All below information is for the 2024 festival. The event guide for the 2025 festival will be released in early 2025.
Accompanying Bristol Light Festival this February is an event programme bursting with light, fun, and colour, giving you even more ways to enjoy the festival. We’ve joined forces with city centre businesses to bring you one-off events, special offers, and limited edition experiences to help you make the most of your visit.
Plan your adventure with our festival event guide below. Whether you’re exploring with friends, family, or colleagues, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
Plan your trip with our festival events
First Friday
2 February, 5-6pm at Pervasive Media Studio & Online
First Friday is a monthly social event open to anyone, located at Watershed‘s Pervasive Media Studio. February’s event coincides with the opening night of Bristol Light Festival where you can come along to see a selection of work from the studio resident community incorporating light in playful and unexpected ways.
Neon Kids Rave
2 February, 5-7pm at Bambalan
Brighten up your February with a neon rave for all the family! Celebrate Bristol being filled with light and colour and join our friends at Bambalan for a free non-stop rave party for both adults and little ones to boogie at Bam. Get dressed up in your brightest clothes and sequins and we’ll see you on the dance floor!
Saturday Art Club
3 February, 10.30-11.30am at The Bristol Loaf at Bristol Beacon
Join Colourful Minds for a special Bristol Light Festival edition of their monthly Saturday Art Club. Perfect for kids aged 4-11, come along to get creative and make a colourful stained glass window to celebrate the festival.
Run to the Lights with LHG Run Club
5 & 7 February, 6.30pm
Join LHG Run Club on a special 5k festival route, visiting all installations along the way to light your path. Starting at Left Handed Giant Brewpub, meet your run leaders and collect your glow wristband, then join in to explore the light installations in the city and watch the works come to life. Neon clothes and glow sticks encouraged!
Paint in the Dark
6-9 February, 6pm & 8.15pm at Steinbeck & Shaw
Let your imagination run wild with Paint in the Dark Bristol, a fluorescent neon-lit setting where you can create your own work of art in a unique and retro-futuristic atmosphere. With exceptional decor, immersive sound, and an explosion of fluorescent colours, learn different painting techniques in a unique and immersive setting.
Bristol Light Festival Official Guided Walking Tour
2, 3, 9 & 10 February, 5.30-6.45pm
Join us for an official walking tour of Bristol Light Festival, visiting each installation in the city for a unique and guided experience. Meeting outside the Royal Marriott Hotel on College Green, come along for an insider view of the festival and to discover more about the art installations and their artists.
Sickboy’s Optical Delusions Exhibition
2 – 11 February at Harvey Nichols
Immerse yourself in Sickboy’s Optical Delusions exhibition as the Harvey Nichols Second Floor Restaurant is transformed with lights, paintings, luminous light boxes and sculptural works.
Diners can view the exhibition during the restaurant’s opening hours whilst enjoying brunch, lunch, afternoon tea, or dinner. A bespoke Bristol Light Festival cocktail menu will also be available to enjoy. Non-diners can also view the exhibition.
Dining in the Dark
7 February, 7.30-9.30pm at The Lost & Found
Indulge your senses in a one-of-a-kind dining experience at a special edition of dining in the dark to celebrate Bristol Light Festival. Allow your taste buds to take centre stage with this unique tasting experience featuring a surprise three-course set menu and drink in complete darkness.
Filming Nature’s Wild Lights with BBC Studios
Thursday 8 February, 5.30-6.30pm at BBC Studios Bristol
Bristol Light Festival invites you to join the BBC Studios Natural History Unit as directors Tuppence Stone, Will Lawson, and camera operator Howard Bourne reveal the secrets behind capturing the world’s most impressive natural light phenomena.
Hear about the specialist filming techniques used to record the breath-taking Aurora, the tiny animal who makes the most efficient light on earth, and what it feels like to see the sun again after a long Antarctic winter.
Keep the fun going with exclusive offers just for you!
Free Fizz at The Granary
Book a table at The Granary, a vibrant new restaurant in the heart of the city, and receive a complimentary glass of fizz for everyone in your group when you dine from 2 – 11 February.
