were the name of the city came from and we discussed that it could be because there were many wells in the city some time ago. Actually, the name comes from the three wells dedicated to St Andrews: one is in the market place and the other two are within the grounds of the cathedral.

We easily found free off-road parking slots although there are also proper parking areas closer to the centre. As soon as we arrived, we saw the Church of St Cuthbert. This church is often mistaken for the Cathedral, and so did we. 

The Church of St Cuthbert is an Anglican parish church from the 13th century. There is another church with the same name in Edinburgh but the appearance is completely different. The tower, which is 43 metres high, is the third highest in Somerset. It has 3 stages and the top stage occupies half of the total height.

We followed towards the centre, which is full of shops, cafes and restaurants. It was funny to come across two bars/cafes called Crofters and Full Moon, as in Bristol. They have nothing to do with the Bristol bars called the same, though. 

The Town Hall, located close to the Bishop's Palace and the Cathedral, was built in 1778. However, the porch, arcade, balcony and round windows were added later in time. 

The Bishop's Palace, chapel and gardens were closed to visitors that day, reopen is due 14th February. It is normally open from 10am to 6pm in Summer and 10am-4pm in Winter. The admission for the Bishop's palace is 7 pounds (5 concessions) and it gives access to the medieval Palace and Undercroft, ruined Great Hall, gardens and Bishop's chapel. 
However, it is free to walk around Palace.

And finally, we arrived to Wells Cathedral. So huge cathedral for such a small town! "Perhaps the most beautiful of the great English cathedrals", says the official website. And I completelly agree. 

Wells Cathedral is dedicated to St Andrew the Apostle. The present building dates from 1175 to 1490, but there was an earlier church built on the same site in year 705. 

It has a large central tower at the west front, a dominant feature visible from miles away. When you look from the east front, the Gothic many details are amazing. Originally four hundred of statues, 3 hundred survived until mid-20th century. However, this cathedral differs from most of other English medieval cathedrals with earlier Romanesque style. When we stood up looking to the cathedral at the west front I thought that the two towers should have been larger, higher. Apparently, the finished product has also been criticized for its lack of pinnacles, and it is probable that the towers were intended to carry spires which were never built. 

The late Sunday Roast needs a mention in the post. It's been very long since I haven't had such a good meal as in City Arms. They are located at the bottom of Wells High Street and a two-course Sunday lunch is just 10.95 pounds. Service and food were excellent. I completely forgot to take a picture of the plate but as you can see, I even wiped the sauce from the plate. Very recommendable place.

LINKS

-------------------

Chew Lake Tea Shop
http://www.bristolwater.co.uk/leisure/chew-valley-lake/chew-valley-tea-shop/

Walking trails in Chew Valley Lake
http://www.bristolwater.co.uk/leisure/chew-valley-lake/nature-trails/

Wells Cathedral
http://www.wellscathedral.org.uk/
Bishop's Palace
http://www.bishopspalace.org.uk/
City Arms
http://www.thecityarmsatwells.com/

Walking on the riverside

Last Saturday, winter weather gave us a break and the sun shone during the whole day. My flatmate and I decided to go for a walk along the riverside, happy to wear those sunglasses that have been in the darkness for several months. 

Hoping to have a similar weather this weekend (probably not tomorrow), I post the route we made. Hope you get something new out of it!

Bristol Harbour has existed since 13th century and it was the original port of the city but it was not until the 19th century when the tidal by-pass for the River Avon was done and ships were sent to the docks in Avonmouth or Portbury, located at the mouth of River Avon. According to Wikipedia, the harbour is also called the floating harbour as the water remains constant, unaffected by the tides.

Nowadays, Bristol Harbourside is tourist attraction with museums, art galleries, exhibitions, restaurants, bars and nightclubs around. Historical warehouses have been converted into cultural venues such as the Arnolfini art gallery and the MShed museum.

