DIASPORA! Festival Flag Making Workshop

DIASPORA! Festival is a vibrant celebration of people, arts, culture, film, and more, taking place at host venues across the city on Early May Bank Holiday weekend 03 - 06 May. Brought to the South West by Diverse Artists Network, the festival aims to reflect the rich variety of talent within the south west’s global communities, with an emphasis on the creative arts that reside within these communities. Trinity is very proud to be partnering with Diverse Artist Network to bring Diaspora to Trinity, through a programme of workshops, music events and arts.

“Brilliant people, really welcoming and great level of diversity and lovely to talk to people from different backgrounds” - Diaspora! Flag Making Workshop Participant

As part of Diaspora’s engagement fringe programme in the lead up to their festival weekend, Trinity partnered up with them to deliver their programme of free creative workshops named ‘Flag Up Your Identity’. These workshops were open to all and served to unleash the creativity of the workshop participants to make a unique flag that embodied their identity and heritage. Participants were encouraged to create unique flags influenced by their cultural roots and their personal journey. Over the Easter period, Trinity welcomed over 30 participants who made wonderful flags which will be showcased at Trinity and other locations around the city.

DIASPORA! Festival continues throughout the May bank holiday weekend, kicking off with the official opening ceremony for the festival taking place on Friday 03 May 4pm – 7pm. Expect an evening of dance, music, poetry, food, and folklore, showcasing the extraordinary talents of our local community while fostering meaningful cross-cultural connections. Tickets are free, find out more here.

After the opening ceremony on 03 May, we will be hosting Pangea at Trinity. Pangea is a club night which celebrates sound system music from around the globe, bringing together a diverse range of genres including Samba, Bhangra, highlife, gospel, dancehall and much more. Click here to get tickets.

Closing out proceedings, on Sunday 05 May we have Alkebulan, African Storytelling Village, a day of African arts and culture featuring captivating storytelling to vibrant dance performances. Featuring local artists from the likes of Kabbo Hue Ferdinand, MoYah, Ian Solomon-Kawall, Penny Avery, and Mohammed Errebba, this event promises an unforgettable cultural showcase. Find out more here.

We are very proud to be partnering with Diverse Artists Network for DIASPORA! Festival, highlighting our commitment to providing accessible cultural events for the community, and a space to learn arts and crafts as well as opportunities for participants to skill share.

Image credit: Nova twins

“Bringing the venue up to spec will not only benefit us as a venue, but the artists, technicians, and promoters who come into the space; increasing creative possibilities and audience experience."

Production Coordinator, Aysha Tailor - Whyte

Trinity are one of 13 venues to have been awarded funds from the Music Venue Trust’s Pipeline Investment Fund to purchase new equipment for our live music/club programme and our outdoor venue, The Den.

The £4134.69 investment from MVT, at time of rising energy costs and a cost-of-living crisis, will enable us to reduce production costs and increase capacity. The costs saved alongside additional revenue generated will help us to build upon our free/subsidised space hire for community groups and residents.

The grant will help towards the purchase of additional lighting fixtures and replace existing fixtures for our live-music spaces, The Den and the Main Hall. The grant will also allow us to purchase uniform for the team to make our staff easily identifiable for those in need of assistance during events.

The Pipeline Investment Fund was established last year with the support of members of the Music Venues Alliance and was primarily funded by donations from ticket sales of MVT’s recent ‘Revive Live’ programme of gigs around the UK, which was a partnership with The National Lottery.

Set the vibe for your weekend at The Den Socials in our outdoor venue

Nestled in the grounds of the historic Trinity Centre, uncover The Den; a place for food, friends and some of the best music from the underground scene right now.

From March 03 head down to the The Den Socials on Thursday and Friday evenings and enjoy food from local vendors, drinks and music from resident DJs and collectives.

The Den will be hosting local independent food traders and resident DJs each month. In March, local vendors Ceylon and Beyond and Small Fire Pizza will offering an array of Sri Lankan Street Food and handmade stonebaked pizza.

