Bristol Harbour Festival 2024: First round of main-stage acts announced

The first round of artists has been revealed for Bristol Harbour Festival taking place from July 19 to 21 and is set to host Bristol’s best emerging artists.

The music line up for the main stage at the Amphitheatre has been programmed by Greenpeace and Global Local along with Swan Events and Proud Events for Sunday’s “Made In Bristol”, with artists applying through the expression of interest form.

Festival organisers are also committed to curate a diverse line-up that’s truly representative of the city with over 50% of this year’s artists being female, non-binary and from other underrepresented groups.

The event will kick off on July 19 from 6pm to 10pm at Harbour View at the Amphitheatre with Global Local - an initiative set up to provide professional performance opportunities to talented emerging artists in a celebration of cultural diversity - and supported by Arts Council England.

The evening starts off with Xamam X (Bristol’s first Tropical Bass live act with live electronic) and 10-piece female fronted brass band, She’s Got Bass, who will bring old-school funk intertwined with soul-classics with a new school twist.

Bristol-based Brazilian performance group, BLOCO B, will take over the stage from 8pm with traditional carnival sambas, drummers and dancers before The Bhangra All Stars close the night with Punjabi Bhangra music from India.

On July 20, Greenpeace will take over the Harbour view with an all-day family-friendly party from 11am to 10pm. Grove will bring experimental dancehall beats to the harbourside for an unmissable performance that will keep festival-goers in high spirits all night.

The day continues with an extra special DJ show from The Beatles Dub Club, fronted by local comedian and radio personality, Chris Arnold.

Taking over the stage from 2pm to 2.45pm with brooding swirls of electronics and effervescent melodies is dream-pop-sensation, Emily Magpie, followed by the Old Time Sailors who will start the day with the ultimate shanty-party to get crowds stomping, dancing and singing along to traditional sea-shanties and unforgettable covers of the latest hits.

July 21 brings the ultimate “Made In Bristol” multi-genre gig from 11am to 6pm. The day kicks off with Hélélé who will bring the rhythms and music of Cameroon Balafonist, Alphonse Daudet, with a jazz afrobeat inflection to crowds, before Laid Blak introduces their unique fusion of the jungle and rave scene.

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The feel-good-vibes continue from 3pm with Bass Choir’s harmonic instrumentation and bass-led rhythms followed by TikTok sensation, Gabriel Templar who, along with his backing band, will perform his signature indie-pop at 4pm.

Folk-punk-shanty-rock band Imprints will be closing the festival from 5.15pm to 6pm.

John Smith, Executive Director Growth and Regeneration at Bristol City Council, said: “Bristol’s Harbour Festival is truly an opportunity for all communities to come together to celebrate the city’s heritage and creativity. We’re fortunate to have this incredible event in our city’s calendar which provides such a great platform for aspiring artists and local talent to perform in front of huge audiences. We’re excited about this year’s line-up that’s genuinely representative of our diverse city and its creative talent and look forward to announcing it in full next month.”

Noemi Antonelli, Managing Director of Swans Events, shared: “It’s been a fantastic experience putting together this brilliant programme for the 2024 Bristol Harbour Festival. There’s undoubtedly so much talent in this city, so it was a tough job for us when curating our final programmes, but we can’t wait for everyone to come together and have an incredible time at the Amphitheatre. Together with the local steering group, and putting local talent at the forefront of this iconic event, the Bristol Harbour Festival is definitely (ship) shaping up to be the ultimate showcase of what Bristol is all about.”

For more information on the Bristol Harbour Festival, head to the website for all the latest line-up and performance information, and Follow the event on Facebook, Instagram and X.

To support this year’s festival, there’s the option to make a donation - and all funds will go directly into the artists programming for 2024. For those who simply can’t wait for their Harbour Festival dose, they can also access the official Bristol Harbour Festival playlist on Spotify.