So August Bank Holiday folks is the date for this lovely little festival. This was my first time…read morehere, but actually it's only been running for 2 years. Tickets cost £40 for adults, and children are £1. Get them quick as it does sell out. This is a family festival, and my friends kids absolutely loved it, and why wouldn't they...... face painting, and arts and crafts...and even a bouncy castle for them...and best of all this was all free. The site itself was clean and had plenty of space for the tents and to sit outside, but then we are talking about around 1500 people. And there was plenty of entertainment for adults and party goers too...from the 5 stages - with acoustic sounds from the Otters Pocket, chill out at the Lotus Flower,or hit the brilliant Dub tent which had some great Reggae, and Drum n Bass blasting out. When the sound systems shut down at midnight, you then get a chance to head to silent disco...where you can party til 3.30am...and potentially back to the lotus flower after that if you're hoping to catch the sunrise. The vibe was fun and friendly...and they have big ideas for the future so this is definitely one to watch. My only criticism would be that there were too many covers bands...but then this is a learning curve...and I have no doubt this will change in future years. A brilliant little festival, and well worth checking out.

I literally can't wait for this years' Harbour Festival, I only managed to catch bits and pieces of…read moreit last year as I had only just moved to Bristol. This year, 2010, it'll be going down 30th July - 01st August, and do you want to know the best thing about it? It's freeeeeeeee! Amazingly, it's been going for 39 years, and while I wouldn't want to bore you with trivial statistics and facts, what it means is, this weekend has been running for enough years for them to have worked out what works and what doesn't! There will be not one, not two, not three, but eight, yes eight stages with a variety of music for all tastes. It's generally a great weekend, don't miss it!

This much-loved summer festival sees literally hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to Bristol…read morefor a weekend of eating, drinking and wishing we owned a boat. Many of my friends come down specifically for this weekend, usually around the end of July, beginning of August. All the boats in the harbour tart themselves up with bunting and the like and there are plenty of food stalls where you can buy everything from candy floss to wheels of cheese! There are plenty of market type stalls if shopping is your thing and all the bars and pubs around the waterfront are jam-packed with people making the most of drinks promotions and the outside seating. A fantastic weekend of entertainment, and it's all for free! Last year I spent it drinking cider and watching VV Brown play on the main stage in a packed Lloyds Amphitheatre and can't wait to do the same this year.

Once upon a time this was a small local festival taking place every now and again out back at a…read morepub. Now it's one of the largest folk music festivals in the United Kingdom. It takes place during summer every year, at the beginning of the summer holidays, and is a very family friendly event. This is the ideal festival for those with young children and an aversion to massive crowds, the like you find at Glastonbury. There are many regulars who return year after year, and the festival is becoming ever more popular year after year too. This was the festival that I was taken to as a child. I could probably draw you a map of it down to the last blade of grass. With live music, dancing and a wonderful variety of stalls, this festival can be a little bit of an unforgettable experience. This year the festival takes place from the 22nd-25th of July, and includes acts such as Show of Hands, Bellowhead and many, many others. Quickly, book now!

THIS FESTIVAL IS AMAZING! i worked at green man last year, it was the best week of 2010 hands down…read more Green man started in 2009 so it was quite a small festival compared to the larger more commercial ones out there. Firstly the location! camping in a valley. You can't beat waking up in the morning, stepping out side your tent to be greeted by rolling welsh hills. Secondly, the wide variety of activities, not just music. My favourite tent in particular was the "comedy and literature' tent. Due to working at the festival, not only did i get a free ticket, but also had the privilege of staff showers and toilets. Meaning no queues, hot showers and reasonably clean toilets. Also received a very yummy free meal before each shift. The only downside was having to wake up for work at 6 in the morning. But it was so worth it. The band line up was full of new exciting musicians such as beirut, laura marling, tallest man on earth, mumford and sons, wild beasts and darwin deez. Then the classics such a the flaming lips. there's so much more to fit in but i just don't have time to recall it all!

Fantastic event, the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is by far the best day out of the year in…read moreBristol (One of my top 5 events in the world) They have night glows on the Thursday and Saturday witch is superb. I highly recommend that this be on your to do list.