DJ collective Booty Bass - fresh off their sell-out New Year's Eve event at Trinity - will help set the tone for the weekend with their Friday evening residency (6pm-9pm). On Thursdays the Trinity team have connected with some of Bristol’s best producers and DJs to bring you an eclectic mix of artists including Mr Fitz, Kreed and Discobobulator.

Launching on 03 Mar the Den Socials will run Thursday/Friday evenings throughout the spring.

There is no booking required and entry is free – just bring good vibes and good friends.

Find out more about The Den Socials on trinitybristol.org.uk

March lineup:

Thursdays: Mr Fitz/Kreed/Discobobulator + more TBA

Fridays: Booty Bass DJ's

This series is part of Trinity Presents - our in-house programme in our brand new outdoor venue The Den.

The evening will celebrate The MAZI Project's achievements over the past year, and includes a special performance from singer and ambassador Charli Brix and a speech from a very special celebrity guest. All in a Wintery and candle-lit setting.

The team in the kitchen will be led by former head chef of Casamia, Summer Sharkey, and two of the aMAZIng young people MAZI Project supports. This four-course winter feast will be the dining experience in the heart of the city you've been waiting for.

80% of proceeds raised will go towards The MAZI Project and our continued effort to feed young people that are facing food poverty.

We expect to sell out so book your tickets through the link.

Come and enjoy some delicious food, support your local community, do some good!

Cover image by Jack Abbott Photography

Grove - Image Credit: Sophia Stefelle

Kahn ft. Rider Shafique - Image Credit: Sophia Stefelle

After The Fire - Image Credit: Sophia Stefelle

Rita Lynch - Image Credit: Marley Small

Hip Hop Garden - Image Credit: Sophia Stefelle

Image Credit: Sophia Stefelle

Solomon O.B - Image Credit: Sophia Stefelle

Irish Mellow + Cxption - Image Credit: Marley Small

Garden Party: Revolution Sounds was our second free-community event of the year where we said goodbye to the summer with a mix of live music, workshops, performances and an immersive exhibition: After The Fire.

As always we welcomed some of the best artists in Bristol and the South West all playing on The Den stage. From punk to experimental we had the likes of Rita Lynch, Talisman and Kahn. Kept a secret until they came on, headliner Grove closed out proceedings with an epic mosh pit.

"Inspirational people and artwork" Feedback, Garden Party: Revolution Sounds

In the Fyfe Hall, we hosted an immersive exhibition 'After the Fire', a thought-provoking odyssey through the sounds and sights of Bristol’s protest history in recent years. This exhibition allowed us to present a culmination of artwork made as part of the last two years of Art of Resistance - pieces created by participants including pottery and murals, alongside placards made as part of our Visions of Resistance including a mural made by Tanith Gould which was displayed outside People's Republic of Stokes Croft on Jamaica Street.

We also had a number of workshops running throughout the day, including Movema Dance Workshops and Button-Up Badge Making Workshop in the Main Hall, plus Hip-Hop Workshops in the Trinity Garden.

Big thanks once again to everyone that made this event possible - from the artists that performed, the exhibition curators, the workshop facilitators, the lighting and sound team working behind the scenes, the bar staff and Trinity Team, and of course all of you that came down on the day - over 1,200 of you came along, and we raised over £1,000 in donations so that we can put on more events like Garden Party for the local community.

If you'd like to stay in the loop with everything on at Trinity, head to our What's On page for all our upcoming events, or follow our Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and sign up to our mailing list to stay updated.

Art of Resistance is a two-year, National Heritage Lottery Funded project charting 100 years of protest in Bristol.

Yemz - Sophia Stefelle

The Den - Khali Ackford

Big Tent - Rahil Ahmad

Bristol Harbour Festival - Jade Ayino

While we're all sad that summer is winding down, we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to take a minute to reflect on some of the amazing arts and music events that’ve happened at Trinity over the last few months. Read on to learn more about our highlights from an amazing summer of activities.