Try the Golden Delicious cocktail at The Granary Club
Nestled beneath The Granary is The Granary Club, a stylish underground den where you can sample their limited edition Bristol Light Festival cocktail. Golden Delicious is a decadent apple inspired gin sour, available exclusively from 2 – 11 February,
Enjoy 20% off food at Coal Kitchen Bristol
Enjoy 20% off your food bill when you dine out at Coal Kitchen Bristol from 2 – 11 February.
Try Vivid Beams, the limited edition Bristol Light Festival beer
Brewed exclusively by Left Handed Giant Brewing Co. for this year’s festival, swing by their Finzels Reach brewpub to sample the limited edition pale ale. Vivid Beams is delightfully refreshing and the perfect thirst quencher to enjoy after exploring the festival. Vivid Beams will be available to buy from:
- Left Handed Giant
- Small Bar, King Street
- Glass Boat, Welsh Back
- Bristol Harbour House
- 5 Acre Farm Shop, North St
- Old Bookshop, North St
- The Royal Navy Volunteer, King Street
- Colosseum, Redcliffe
Enjoy a free glass of wine at Côte Brasserie
Sit back, relax, and enjoy a free medium glass of wine (red, rosé, or white) when you buy any main course at Côte Brasserie, Quakers Friars. Bag yourself a window seat for the best views of ELYSIAN by Atelier Sisu. T&Cs apply. Ask in restaurant for more details.
Sample the exclusive drinks menu at Harvey Nichols
Enjoy a festival exclusive tipple when visiting the Harvey Nichols Second Floor Restaurant with their limited edition cocktail menu. Cocktail fans can choose from a punchy peach ‘Dancing in the Dark’, a fun and fruity ‘Luminescent’ or an absinthe and Aperol ‘Rising Sun’, with refreshing mocktails also on the menu. Available exclusively at Harvey Nichols restaurant and bar from 2 – 11 February during opening hours.
Enjoy a Vivid Beams beer and 2 light bites for just £10 at Harbour Hotel
Sample our festival beer, Vivid Beams at Harbour Hotel‘s restaurant and bar and make the most of their light festival deal. Enjoy 1 beer and 2 light bites for just £10! Choose from hummus, popcorn chicken, focaccia, or arancini, the perfect accompaniment to Left Handed Giant‘s mouthwatering pale ale.
Try The Flaming Zombie at Za Za Bazaar
Continue the excitement of Bristol’s bright lights with Za Za Bazaar‘s exclusive cocktail, The Flaming Zombie. Vibrant and expertly mixed, The Flaming Zombie is a limited edition cocktail for festival lovers who can enjoy 2 for £14 when they dine at Za Za Bazaar world banquet. Diners can enjoy over 200 dishes with vegan and vegetarian options available, plus children under 5 dine for free and children under 11 dine for half price.
Try the Pink Fjord cocktail at The Wellhead
Cosy up with a cocktail and try a Bristol Light Festival special at The Wellhead. Fans of a classic Gin & Tonic will love this limited edition Pink Fjord cocktail, encompassing aromatic, bittersweet, and fresh notes, available exclusively from 2 – 11 February.
Try the Good Idea cocktail at Watershed
Pop into Watershed to try their limited edition Bristol Light Festival cocktail. Good Idea is a tantalising pink sherbet creation to tickle your tastebuds, available exclusively from 2 – 11 February.
Get 10% off at Nutmeg Kitchen
Festival-goers can enjoy 10% off when indulging in Indian street food at Nutmeg Kitchen from 4 – 8 February, celebrating India’s vibrant street markets. To redeem the offer, simply add that you are attending Bristol Light Festival in the notes section when booking.
Enjoy 10% off at Bristol Folk House Café
From 2 – 11 February, enjoy 10% off when you grab a bite to eat in the cosy Bristol Folk House Café. With a menu that changes daily, choose from soups, mixed salad plates, homemade tarts, toasties, and more.
Try the Big Blue Sea Dog cocktail at 6'O Clock Gin
Climb aboard the 6’O Clock Gin Glassboat to sample their limited edition cocktail, the Big Blue Sea Dog, a refreshing citrus cocktail made with their aromatic Brunel gin. Available exclusively from 2 – 11 February.
Sample the Blue Light cocktail at Bocabar, Finzels Reach
Head on over to Bocabar in Finzels Reach for a Bristol Light Festival pick-me-up and sample their stunning citrus sensation ‘Blue Light’ from the February specials menu.