We started the walk at the Cascade Steps (1), the perfect spot to keep your feet fresh in Summer. During the Harbourside Festival last year, there was a stage by the steps. 
Following the left side of the river, we walked pass by Arnolfini (2). I will make a proper post about this art gallery in the following weeks. It is one of the Europe's leading centres for contemporary arts and the entry to the galleries is free.
We crossed the river through Prince Bridge and turned right to go towards the MShed. I posted a detailed description the temporary exhibition of the MShed some time ago. You can read about it here. 

We turned left before arriving to SS Great Britain (4). From the SS Great Britain, museum which I should visit some time soon but I keep postponing, several boat trip companies start their trips along the River Avon.

• Bristol Ferry Boat Company: They are open everyday except Christmas day. The daily service runs between 10am and 6.15pm and goes from Temple Meads up until the Pump House. There are single/return tickets (the price varies between 1.50-3.5 depending on the distance) as well as round trip(4.80) , day (6) and week (12) pass. Discounts are applicable for concessions. http://www.bristolferry.com/ 
• Number Seven Boat Trips: They have animal themed boats which can also be privately hired. The public service runs between 10.50am and 4.40pm linking the city centre with the SS Great Britain and Temple Meads. In summer, they also offer a service to Beese's Tea Garden for 10 pounds return. http://www.numbersevenboattrips.co.uk/
• Bristol Packet Boat Trips: They offer 45-minute tour on the floating harbour with a commentary. The public service runs between 11am and 3.45pm daily during summer and school holidays. From Easter to mid September, they also offer an afternoon cruise to Beese's Tea Garden every Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays with one hour stop for refreshments (which are not included) for 11 pounds. In addition, they also offer cruises along the Avon Gorge or Day Trips to Bath.http://www.bristolpacket.co.uk/

If you keep going ahead, the path will finish. So, there is a boat-building area at the back of the SS Great Britain, and if the gate is open, you can shortcut from there (5). It's a very nice place there where you can see old boats and ships being rebuild or fixed, as well as new ships in the process of being built.


From Bristol Marina (6), you can get very nice pictures of the famous colourful Bristolian flats at the other side of the river, as well as the Grain Barge (red boat) and an old military boat (grey boat).

There are very nice looking flats and apartments by the riverside, very expensive though. However, the view you get from your window is priceless!

We crossed the river again at Merchants Street, by Nova Scotia Ferry Landing (7). From the bridge, looking towards Cumberland Basin, you can see the end of the floating harbour. The Pumphouse on your right, a posh and quite expensive pub/restaurant, where we headed back to the centre. 

The weather was so lush, we stopped for a coffee at the Grain Barge (8), a friendly boat-bar docked in a beautiful location. It was opened in 2007 and this time last year, the mayor of Bristol George Ferguson, put the boat for sale. Apparently, he partially owned the floating restaurant. They have several beers from the Bristol Beer Factory, a brewery located in Southville (from £3.10 pint), and they are constantly changing the guest ale. Check drinks menu here. They also serve food, daily updated menu and Sunday Roast (£9.90). 
We ordered two lattes (£1.90 each) and we took a seat at the deck. Perfect place to relax and enjoy the views!

We restarted the walk after the break towards Lloyds Amphitheatre (9) and the city centre. The Christmas Tree Forest was still there (read about it here) and many people enjoying the weather by the river. Crossed the Harbourside Market and came back to Cascade Steps.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: 
MShed: your museum, your story -
http://greatlittleplacecalledbristol.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/mshed-your-museum-your-story.html
Christmas Tree Forest:
http://greatlittleplacecalledbristol.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/christmas-tree-hungover.html
Harbourside Market (and other markets):
http://greatlittleplacecalledbristol.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/market-lovers-guide.html

OTHER LINKS

---------------

Bristol Harbour: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Harbour
Arnolfini: http://www.arnolfini.org.uk/
MShed: http://mshed.org/
SS Great Britain: http://www.ssgreatbritain.org/
Pump House: http://www.the-pumphouse.com/
Grain Barge: http://www.grainbarge.co.uk/

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

----------------------

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

-------------------

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

Where is Gromit?