Garden Party

Trinity's annual Garden Party returned this summer for the first time since 2019 and it was such a pleasure to welcome you all back to one of our flagship events for the season.

This year, we were able to bring a great programme of artists from Bristol and beyond to perform in The Den, including LCY, Yemz, tlk and more. Alongside our music offering, we also hosted a range of workshops including drumming and circus skills, Young Musicians takeover of the main stage, poetry and heritage activities in the Graffiti Room, as well as a whole load of food and craft stalls from local businesses.

We had a great time at May's Garden Party and it seemed like you all did too - over 4000 people attended on the day and we managed to raise £4500 in donations so that we can continue to offer events like Garden Party to our amazing local community.

The Den

We launched The Den, our new outdoor space for platforming emerging talent. Joining forces with some of the best promoters and talent developments agencies in the South West we welcomed Bristol poetry collective Raise The Bar, family friendly day raves from female led DJ collective Peachin' and Club Djembe.

Bristol Harbour Festival

Trinity took to the stage at Bristol Harbour Fest 2022, hosting Bristol Dances in Millennium Square. Over the weekend we showcased the breadth of dance in the city from Irish Dancing to Bharathnatyam Dance to Voguing alongside performances from award-winning dance troupes, HYPE and Miss Daisy Dance Class.

Big Tent

As part of Radix Big Tent Ideas Festival, Trinity joined forces with Bristol DIY Arts Network to shine a light on Bristol’s diverse and rich cultural offering by inviting cultural leaders in the city to take part in keynotes and panel discussions exploring the role of culture in driving change in the city and what ‘City of Culture’ means for an independently creative city like Bristol.

Bristol Ball

We were honoured to host Bristol’s first official Vouge Ball at Trinity this summer with The Bristol Ball. Originating in Harlem in the 1920s, Ballroom culture provides a safe space for LGBTQIA+ people to express themselves through dance, music and fashion. It was great to be able to host a sold-out Vogue Ball at Trinity and be a part of this ongoing Ballroom culture.

We'll be celebrating the end of summer this Sunday (18 Sep) at Garden Party: Revolution Sounds, our second Garden Party of 2022, a free, community party that will bring together some of the best arts activists, covering music, sound, poetry, art and performance.

Photo Credit: Sam Howard

For the last 15 years, Teachings in Dub has been a staple of the Bristol dub scene and has become one of the longest running club nights in Bristol. Formed by Stryda (Dubkasm) and Pinch at Clockwork Nightclub on Stokes Croft until 2008 when Teachings found its new home here at Trinity.

Dub and soundystem cultures have been an integral part of Bristol’s music scene. During the 1970s and 1980's a DIY culture of soundsystems sprung up, particularly around East Bristol, allowing young people in Bristol to participate in the city’s music scene from the ground up.

Teachings in Dub has allowed for a new generation to participate in Bristol’s history of dub music. Teachings co-founder Stryda writes that the event has “always been about bridging the gap between the older generation and the new and ensuring the culture is maintained and respected but the vibes are passed on”.

"We aim to give elders a space to enjoy the music and vibes they grew up on as well as a window for newcomers to enter a music scene they may have otherwise not even known existed” - Stryda, Teachings in Dub co-founder

Stryda attributes Teachings’ long-standing popularity to providing “an authentic space to experience real undiluted soundsystem vibrations. The Bristol music scene is respected worldwide but is built on Reggae and soundsystem. We aim to give elders a space to enjoy the music and vibes they grew up on as well as a window for newcomers to enter a music scene they may have otherwise not even known existed”.

Teachings has hosted some of the biggest names in dub and roots reggae, including Jah Shakka, Iration Steppas, Channel One Soundystem and Aba Shanti-I, and will host celebrations for 50 Years of Jah Tubby this month on 17 Sep, before celebrating 15 Years of Teachings in Dub on 25 Nov.

