Diaspora! Festival

Bristol & the South West

Celebrating Cultural Diversity Through the Arts

What does diaspora mean?

A diaspora is a group of people who moved away from their original homeland and made a new home somewhere else. Diasporas can span over many generations and include the descendants of the people who first moved.

What is the DIASPORA! festival?

DIASPORA! is an arts festival for Bristol and the South West, which aims to showcase and better reflect the variety of talent within the region’s cultural communities.

Developed, produced, and presented by the Diverse Artists Network (DAN), and taking place this year for the very first time, the festival will platform artists from underrepresented cultural backgrounds. Meaning people from, largely, the diasporas of countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Central and South America. (Please note this is not a definitive list of underrepresented cultures or diasporas.)

Working in collaboration with a host of iconic venues, community initiatives, and well-loved institutions, DIASPORA! is set to be a vibrant celebration of people, music, film, poetry, dance, storytelling, and more!

Why is it happening?

16% of the South West population is made up of people from the global majority (as reported by Rising Arts Agency and Bristol City Council), but the region’s cultural output doesn’t reflect that. Building on six years of DAN’s artistic community development, DIASPORA! seeks to better reflect the region’s cultural diversity by showcasing and platforming artists from marginalised communities.

The ultimate aim of the festival is to create a more connected region through cultural exchanges, new artistic works, job opportunities and talent retention. In this way, DIASPORA! will help to redress the London-centric bent of the creative industries, and contribute to cultural capital by generating tourism. It will also support venues affected by Covid and the Cost of Living Crisis.

You can also:

Flag Up Your Identity 

If you’re feeling creative, why not take part in our Flag Up Your Identity project, by making a flag that represents who you are and where you come from? You can make a flag out of almost anything – old clothes and textiles, paper and card, even plastic bags!

Download our information pack for some how-to tips and inspiration. Or come along to a flag making workshop to make your flag in a group.

Enter our Poetry Competition

Please note, applications to participate in the poetry competition are now closed. 

Come to the Opening and Closing Ceremonies

The festival’s opening and closing ceremonies will be a vibrant celebration of all things DIASPORA! Expect dance, music, community, fire, and don’t forget to make and bring your flag! 

Contact our Festival Producer if you’d like to find out more. 

Volunteer

Get involved by signing up as a volunteer, to help with things like event organisation and promotion, stewarding, and community workshops.

Contact our Community Engagement and Volunteer Coordinator to find out more or follow this link to sign up.

Take part in Dances of Diaspora

Please note, applications to participate in Dances of Diaspora are now closed. 

Perform

Please note, applications to perform at DIASPORA! 2024 are now closed. 

2024

2026