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All Together Now: Bristol Beacon is open!

Silhouettes of audience members watching an orchestra with brightly coloured projections

We’re open!

Well that was quite a weekend!

A staggering 14,000 of you visited The Housewarming on Saturday, exploring every corner of this newly transformed venue over the course of the mammoth 15-hour event, with over 1,000 performers participating across six stages.

Orchestras, choirs, DJs, poets, musicians and dancers helped us open in spectacular fashion throughout the day, with queues round the block for this free celebration of Bristol’s incredible diverse talent. From 11am – 2am we well and truly warmed our new home with your energy fuelling the music and good vibes.

Following on from the spectacular opening night last Thursday when Bristol’s Paraorchestra, Surgeons Girl and Limbic Cinema performed Trip The Light Fantastic, and concluding on Sunday 3 December with Penguin Cafe, it takes the total number of people who have visited during our opening weekend to 20,000 (!!!) in just four days.

We have been so touched by the feelings of unity and joy we experienced at the opening events in our new venue. A huge thanks to all 20,000 of you for helping us to create such unforgettable moments.

We can’t say thank you enough to everyone who has supported us on this journey, including our Principle Transformation Partners Bristol City Council, Arts Council England, HM Treasury, The National Lottery Heritage Fund and West of England Combined Authority.

But especially to you – Bristol – for turning out and showing what live music means to this city.

We’re open for you  – for music, for food and drink and to uncover the amazing story of this venue and its place in the city.

And now to work – we’ve got a concert venue to run! See you soon.

Team Bristol Beacon x

Opening night
Thu 30 Nov

Trip The Light Fantastic
Paraorchestra with Surgeons Girl, Charles Hazlewood, and Limbic Cinema

Photos by Paul Blakemore, Soul Media, ElJay and Colin Moody

Wow – what a show, a statement of intent for the future of the Beacon. The Paraorchestra were all fantastic and the show felt like a cutting-edge showcase of what’s to come in the space. Awesome!

Audience comment
Trip The Light Fantastic

 

What an inspiring event ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
So many different styles, tastes, lifestyles, backgrounds, all celebrating together… a stunning transformation of the building and culture of the city. I had so much fun 🤩

Audience comment
The Housewarming

 

People of different ages stand and sing on a bridge with a glass side

The Housewarming
Sat 2 Dec

Highlights from all six stages across the day

Photos by Soul Media, ElJay and Colin Moody

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