Ahead of their day party takeover at Trinity on 27 Aug, we sat down with Club Djembe co-founder Ryan Foster (DJ Stolen) to chat about the label's beginnings, thoughts on the Bristol music scene and what's next for Club Djembe.

Trinity are collaborating with Club Djembe as part of Trinity Presents, our in-house programme celebrating our diverse city and platforming emerging talent, to host a day party in The Den, our new seasonal outdoor venue situated in the historic grounds of Trinity.

How did Club Djembe start?

Ryan: Club Djembe started all through a lack of events within Bristol that were pushing & promoting our music. We were playing UK Funky, Afro House & a lot of percussion led music on radio but never heard/saw of anything happening within the clubs in Bristol, so myself (DJ Stolen) & Jake decided to launch Club Djembe. Luckily for us at the time Josie was working behind the bar at The Love Inn so we managed to throw our first party and it all kicked off from there back in 2017.

What do you think Club Djembe offers to the Bristol music scene?

We know for ourselves and hear from our community that it is hard to find these genres of music in the events scene. Consistency (which is always key), as we guarantee that no night will stray from the vibe and atmosphere that we like to create - we have an open the door attitude and welcome a variety of people/cultures We also want ticket prices and venues to be affordable and accessible for everyone. And mostly, which we are most proud of, is that we love to support and put on new artists, that's something that excites us the most.

What kinds of events do you think are missing from the Bristol club scene?

Bristol has pretty much been the epicentre for Drum & Bass in the UK for as long as I can remember. It’s really refreshing to see a few more nights popping up that are pushing and promoting the same kind of music as us, Amapiano, UK Funky, Afro House like Lockmars for example. However it would be good to see more of these across Bristol, I think a lot of would be promoters get afraid by the prospect of an event not going well, however the best events from our experience are the ones you put on through a love & passion for the music rather than focusing on the monetary side of events.

What's next for Club Djembe?

The remainder of 2022 is looking RAMMED for us can’t lie. We’re throwing our first proper London event in September which is going to be massive, it’s falling inline with the release of our next compilation, Club Djembe Vol. 3 which is also huge! We then have one more release to go for the year which is from one of our favourite Bristol producers and we also have three more Bristol events in the pipeline including a big Christmas knees up with another sick London/Bristol based promoter so keep your eyes firmly planted on Club Djembe socials over the next few months as we have a lot going on.

Club Djembe will be playing at Trinity's outdoor venue The Den on Sat Aug 27. Click here to grab your tickets.

Peachin' Day Festival. Photo credit Khali Ackford

In our commitment to platform emerging talent and provide access to quality facilities for the community, we’re excited to announce a summer season of live music and spoken word events in our outdoor space, ‘The Den’.

Between July-September 2022, we will be showcasing some of the best breakthrough artist from Bristol and the South West alongside a wider programme of family friendly arts activities and events.

“Trinity have always been there providing a space for us and many other artists to do what we do best and always put creativity and community first” Ishmael Ensemble

We’ve joined forces with collectives who are making waves in the region including Bristol poetry collective Raise The Bar, who are bringing Youtuber Leena Norms to perform, 31 July and multi-disciplinary Arts organisation Beyond Face, who will take over The Den to showcase spoken word artists from the global majority.

Head over to our What's On section to find out more about events and activities at The Den.

About The Den

Our vision for The Den is to increase our presentation of creative and performing arts, and alongside this provide facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation and leisure for community groups and local residents.

Funded by Power to Change, Bristol City Council, Tarmac Landfill Communities Fund and match funders, our revamped outdoor space feels like a secret, magical corner of a festival. The space - including bar, kitchen, outdoor seating and stretch-tent – is set within our beautiful garden and heritage grounds.

The works form part of Trinity’s phased capital works programme, that paused in 2020 when the impacts of COVID19 and Brexit caused delays to planned construction of a larger scheme of work, including a two-story kitchen/bar with offices and outdoor area.

Venue Director, Jamell Ackford said; “Like many music venues, we began to get creative with our outdoor space in response to pandemic restrictions, launching the ‘Garden Sessions’ in 2020.

