A new chapter for Rave on Avon | LOUD Magazine
Posted on: 24 Apr 2020This article was first published in the second edition of LOUD Magazine, 365Bristol's dedicated music publication.
Read LOUD Magazine Issue #2 here
Note: Due to the ongoing Coronavirus crisis, Rave on Avon's Old Market debut has been postponed until 2021. As an alternative to this year's festival, the team have put together the Rave on Avon Weekender, a two-day live-streamed event going out on 1020 Radio. Find out more here and tune in on Saturday 16 & Sunday 17 May.
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A Party for the People
Rave on Avon is ready for its Old Market debut. After the celebrated multi-venue festival took place in Stokes Croft for the last time in 2019, organisers have confirmed they’ll be turning their focus to BS2 from here on out. Festival Director Ruth Wiles gives us the lowdown on what to expect
orn from the ashes of the much-loved Brisfest, Rave on Avon has been running in a few different formats since 2014, when it started out as a boat party around the city’s harbourside to raise funds for the flagship September festival.
The first standalone Rave on Avon took place in 2018 after attentions and efforts naturally moved towards it and away from Brisfest. A perfect fit for the vibrant and varied landscape of Stokes Croft, the festival made use of the area’s multitude of club venues and event spaces to create a one-day party unlike any other the city had seen before.
“From the get-go, the idea was to hold Rave on Avon in Stokes Croft,” Ruth explains. “It was the ideal place to do it – a perfect mix of stages and spaces, a really good vibe and really supportive venues.” Rave on Avon has been immensely popular and one of Bristol’s most eagerly-awaited parties over the last few years, and came to encapsulate the free spirit of Stokes Croft and the venues in and around it.
“You need the right venues, the right staff at those venues and a crowd that’s in it to have a good time. Bristol gets it right in every sense."
But, of course, all good things must come to an end, and Rave on Avon 2019 – billed as ‘The End of an Era’ – was the last to take place in the area. A combination of gentrification, redevelopments and general uncertainty surrounding a number of venues has, unfortunately, forced organisers to move on, but where else could you take a party of Rave on Avon’s size and stature?
“It was such a difficult decision to leave Stokes Croft,” Ruth tells me. “Without Blue Mountain, where are you gonna get that outside space? How would we address the huge hole left behind by Lakota? Stokes Croft is such an artistic hub, one of those areas that’s really defined by its music.”
Crowds at the Stokes Croft Beer Garden during Rave on Avon 2019. Photo: Giulia Spadafora / Soul Media
As it turns out, the answer to all of those questions lies in Old Market. While few other parts of the city have the capacity to host an expansive multi-venue event like Rave on Avon, Ruth and the team knew as soon as they started looking in BS2 that they had found a new home that fit the bill.
“We wanted to do something new, and Old Market is perfect. It’s become an increasingly vibrant place over the last few years, yet still manages to retain that old Bristol vibe. We’re all about celebrating the very best that Bristol has to offer, and there are so many great venues, bars and independents with their own unique character set up in the area.”
With a multitude of new spaces to explore and a new landscape to make use of, Ruth explains that the team are keen to pull out all the stops and put together “the biggest Rave on Avon to date.”
Despite the new location, though, the winning formula is set to remain the same. The Rave on Avon mission statement promises to “support and promote local artists, music and culture in Bristol and the South West”, combining a local focus with a selection of top-drawer electronic acts playing across a variety of venues and spaces.
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From top to bottom: Trinity Centre, The Stag & Hounds and The Exchange will all be involved in the first-ever Old Market edition of Rave on Avon.
2020 lineup and venue news is being released piece by piece. At the time of writing, Trinity Centre, Jack of Diamonds, To The Moon, The Elmers Arms, Good Store Studio, The Exchange, Stag & Hounds, Dare2Club and Moor Brewery will all be involved, with more venues still to be announced.
The musical programme, meanwhile, is one of the festival’s most ambitious to date. World-renowned, Bristol-born tastemaker Eats Everything tops a bill full to the brim with highly-regarded local artists and a selection of the UK’s most exciting up-and-coming DJs.
Across a diverse range of spaces, expect killer sets from Bristol favourites GotSome, the ZenZero duo, Em Williams, Ellie Stokes, Daisy Moon, Syz, Ellis Roberts and James Dyer. Elsewhere, don’t miss stage takeovers, marathon sets and more from revered local crews including Alfresco Disco, Friendly Records and Strictly Yes.
While Rave on Avon has made the move away from Stokes Croft, the show must go on. The organisers’ drive to provide a polished multi-venue festival that Bristol can be proud of, keep ticket prices down and champion local talent, is going nowhere.
“You need the right venues, the right staff at those venues and a crowd that’s in it to have a good time,” Ruth says. “Bristol gets it right in every sense. Keep your eyes peeled for lineup news and venue details for another unforgettable edition of Rave on Avon."
Read more:
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LOUD Magazine Issue #2 | A brief history of the Trinity Centre
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Support Bristol Music: How the city's music venues are responding to the Coronavirus crisis
Article by:
Editor - 365Bristol.com & LOUD Magazine
Matt is a Journalism graduate and writer, passionate about supporting Bristol music, art and independent business. Get in touch via email at matt@365bristol.com.
