Things to do in Bristol today and this weekend

Start in Clifton at the Clifton Suspension Bridge, then walk down to Brandon Hill and climb Cabot Tower. From there it is a short walk to the Wills Memorial Building at the top of Park Street; walk down Park Street to College Green and on to St Nicholas Market on Corn Street for lunch. Then go to the Floating Harbour: the Arnolfini on Narrow Quay, M Shed on Princes Wharf and, further west along the water, the SS Great Britain on Gas Ferry Road. In the evening, King Street is close to the harbour, with a show at Bristol Old Vic or the Old Duke's live jazz.

Go indoors: M Shed on the harbourside is free, the SS Great Britain sells tickets and is open Tuesday to Sunday, and St Nicholas Market is covered. The rainy-day page lists what is indoors, with what is on there next.

Walking or cycling over the Clifton Suspension Bridge costs nothing, and so do its visitor centre on the Leigh Woods side, Cabot Tower and M Shed. The Bristol Light Festival is free to see too, each February. The free page lists the events of the next 30 days that cost nothing.

Upfest, the street art festival held every other year in Bedminster and Southville, has no date for its next edition on its own page yet. Banksy's Grim Reaper, painted on the hull of the Thekla, is now in M Shed, and The Canteen in Stokes Croft has Banksy's Mild Mild West beside its outdoor space.

The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is on Friday 13 to Sunday 15 August 2027, according to the festival's own page. It ran from 7 to 9 August in 2026.

The year starts with the Slapstick Festival of silent film and comedy and the free Bristol Light Festival in February. In June and July come Bristol Pride and the Bristol Comedy Garden, then the Harbour Festival, and in August the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta. In September comes the Encounters Film Festival, and the Bristol Christmas Market arrives in November. The year page has the dates.

Stokes Croft for Lakota and The Canteen; King Street for the Old Duke's jazz and the Old Vic; the harbourside for the Thekla and the Louisiana; and St Philips for the Prospect Building. The going-out page lists each night of the week.

Bristol Beacon is the main concert hall; The Fleece and the Trinity Centre are the independent rooms; the Thekla is a gig and club venue on a ship; and St George's is the concert hall for classical music, jazz and folk. The page for this weekend lists the concerts and gigs by day.