Following support in 2021 from the Architectural Heritage Fund to to revisit and revise our Feasibility Study, a detailed community consultation helped us to find out what the community wanted from us in a post-pandemic environment. From this, we updated our original plans and the idea for ‘The Den’ was born.

With this new bespoke setup, The Den will provide wider opportunities including supporting local food and community activities, as well as giving audiences a unique experience.”

As part of Trinity’s post-pandemic responses, a Community Activities Coordinator has been appointed to support ‘Community Kickstart’ activity – working with local residents, grassroots groups and charities to establish new activities from the space.

If you are a local resident or group and would like to run an activity for the local community, get in touch with stefan@trinitybristol.org.uk to find out more.

Joy Crookes. Credit: Khali Ackford

Kokoroko. Credit: Luke Macpherson

Ezra Collective. Credit: Ash Harnett

With Self Esteem’s recent sold-out gig and Wet Leg coming up (21 Apr), we thought we'd take a moment to reflect on some of the best acts who've played at Trinity on their breakthrough tours in the last few years.

Alt J (2012)

Indie pop makers Alt-J came to perform live to a sell-out crowd the day after they won the Mercury Prize for what was to be one of their last intimate gigs.

Ezra Collective (2019)

London jazz collective Ezra Collective fuse Afrobeat, Hip-Hop and Soul to create a distinct sound. Known for “pioneering the new-wave of UK jazz music” (Boilerroom) their sell-out gig was yet another sell-out in 2019.

Freddie Gibbs (2019)

American rapper Freddie Gibbs is known for his technical proficiency and provocative lyrics as well has two collaborations with critically acclaimed Madlib.

Loyle Carner (2019)

One of the most popular rappers to come out of the UK in recent years, Loyle Carner played here following the release of his second album ‘Not Waving, But Drowning’.

Mick Jenkins (2019)

American rapper Mick Jenkins had released two far reaching albums, The Healing Component (2016) and Pieces of a Man (2018) prior to playing to a very ecstatic hip-hop loving audience.

Kokoroko (2020)

London-based eight-piece musical group Kokoroko play a fusion of Jazz and Afrobeat and came to us just before Lockdown restrictions in Mar 2020. Despite this, they are making waves in the UK Nu-Jazz scene.

Joy Crookes (2021)

An essential new voice in the burgeoning UK Neo-Soul scene, Joy Crookes played an incredible sold-out show in November last year.

Self-Esteem (2022)

Hot off the press, we knew Self Esteem was going to be popular by early requests for press passes and how quickly it sold out. The crowd jumped to the performance of I Do This All The Time and we think this will be a gig that forges itself in many memories. We are sure this will be one of her last gigs playing to smaller crowds.

Not-to-miss breakthrough gigs coming up:

Bakar (03 Apr)

A melting pot of indie, rap, rock, and punk, Bakar's music bridges the gap between genres, drawing influence from a wide range of artists such as Madlib and Foals.

Wet Leg (21 Apr)

The Isle Of White two-piece drew international acclaim with their breakout single Chaise Lounge, which went viral last year.

Yard Act (11 May)

Spearheaded by James Smith (vocals) and Ryan Needham (bass), the four-piece have built a sound that explores observations from all walks of modern British life.

breathing.systems explores fluid, mediated and granular experiences of gender, embodiment and neurodiversity. Using a custom wireless multi speaker sound system worn on the bodies of performers, they create a network of live voices and a communal sound body to sing through.

Temporal, relational and shifting experiences of selfhood, embodiment and gender are a fundamental theme in the work. Spanning Gregorian chant and Sacred Harp singing; club and spiritual, breathing.systems asks- how does a voice tell the story of its body when it is heard through a network? Without the feedback of others’ skin, where does your own body end? Growing new self-hoods and forgetting, destroying or recycling discarded ones; forming in relation to and absorbing others. Each performer/speaker in the work forms a networked node and a collaborator, a carrier and a community member.

