Bristol Beacon opens its doors today after a five-year transformation

Bristol Beacon opens its doors today after a five-year transformation

Posted on: 30 Nov 2023

Today marks the grand reopening of what has been described by Arts Council England as “one of the great cultural icons of modern day Britain” – Bristol Beacon.

 

After five years, over a million hours and tens of thousands of people involved in the project, the £132 million transformation of this flagship Bristol venue can be revealed in all its glory when it opens its doors later today – Thursday 30 November.

 

Browse the full reopening programme for Bristol Beacon, HERE.

 

 

This massive redevelopment represents the second-largest investment in the arts in England by the Arts Council in the past 10 years. Now featuring four new world-class performance spaces, it is estimated that The Beacon will generate £13 million annually for the local economy.

 

It will also house a music education centre in transformed and previously inaccessible cellars, dubbed Bristol Water Sound Studios, that will enable the venue to reach 30,000 children a year in state-of-the-art practice and rehearsal spaces.

 

The Beacon boasts some of the best acoustics of any European concert hall as well as some of the highest levels of physical accessibility throughout, making it an open space to everyone. Sustainability is also a key feature of the redevelopment with an environmentally conscious design that will contribute to its net zero by 2030 goals.

 

Heralding its new dawn, the Beacon’s opening night performance will see a groundbreaking new commission from the pioneering Bristol-based Paraorchestra, who have collaborated with renowned electronic composer Surgeons Girl and AV experts Limbic Cinema to present a dynamic audio-visual light and sound show dubbed, ‘Trip the Light Fantastic’.

 

Then, Saturday 2 December will see a special ‘The Housewarming’ event, inviting the people of Bristol to celebrate the revitalised venue with a FREE entry, a day-to-night festival featuring more than 60 exciting acts, from grassroots groups to well-known faces.

Bristol Beacon has a reopening programme packed with music, comedy and much more. Browse the full programme – including appearances from Bear Grylls, Jools Holland, Romesh Ranganathan, and Paloma Faith – on the flagship venue, HERE.

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Article by:

Stanley Gray

Stan is a born and bred Bristolian, recently graduated from studying English Literature in Sheffield. His passions are music and literature and he spends the majority of his time in venues all over the city, immersing himself in Bristol’s alternative music scene. A lifelong Bristol City fan, Stan’s Saturdays are spent watching his team both home and away.