Another one! Yes, England is about to embark on its seventh Bank Holiday of the year, and it provides another chance to spend time with the family exploring events in Bristol.
It’ll be the last one until Christmas Day, so take advantage of the day off by trying out something new. Even better, try something which is free.
The good news is there’s a whole variety of free things this weekend, including the first Old City Sounds to a cafe photo exhibition on the city’s past. There’s also ongoing events like Unicornfest, which is soon coming to an end.
So here are 10 events you can visit for free this weekend:
1. Old City Sounds
Old City Sounds is a new family-friendly music event which will take over Bristol’s Old City for a celebration of the city’s songful soul. Created by Bristol City Centre Business Improvement District, it is an outdoor event with live music filling the streets on August 26, from 12pm to 6pm, and will be led by the Old City Jazz ‘zone’ in King Street. In St Nicholas Street there will be a host of musicians and vocalists for the Old City Eclectic area, while a Old City Kids area will be in St Stephen’s Church garden. St Nicks will be filled with the usual maze of stalls and pop-restaurants.
2. Bristol’s Central Library
An amazing exhibition is taking place at Central Library on the forgotten items left in books. They include letters to the tooth fairy, lottery tickets and even a death certificate. The exhibition has just been extended into September. And if that’s not enough, there’s a play area for children at the library along with, of course, plenty of books to delve into.
3. Hopscotch!
This weekend is the last chance to celebrate Bristol’s 650th anniversary by hopping across 650 tile hopscotch locations at Queen Square, Castle Park and College Green. The tiles sprayed onto the grass are free to use for families until the end of August.
4. A look at the harbourside’s recent past
At the Society Cafe there is a brilliant photographic exhibition showing Bristol’s harbourside in the late 1970s and early 80s. It shows a time of industry before the area was transformed. On display is a small selection from an archive of around 900 images.