Echo, a new one-day international music and cultural exchange festival, takes over Trinity in Bristol on 30th May with a free, all‑day programme of live music. Celebrating nearly 80 years of cultural exchange between Bristol and Bordeaux, the festival brings together grassroots artists from both cities, Binbag Wisdom, DJ Koyla, Josephine Gyasi, MĀDŁY, Okali and t l k, in a genre‑spanning celebration of shared creative practice.

Taking place on Friday 30th May at Trinity, he free one‑day festival marks the first chapter of this new cross‑border cultural exchange between Bristol and Bordeaux, developed in partnership with Le Rocher de Palmer and Twin Cities Fest, and delivered during Trinity Community Arts’ 50th anniversary year.

At its core, the programme brings together a diverse range of artists whose work spans hip‑hop, DJ culture, neo‑soul, alt‑theatre, spoken word, and immersive live performance.

As part of the event, we will have Binbag Wisdom, a boundary‑pushing hip‑hop trio blending sharp lyricism, theatrical comedy, and live turntablism to redefine what a hip‑hop performance can be. Fresh from a sell‑out run of their new show The Ballad of Wee Willy Winky, Binbag Wisdom’s live sets balance humour and honesty, creating performances that are as emotionally resonant as they are entertaining.

The line‑up also features DJ Koyla, a French‑Burkinabè multidisciplinary artist whose high‑energy sets draw from 90s house, afrobeats, funk, and disco, alongside Bristol‑based DJ and cultural connector Josephine Gyasi, known for instinct‑led sets rooted in embodiment, rhythm, and connection with the room.

MĀDŁY, a Paris‑born, Bristol‑based multilingual singer, rapper, and poet, brings a powerful live project combining neo‑soul, nu‑jazz, and hip‑hop, supported by an acclaimed band of Bristol musicians. Alongside Okali, a multidisciplinary music project blending spiritual African influences with neo‑trip‑hop, performing songs across English, Eton, Zulu, and French.

“Echo is about building real connections through shared creativity, across borders, cultures, and communities.” - MĀDŁY

Alongside music, audiences can expect food and drinks from local traders. A family‑friendly and relaxed garden‑party atmosphere, making Echo an accessible, welcoming day out for all ages.

Background

Echo is a new international cultural exchange programme connecting Bristol and Bordeaux, two cities officially twinned since 1947. The project is designed to strengthen long‑standing cultural links by supporting grassroots artists and creating accessible opportunities for audiences to engage with international creative work.

The first edition of Echo takes place in Bristol at Trinity. The programme reflects Trinity’s long‑standing commitment to lowering barriers to participation, amplifying underrepresented voices, and creating inclusive arts spaces where culture is shared rather than consumed.

Echo is delivered in partnership with Le Rocher de Palmer, a leading cultural venue in Bordeaux, with a strong focus on global music and community engagement, and Twin Cities Fest, a project celebrating cultural exchange through music and international collaboration.

Following the Bristol event, the festival will continue its journey to France, with the second chapter of Echo taking place at Le Rocher de Palmer in Bordeaux on 19 September, ensuring the exchange flows in both directions.

We took advantage of warm, sunny weather and were able to take these sessions outdoors, which created a relaxed atmosphere.

Working outside encouraged freedom of movement, conversation and experimentation, and the children responded with enthusiasm, confidence and a real sense of enjoyment in their creative processes.

These sessions are funded by Bristol City Council through their Youth and Play Grant, which enables local young people to explore new opportunities and engage with the local community. A big thank you for the continued support!

Over the two days, the children demonstrated curiosity, creativity, and a willingness to try new ideas, resulting in a collection of vibrant and unique outcomes. They worked well in their small groups, making friends with peers from other schools in the area. They also managed their own need for breaks and independently formed smaller groups to enjoy the garden space, where they played games and relaxed together.

Day One

Imprinted Clay & Plaster Face Sculptures - This activity, focused on texture, form and surface, led by artist Dorcas Casey, gave children the opportunity to explore mark-making in clay, pressing in vegetables and plants to create expressive, tactile faces. They experimented with composition, facial features and imprint techniques, resulting in a diverse range of thoughtful and characterful sculptures.

