Celebrating 100 days of joy and live music!
Three months after reopening the doors of our transformed venue, we’re looking back at the first 100 days of Bristol Beacon to celebrate all of the highlights and jaw-dropping moments of joy and wow-ness (yes, we made that word up!) that we’ve been lucky enough to share.
A huge THANK YOU Bristol for dancing and singing along – welcome back!
100,000 visitors 😮
Over 2,000 performers
75 concerts
2,342 young people have performed
3 world premieres 🌍
14 comedy shows 🤣
3 family shows
2 festivals
9 conferences
6 exhibitions & fairs
540 new members
2,723 people engaging
with music education and community activity
A Beacon for all
Since reopening, we’ve welcomed over 100,000 visitors to an incredible and diverse programme including 75 concerts, three world premieres, 14 comedy shows, three family shows, two festivals, nine conferences and six exhibitions and fairs… (phew!) equating to a 30% surge in ticket sales compared to the same period in 2017, before our transformation programme began.
Among the star-studded line up of performers that have so far graced the new stages are renowned artists including viral sensation Sophie Ellis Bextor, musical maestro Jools Holland, Sir Simon Rattle and London Symphony Orchestra, indie icons Bombay Bicycle Club and Malian singer-songwriter Fatoumata Diawara.
“Excellent acoustics and a beautiful space”
Audience comment
“I felt transported to an alternative reality… Bristol has a world-leading music venue!”
Audience comment
Bristol Beacon is open
Following the once-in-a-generation transformation of Bristol Beacon, we kicked off our highly anticipated opening back in November with a trio of milestone concerts – Trip the Light Fantastic with Pararochestra, our free Housewarming event which welcomed 14,000 people and the sublime Penguin Cafe.
Relive the magic and the drama of Trip the Light Fantastic in our film below, as well as our official reopening trailer and a reel of highlights featuring thoughts from the audience and performers at The Housewarming.
A platform for young musicians to shine
Over 2,300 children and young people have been making the most of the new spaces to practice and perform, including Bristol Youth Choir, who performed as part of the choral premiere of Jonathan Dove’s Odyssey alongside Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and City of Bristol Choir, as well as highlights including our huge Winter Sing and workshops with classical music icon Nicola Benedetti.
“It’s fantastic to see our building back in use as it was intended and we look forward to continuing to delight audiences and fostering shared and memorable experiences for years to come.”
Louise Mitchell, Chief Executive, Bristol Beacon
An award-winning, world-class concert venue
Since reopening, we’ve received a number of national awards recognising our dedication to serving Bristol as a hub of unity and joy for all, as well as our commitment to music as a tool for social change and impact.
This includes the Rocksteady Award for Progressive and Inclusive Music Education at the Music and Drama Awards, in recognition of its HOPE Creative programme, which supports care experienced children, care leavers and young carers to express themselves through creative activity. The charity has also been announced as a Youth Music IDEA Champion 2024 after completing a 12-month Inclusion Diversity Equity and Access (IDEA) learning programme to improve its practices and commit to long-term change.
Looking ahead
The first 100 days of Bristol Beacon have been pretty special – but we’re not planning on slowing down any time soon. We have a whole hoard of fantastic concerts to experience, audience members new and old to inspire, and memories to be made with a number of spectacular shows including the return of Bristol New Music Festival, Paul Weller, Paloma Faith, Adam Buxton plus loads and loads more.
Bristol Beacon is open, and we can’t wait to welcome you very soon.
More like this
All Together Now: Bristol Beacon is open!
- Bristol Beacon News
- Photos
Our HOPE Creative programme receives award for inclusive education
- Bristol Beacon News