Today, 1st July, is the official kick-off day for the Gromit Unleashed public art exhibition. Even though some of the sculptures were already in place during the weekend, all 80 Gromits will be guarding Bristol for ten weeks, until the 8th September.  The giant fibreglass sculptures of Gromit are 5 feet tall, and have been individually designed and created by invited artists, creating a train of unique pieces of art. 

 

If you didn't already come across with any of them yet, go for a walk around Bristol and I bet that you will spot at least one in less than 5 minutes. As a help, you can download the whole trail map here.

There is also available an application for the phone. By downloading the official application, you will automatically be  donating 40p of the 64p cost to benefit Wallace & Gromit's Grand Appeal, the Bristol Children's Hospital Charity. The hospital is now expanding to create one of the most influential children's hospitals in Europe.

Unfortunately, some sculpures have been seriously damaged during the weekend, before the official start of the exhibition, and had to be temporarily removed to have them repaired. In order to prevent vandalism activities, organizers would like you to help them protect the Gromits during the trail by reporting any suspicious behaviour or damage to the police, or by texting the Gromit sculpture on 07582 064103 or emailing us at info@gromitunleashed.org.uk.

 




INTERESTING LINKS
------------------------------------------

Gromit Unleashed Website: http://www.gromitunleashed.org.uk/
Gromit Unleashed on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/?sk=nf#!/GromitUnleashed?fref=ts
Grand Appeal Charity: http://www.grandappeal.org.uk/

French Market

According to the flags around Broadmead, something "frenchie" is going on. Bristol Shopping Quarter is hosting the French Marked for the weekend.

Soaps from Provence, traditional French dishes such as Ratatoille, honey, saucissons, Dijon mustard, foie gras, sweets... They are some of the things I could identify in the market.

My french friends will have to judge if those goodies are really French or not, but I found something in the cheese stand that made me smile and miss my country very much.

P'tit Basque cheese has its heritage in the Basque Country, a proud region between Spain and France, where the culinary tradition very much alive.

For more information about the market: http://www.bristolshoppingquarter.co.uk/offers-and-events/news-and-events/2013/3/1/french-market-on-broadmead-a2093

Fake Moon

The other night, I received a picture on my phone from one of my friends who was walking through College Green: 

"See! There is sun in Bristol sometimes!"

It was not the sun, though. Neither the real moon. The Fake Moon in College Green, work of the artist Simon Faithfull, was a giant air balloon with bright light, one of the performances in the IBT13. Watch VIDEO

The biannual Festival of Performance called IBT13 (http://ibt13.co.uk/) was held in Bristol this year. Between 14-17th February venues, streets and dockside became the scenario for more than 90 artists and performers, not to mention the Fake Moon performance in College Green every evening between 6-7.30pm.

Individual tickets for the IBT13 events were between £3-£12 and althought they were sold out very fast, there were also festival passes for £75. However, there were also free events around the city for citizens to enjoy the festival on their way to work or home.

USEFUL LINKS
Simon Faithfull: http://www.simonfaithfull.org/
IBT13: http://ibt13.co.uk/

Vandalism

Van·dal·ism : Willful or malicious destruction of public or private property.

Some people call it vandalism, some others art. But it is indisputable that Bristol has become cradle of the street arts throughout the years. 

Bristol's street art scenery is extremely diverse and has many talented street artist at its forefront, both well known and anonymous.

It would be impossible to post all graffities in the same post, so I will start with one of my favourites. Anonymous. First, I thought it could be Banksy's art. I wanted to make sure so I emailed him, who denied. After a little googleing activities, I found out the author is Nick Walker. (http://www.bristol-street-art.co.uk/gallery/photo/love-vandalism-stmichaels-hill). Apparently I was luck yand took the picture before it had paint thrown over it, as you can see in the link.

NOTE: You can find this graffiti on 164 Saint Michael's Hill, on the side wall of the Highbury Vaults pub. (BS2 8DE)