Shiny Collage Suns – The young people were invited to play with reflective collage materials, layering papers and foils to explore light, colour and pattern. This activity encouraged bold design choices and experimentation in arranging materials.

Day Two

Art Cakes - The children built 3D cardboard cakes, combining colour, shape and structure to create playful, decorative pieces full of personality. This activity allowed the children to problem-solve with 3D shapes, while also keeping attention to detail.

Trinity is proud to present Echo, an international cross-city celebration of sound, creativity and community. Developed in partnership with Le Rocher de Palmer (Bordeaux), and Twin Cities Fest, Echo marks a remarkable 79-year relationship between the two officially twinned cities, bringing together grassroots artists, cultural practitioners and local communities through a free one-day festival at Trinity on 30 May.

This first chapter of Echo takes place in Bristol, with the celebration continuing in France as the programme travels to Le Rocher de Palmer on 19 September for the second half of this unique cultural exchange.

Audiences at Trinity can expect a day of music performances, food, and refreshments available from local vendors and community engagement for all ages as Bristol’s grassroots talent meets exciting artists from Bordeaux. With Trinity Garden‑party vibes, Echo offers a feel‑good day out for the whole family.

Line-up:

• Binbag Wisdom

• DJ Koyla (Bordeaux)

• Josephine Gyasi

• MĀDŁY

• Okali (Bordeaux)

• T L K

Alongside the main programme, pupils from Hannah More Primary School, St Nicholas of Tolentine Primary School, Evergreen Primary Academy and Easton CE Academy have been taking part in after‑school sessions led by artist Laura Clifford, the CEO of Colourful Minds. Using recycled materials, each KS2 group created detailed skyline artworks combining iconic landmarks from both Bristol and Bordeaux. These collaborative pieces will be displayed at Trinity during the festival, inviting children, families and the wider community to celebrate their work.

Bristol City Council  visited each participating school to deliver assemblies and staff sessions, introducing an accompanying classroom activity pack.

“We were approached by Bristol City Council’s International Twinning Manager, to introduce the team to the local primary schools we work closely with through the PHF‑funded Cultural Alliance Programme. Our strong relationships with these schools have enabled us to support them with creative projects and to strengthen communication and delivery.” - Sarah Franke, Children's Programme Manager, Trinity Community Arts

The festival is free to attend, with a suggested £3 donation per person on the door to help Trinity continue delivering inclusive, community‑focused events.

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“We were approached by Bristol City Council’s International Twinning Manager, to introduce the team to the local primary schools we work closely with through the PHF‑funded Cultural Alliance Programme. Our strong relationships with these schools have enabled us to support them with creative projects and to strengthen communication and delivery.” - Sarah Franke, Children's Programme Manager, Trinity Community Arts

The festival is free to attend, with a suggested £3 donation per person on the door to help Trinity continue delivering inclusive, community‑focused events.

Listing Information

Echo Festival at Trinity 
Date: 30 May 
Location: Trinity Centre, Bristol 
Admission: Free (suggested £3 donation)

About Trinity Presents – Celebrating 50 Years of Music

Echo forms part of Trinity Presents, our in‑house programme spotlighting outstanding artists and fresh new voices, rooted in the communities at the heart of the city.

About Le Rocher de Palmer

Le Rocher de Palmer is a contemporary music venue (SMAC) in the Bordeaux metropolitan area. The 6700m2 venue includes 3 concert halls, a documentary resource centre on world music, a digital studio, a coworking space, a cultural business incubator, and a digital museum with the Micro-Folie label.

https://billetterie.lerocherdepalmer.fr/

About Twin Cities Fest

Through its programme, Twin Cities Fest aims to celebrates the unique cultural identity of each city - spotlighting its music, food, art and wider creative communities. It provides emerging artists with opportunities to perform for international audiences, while building lasting connections with artists and venues in partner cities

Trinity Community Arts has secured a significant boost for the restoration of Jacobs Wells Baths through a £350,000 Capital Grant from the Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF). The award will support essential repair works now underway on the Grade II listed former bathhouse, forming part of a wider programme to bring the building back into safe public use.

