Five things to do this bank holiday
Posted on: 03 May 2024The early May bank holiday is upon us, so here’s our guide to the best that you can get up to this long weekend.
Like gazelles ambushed by a stalking lion, the early May bank holiday has come upon us suddenly – and you might find yourself scrambling for plans. Worry not, dear reader, for the team at 365Bristol have put our considerable powers of intellect together to assemble this guide – a pleasingly round number of things to get up to this bank holiday long weekend.
Join the opening of St Dunstan’s House
This weekend, a brand new venue is launching in Bedminster. Inside a 17th century church, St Dunstan’s house is a music and events venue that clearly have pretty big ambitions – and they’re starting things off with a monster party tonight, Friday 3 May.
Come groove to the sounds of 7-piece Bristolian allstars Stone Cold Hustle, then witness the pure talent of veteran DJs Steve Rice, Lexxi and Drifty – this is a one-off chance to be part of what could potentially be venue history.
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Explore Spike Island’s Open Studios
Spike Island is one of the most acclaimed and beloved contemporary galleries in Bristol – but the rest of the building also houses studio space for artists’ practice. Usually, the mysteries of these hallowed halls are closed to the public, but for a few magical days of the year, they open up for you to explore!
For extra fun, make sure you join the Preview Night party tonight – chock full of exclusive performances and events.
Celebrate Beltane – in three different ways
Beltane, better known to some as May Day, is the pagan festival celebrating the transition from spring into summer – a festival of fire, flowers, passion and, we’d say, a lot of fun! This one is a bonus triple event recommendation; don’t say we never do anything nice for you.
To begin with, you might want to head down to the Springfield Allotments on Sunday for Wander Gather – a Beltane celebration with live music, folktales, a short film, open mic – and the burning of a real wickerman! For something even grander in scale, check out Bridge Farm’s Beltane celebration (also on Sunday): an all-day affair with workshops, activities, fire ceremony, DJ, carnival drummers and more!
Finally, for a slightly more unusual Beltane celebration, get yourself to Loco Klub on Saturday night for Belfire. Belfire is a Beltane-adjacent celebration where over 30 artists will come together to pay homage to Beltane: 7 hours of rituals, avant-garde performance and live music – culminating in a ‘pagan rave’.
Celebrate global culture with DIASPORA! Festival
If the last one was a three-for-one, this is more like a 70-for-one. DIASPORA!, in its debut year, is an an extensive celebration of cultural diversity through art in all its various forms – from workshops, to live performances, and a lot more, there are over 70 events going on under the DIASPORA! umbrella.
Whether you want to explore enviromentalism and songwriting via hip-hop and permaculture values, or just groove out to a worldwide soundsystem, there’s bound to be something to enjoy this weekend.
Celebrate the release of Love Lies Bleeding
A darkly violent, lesbian love story set in the 80s, released by A24 – with Kristen Stewart? Absolutely yes. Love Lies Bleeding is one of the mostly hotly anticipated indie films of the year so far, and is set to release today, Friday 3 May.
You can celebrate the release in style tonight at Watershed, in their event in collaboration with Bristol Butch Bar. Participate in mullet and pushup compeitions, drink cocktails themed on the film, watch the film itself (duh) and enjoy DJ and VJ (video jockey) sets afterward!
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Patrick is a filmmaker with so much Bristol in his blood the white blood cells are graffiti'd. Educated at the Northern Film School in Leeds, he’s returned home to be a Videographer and Reviewer for 365Bristol and BARBI. When he’s not messing about with cameras, he enjoys playing guitar, spending far too much time on tabletop RPGs, and being an awful snob about cider. Have a look at his work here, or get in touch at patrickb@365bristol.com.