About the company

Nik Rawlings is a Counter Tenor vocalist, Artist and DJ/Promoter. They often make work that considers experiences of remote networked presence, polymorphous bodies and vocal transformation. They have shown work at LUMA in Zurich, Guest Projects London and ran the MegaLast and AfterTouch clubnights at Dalston Superstore and residency on Noods Radio.

Performances will last approx. 30 minutes

“breathing.systems has been generously supported by a grant from Bristol + Bath Creative R+D, with further support from Trinity, Sennheiser and Minirig”

Tickets go live Thursday 21 January, 10am

Please note, this is a standing show

Please read our COVID-19 Safety Policy for information on attending events during this time. Please note, proof a negative PCR/lateral flow test is required for entry.

Created and hosted by the “sublime” and “distinctive” Talia Randall this BSL interpreted and captioned poetry cabaret features a kaleidoscope of performances, from comedians, to sign language artists and rising stars of the spoken word scene.

Performed live on Zoom, What Words Are Ours will be hosted by poetry-clown Talia Randall. She’ll be reading her upfront poetry, popping out her signature silly humour and inviting some very special guests to join her:

Featured on Boiler Room, BBC Radio, Worldwide FM and multi-talented artist Belinda Zhawi will share her stunning poems with you on the night.

Multi slam winner Jasmine Gardosi will perform her electrifying, high energy spoken word, as well as writing an on-the-spot poem based on audience suggestions.

Raffie Julien is a dancer, actor and multi-talented Deaf performer. Raffie will be performing a stunning BSL piece on the night.

Poet and disability rights champion Stephen Lightbown will be sharing a brand new poetry film made especially for the show, as well as performing his captivating poetry.

What Words Are Ours will be BSL interpreted by Becky Bary and Mia Ward. The show will be captioned by Claire Hill.

How to watch: This edition of What Words Are Ours will take place online via Zoom. When you have booked you will be sent an E-Ticket to your registered email address (please check your spam folder), which will contain the Zoom link to enable you to access the event.

Please note that each device needs one ticket each (but you are welcoming to grab a bubble buddy and join on the same device!)

Price: This event is free with a limited capacity; we recommend booking in advance.

If you have any specific requirements, please contact the Box Office at info@trinitybristol.org.uk or  0117 935 1200

Trinity and The Gulbenkian have taken the decision to support artists by paying fees for performances even when we are not charging for tickets.

Please consider donating what you can for your ticket here, to support Gulbebkian and their work during this time.

Supported by Arts Council England using National Lottery Funds.

Hosted by BBC Introducing in the West presenters, Richard Pitt and Sam Bonham, Bristol Takeover Online will feature the likes of Adrian Utley (of Portishead), The Allergies, Ishmael Ensemble, Melt Yourself Down, No Go Stop, Pictish Trail, Rachael Dadd, Run Logan Run, Three Cane Whale, artists on the Saffron Records roster, and many more.

The festival will be livestreamed for free on YouTube however, organisers ask that viewers donate to the event's CrowdFunder page, the amount they would normally spend on a gig ticket. All donations will be split 50/50, to support participating artists and Bristol music venues in collaboration with Music Venue Trust.

Following on from Colston Hall's Bristol Takeover events in 2017 and 2019, the 2020 edition comes with the lockdown twist of being livestreamed online and features a powerful line-up of fresh new talent and special guests, programmed in partnership with some of the city's renowned grassroots venues, including: The Louisiana, Thekla, The Fleece, Exchange, St George's Bristol, Trinity, Crofters Rights, The Old England, Rough Trade, and more.

A full line-up and running times for the festival will be announced in the lead up to the event.The broadcast will be available to view on-demand for one week after the event.

Click here for info on how to watch and donate.

This is brought to you in association with Trinity Presents. Click here to see more arts, community, well-being and educational content or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

This is brought to you by Trinity Presents. Click here to see more arts, community, well-being and educational content. Or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.