What's On in Bristol

The best events in Bristol: theatre, Christmas shows, family days out, festivals and more — with dates, venues and ticket prices, updated by At Home Magazines.

• Back To The Future The Musical — 8 October 2026 to 21 November 2026, Bristol Hippodrome

  Great Scott! The Olivier Award-winning West End spectacular brings Marty McFly, Doc Brown and that time-travelling DeLorean to Bristol.

• Bristol Photo Festival: Time Machine — 14 October 2026 to 9 May 2027, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery

  Bristol Photo Festival returns with Time Machine, bringing major photographic exhibitions to venues across the city, including two ambitious new shows at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery.

• Lanny — 16 October 2026 to 7 November 2026, Bristol Old Vic. Tickets: From £11

  Max Porter's haunting, wildly imaginative novel comes to the stage, conjuring an ancient English village, a mysterious child and a watchful presence.

• Joy Gregory: Catching Flies with Honey — 17 October 2026 to 7 February 2027, Arnolfini. Tickets: Free

  More than 150 works come together in the first major survey of Joy Gregory's career, exploring identity, history, race and beauty through photography, film, installation and textiles.

• The Secret Life of Colour — 24 October 2026 to 31 January 2027, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery. Tickets: From £12

  A vivid new exhibition explores the extraordinary role colour plays in our lives, bringing together objects from across the globe to reveal its cultural, scientific and emotional significance.

• Simple Things Festival — 7 November 2026, Various Bristol venues

  Bristol's boundary-pushing city-centre music festival returns with The Avalanches, Squid, Shabaka, Cobrah, Panda Bear & Sonic Boom, Moor Mother and more.

• Bristol Christmas Market — 7 November 2026 to 23 December 2026, Bristol City Centre

  Bristol's festive season gets underway as the Christmas Market returns with more than 40 stalls, seasonal food and drink, gifts and plenty of Christmas atmosphere in the heart of the city.

• The Silence and the Noise — 10 November 2026 to 14 November 2026, Bristol Old Vic. Tickets: From £15

  A powerful piece of contemporary theatre explores addiction, county lines and two young people caught on opposite sides of a dangerous world.

• Chris Packham's World of Wonder: A Planet on the Edge — 12 November 2026, Bristol Beacon. Tickets: £34.19–£51.29

  Naturalist and broadcaster Chris Packham takes audiences on a journey through the natural world, sharing extraordinary encounters and exploring the challenges facing the planet.

• A Christmas Carol — 20 November 2026 to 9 January 2027, Tobacco Factory Theatres

  Charles Dickens' festive classic gets the Tobacco Factory treatment in a new Christmas production filled with ghosts, transformation and the timeless tale of Ebenezer Scrooge.

• Christmas Lates: Sailing the Stars — 25 November 2026 to 23 December 2026, SS Great Britain, Bristol Dockyards. Tickets: Early bird £13

  A celestial light trail across SS Great Britain and Bristol Dockyards, created with artists Squidsoup.

• Christmas at Westonbirt — 27 November 2026 to 31 December 2026, Westonbirt, The National Arboretum, Tetbury GL8 8QS. Tickets: From £13

  An after-dark illuminated trail from the producers behind Christmas at Kew, near Bristol.

• Luminate at Ashton Court — 27 November 2026 to 28 December 2026, Ashton Court Estate, Long Ashton, Bristol BS41 9JN. Tickets: Pre-booking required

  Bristol's interactive Christmas light walk returns to Ashton Court for its second year.

• Wild Lights at Bristol Zoo Project — 27 November 2026 to 23 December 2026, Bristol Zoo Project. Tickets: Pre-booking required

  Brand new for 2026: a winter light and sound trail with neon animals, star arches and a carpet of colour.

• Cary Comes Home Festival — 27 November 2026 to 29 November 2026, Various Bristol venues

  Bristol celebrates its most famous Hollywood leading man with a weekend dedicated to Cary Grant, featuring screenings, talks and special events exploring the local boy who became a global film icon.

• Cinderella: A Fairytale — 27 November 2026 to 2 January 2027, Bristol Old Vic. Tickets: From £11

  Sally Cookson and Adam Peck's Olivier-nominated Cinderella returns to its Bristol home for Christmas.

• The Snowy Day — 28 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, The Weston Studio, Bristol Old Vic. Tickets: From £11 child, £13 adult

  A joyful dance adaptation of Ezra Jack Keats' picture book for ages 1–5 in the Weston Studio.

• Bristol on Ice — 28 November 2026 to 27 December 2026, Lloyds Amphitheatre, Harbourside, Bristol

  A huge festive ice rink at the Harbourside Amphitheatre, with food stalls, rides, bars and live music.

• Welsh of the West End — 1 December 2026, St George's Bristol. Tickets: From £27.50

  Wales meets the West End as an all-star cast of Welsh musical theatre performers brings show-stopping songs from some of the world's best-loved musicals to St George's.

• Sleeping Beauty – Bristol Hippodrome Pantomime — 4 December 2026 to 3 January 2027, Bristol Hippodrome. Tickets: From £15

  Craig Revel Horwood stars as Carabosse alongside Andy Ford in the Bristol Hippodrome's 2026 family pantomime.

• Dick Whittington – Redgrave Theatre Pantomime — 4 December 2026 to 3 January 2027, Redgrave Theatre. Tickets: From £18

  Join Dick Whittington and Tommy the Cat on a purr-fect pantomime adventure at Bristol's Redgrave Theatre this Christmas.

• Wetland Wonderland – Christmas at WWT Slimbridge — 5 December 2026 to 23 December 2026, WWT Slimbridge. Tickets: From £11.84

  A charming new Christmas family experience at WWT Slimbridge, with elf storytelling, a festive wetland trail, willow crafts and an indoor festive market.

• Carols by Candlelight at Bristol Cathedral — 11 December 2026 to 12 December 2026, Bristol Cathedral, College Green, Bristol BS1 5TJ

  Festive music by candlelight in Bristol Cathedral, plus family, toddler and shoppers' carol services.