The new investment builds on AHF’s earlier £78,000 Development Grant, which helped shape future plans for the site. Together, these grants form a critical foundation for Trinity’s phased approach to conserving the building, preparing for public reopening, and enabling new cultural and community uses. Both grants were awarded through the AHF's Heritage Revival Fund, which is delivered in partnership with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Historic England.

Recent progress on the restoration has included bringing the historic Pump Room into public use for the first time in its history. Further works underway will stabilise key structural elements, address long‑term maintenance issues and support the development of Trinity’s Phase 2 delivery plan, which has also received match funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Alongside the physical repair works, Trinity has begun activating previously inaccessible areas of the site, including the old pool boiler room, through artist‑led interventions as part of the new Art of the Possible pilot program. This creative activity is helping shape and envision future plans for how the building might be used once restoration is complete.

The AHF’s continued support is a major step toward Trinity’s goal of safely reopening Jacobs Wells Baths for community use.

Trinity’s wider renovation and engagement programme is supported by a range of funders and partners including the National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to National Lottery players, The Nisbet Trust, John James Foundation, Society of Merchant Venturers, Historic England, Pilgrim Trust, Bristol City Council, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Centrica Energy and Trinity’s individual donors and sponsors.

To follow news about the Jacobs Wells Baths project, email info@trintiybristol.org.uk to join our mailing list.

Trinity Community Arts has launched Art of the Possible, new pilot programme exploring how creativity can thrive inside Jacobs Wells Baths while the historic building continues to undergo restoration. The programme offers a rare chance to experience the site in its current transitional state, test creative ideas and imagine future uses for the space for both communities and artists. The series invites Bristol artists to respond to the building as it is now, capturing the energy, atmosphere and potential held in an unfinished space.

As part of this pilot programme, Trinity is releasing a series of short videos created on site with Bristol artists, including Grove and Muneera Pilgrim. The series will feature a broad mix of artistic disciplines - from spoken word and live music to dance and electronic music, with more contributors to be announced as the programme unfolds.

As Trinity Community Arts works to restore the Grade II listed bathhouse, Art of the Possible acts as a living research and development process.

Emma Harvey, CEO of Trinity Community Arts, said:

“The history of Jacobs Wells Baths is rooted in everyday people making that which seemed impossible into a reality. And we know artists are the best people at bringing our imaginations and dreams to life.” -Emma Harvey

These early responses demonstrate how different art forms can inhabit the building even as repair work continues, offering audiences a glimpse into how the Baths might operate as a creative hub once restoration is complete.

“Some of my favourite times making music, sharing music has been in grassroots venues. Getting it really right, getting it really wrong, getting it all shades of in between and through that, learning so much about not only myself, but learning about the people around me, learning what a sense of community feels like.

Grassroots venues are essential and so much love to Trinity for what this space is going to be." - Grove

“Grassroots venues are not just important they are vital they are the life blood to what we do as artists, as communities. If we don’t have grassroots venues we don’t have venues.

In spaces that are grassroots you get to cultivate music, art, truth, create community and create change”- Muneera Pilgrim

A continuation of heritage learning and participation offer for residents, schools and community groups already involved in this phase of the project, will run alongside the artistic research and development programme, helping people connect with the building’s social history and understand the traditional skills involved in its conservation.

This work is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, made possible thanks to National Lottery players, and is part of Trinity’s wider programme to bring Jacobs Wells Baths back into everyday community use. The Art of the Possible pilot also complements active restoration funded by the Architectural Heritage Fund and other partners.

Trinity continues active fundraising to support the next stage of restoration, with the aim of safely reopening the building as soon as possible. Continued support from local people, funders and partners will determine how quickly the Baths can return to public use.

Art of the Possible marks an important moment in the journey to bring Jacobs Wells Baths back into everyday community use, offering a glimpse of its future potential while celebrating its past alongside this important renovation phase.

Trinity’s wider renovation and engagement programme is supported by a range of funders and partners including the National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to National Lottery players, The Nisbet Trust, John James Foundation, Society of Merchant Venturers, Historic England, Pilgrim Trust, Bristol City Council, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Centrica Energy and Trinity’s individual donors and sponsors.

Watch the first video here.

Keep an eye out for fresh activations videos dropping in April including spoken word from Muneera Pilgrim and a live electronic performance from the mighty Grove