The Bristol Balloon Fiesta is one the major world events in the ballooning calendar. Each summer…read morethe skies of Bristol are dotted with balloons as people come to celebrate being able to float around without any motor propelling you. A little commercialised, this event is not quite as quaint as one would imagine. It is magical to watch the ballons getting heated up (I'm sure that's not the technical term) and into the air, though. Go there in the evening when the 'Night Glows' will be taking place for the best experience. It's a pretty big event and this year the roads were jammed around Ashton Court, where it's held. I recommend trying to park in nearby Clifton and walking over the Suspension bridge if you must drive at all (check that the bridge is open). Don't worry too much if you can't make at all, the sight of balloons sailing through the sky can be seen from all over Bristol and is an event enough itself.

These zuperb zider zessions are held every three or four months or so in the huge shed down by…read moreTemple Meads. I went to the last one and it was extremely busy; indeed, I recommend getting a ticket in advance as it was sold out. Basically, you pay around £7 which gets you entry, then you have to buy tokens which you can exchange for halves of cider. It's not incredibly cheap (around £2 a half), but then again some of the more 'agricultural' choices are well over 7%! There's a also a hog roast which went down well with the 'apple sauce' we were enjoying. It's all very laidback; there's little seating but most people just sat in groups on the floor, and you're given a card to score each of your choices which led to much banter with other punters at the bars. If this sounds like your idea of heaven, check their website as they also hold an identical event in Bath.

2015's Cider & sausages festival had over 40 varieties of ciders & perrys as well as 10+ meat…read moresausages, and 3 veg sausages. Trinity Centre is a really laid-back and intimate environment, you can sit around the round tables with your friends and enjoy the music or go outside into the community garden for a complete different experience. Its 3p per token, one token per pint (or half token per half pint) or hot dog. The drinks are def more worth it than the sausages I must say, the sausages werent even the length of the bread. The music ranged from folk to line dancing to classic rock. It really got too loud by late afternoon and we had to shout to just talk. Overall a great community event!

Hay-on-Wye is one of my favourite places to go even when there's no festival gracing us with its…read morepresence. A small village tucked away in the rolling Welsh countryside, filled to the brim with bookshops of all descriptions and twinned with Timbuktu; this is a unique find. But once a year this little town becomes even fuller with excitement and literature. The Hay Festival of Literature and Arts is a mecca for anyone with a love of words and the secrets that can be entangled within them. With writers from all walks, such as Jasper Fforde, Salman Rushdi, Bill Bryson, Martina Cole and Quentin Blake, there really is something for everyone. Each performance, discussion or lecture is individually priced, from £4-£10, and intensive three day courses for £375. This is a week-long festival with an incredibly large selection of activities to take part in. It may well be hard to choose where to go and who to see, but that's about the only problem you'll have should you come to this festival.

Hay literature/literary/book festival (delete as appropriate according to your level of comfort…read morewith intellectualism) is an annual, original, event in a small Welsh town on the edge of the Black Mountains. Set in neatly organised marquees in fields outside the town, it's a big-time publishing love-in, that attracts anorak-wearing book worms, country types called Georgie or Bubbles, earth-mother families and the odd American ex-president. This years event was good for me. I avoided fiction and focussed on behavioural economics, natural capital, craftsmanship and graphic novels. Where can you hear such a varied roster of genres? I came away with ideas for my own work, pleasure and purpose. Just one day at this event will inspire, or do as many more indulgent readers do, and camp out nearby each year with those relatives you don't really like, but are ideally placed for a yearly Maytime visit. I love looking around and seeing a sea of readers, sat in deck chairs, ignoring their friends and just reading. From real, hard bound, books. It's a small, well organised festival with activities and facilities for all, and affordable. If you're a publishing nerd, it's nirvana.

Well, the number of festivals in Bristol is definitely mounting up!…read more This year on July 17th, at Bristol Zoo, you can be part of the extravagance that is Boogie for Bristol. A jolly mix of music, theatre, circus acts and cabaret performers it certainly promises to be a busy day. What's quite nice is most of the entertainment in Bristol based, and there's a fantastic atmosphere (dependent on the weather!). Advance Tickets are £11.50 per adult or £7.50 for little ones, but that does include general entry into the zoo. Ticket proceeds go towards funding a special frog breeding zone!

This is a lovely day out. I've been twice and both years been blessed with fantastic weather. The…read morefirst time I came I actually spend most of the festival looking at the animals, it was lovely to come back and have a picnic and a drink on the lawn. The bands in the evening were excellent. During the day the festival is definitely geared towards the little ones, its a great day out for the family, with cabaret performances and acts for the kids as well as some good bands. If you haven't been to Bristol Zoo before, this is a great day to do it as the ticket entry pays for your entry to the festival and the zoo itself.