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3 events,
Spike Island presents a major solo exhibition of new work by Phillip Lai (b.1969, Kuala Lumpur), bringing together a body of sculptural commissions that continue the artist’s exploration of the material world around us. This will be the most significant institutional presentation of Lai’s work to date. Lai’s sculptures combine everyday objects with his own… Continue Reading RAIN/RUIN by Phillip Lai 
In this series of minimalist oil pastel drawings, curated by Rainmaker Gallery, Jason Wesaw reflects on reconnection, resilience and the healing power of return. Through subtly textured surface and carefully chosen colour, these meditative works unfold with quiet intensity. Jason Wesaw is a multi-disciplinary artist, educator, and peacemaker. He is an enrolled member of the… Continue Reading Returning by Jason Wesaw 
Rooted in West African cultural heritage, CRAZE WORLD uses symbols, figures and patterns to confront social issues such as racism, police brutality and censorship. The work in this collection reflects the belief that art plays a vital role in shaping public thought. It provides an opportunity for viewers to encounter these visual narratives and consider… Continue Reading CRAZE WORLD by BÓLÁRINWÁ |
6 events,
Diaspora Island gathers Bristol-based artists with roots across the world, weaving together perspectives on the human condition and the shifting meaning of home. Moving between folk tales, dance, and acts of resistance, the exhibition traces how memory, culture, and activism intertwine to shape identity across borders. Curated by Emma Allen. Woven Narratives and Batik Flag… Continue Reading Voices of the Diaspora
Free
This hugely popular annual event gives you access to explore the studios, see works-in-progress, learn about different creative processes, and buy unique work directly from the artists. The family-friendly programme includes events, performances and workshops for you to test your own creative skills and experience artists’ ideas first-hand. In Spike Island’s galleries, discover major exhibitions… Continue Reading Spike Island Open Studios
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Explore safety, support and grounding within your mind and body in this workshop embodying the earth element through creative visualisation. Over 2 hours, you’ll be guided through embodied movement, meditation, pastel creation and reflective journaling, and take home your own canvas picture. No experience needed. Tea, mats and materials provided. Book your tickets here. Facilitated… Continue Reading Meditate & Create
£38
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9 events,
Come and explore the work of the Diverse Artists Network, the Bristol-based development agency behind the DIASPORA! festival, through this exciting exhibition: Out of Many. Founded in 2020 by Deasy Bamford and Vandna Mehta, DAN acts as a bridge between artists, venues and audiences across the South West. Experience this vibrant collection from talented regional… Continue Reading Out of Many: The Diverse Artists Network Exhibition
Free
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Join Circomedia in Portland Square this Early May Bank Holiday weekend for a fantastic, diaspora-led day of free, family friendly activities. No need to book, just turn up. The Circomedia team will be filling the square outside their St. Paul’s Church venue with joy and creativity. From participatory circus and performance workshops and shows, to… Continue Reading Circus in St Pauls
Free
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Join musician Alphonse Daudet Touna for a steel pan workshop exploring African Caribbean melodies and rhythms. By the end of the session, participants will come together to play a short tune as an ensemble. No experience needed, just turn up. This event is part of Jam on the Horizon, 15 hours of music from around the… Continue Reading Steel & Beats
£3 – £15
An eclectic DJ set, mixing genres from the Caribbean, UK, South Africa and Brazil. No need to book, just turn up. About Azumei Azumei is a Bristol-based DJ and producer, and co-founder of the women-led label Bad B!tch Dubz. Following a debut UK tour and appearances at Glastonbury and Love Saves the Day, she’s firmly… Continue Reading Azumei DJ Set
Free
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8 events,
Amadou Diagne has centuries of West African Music at his fingertips. A former member of The National Orchestra of Senegal, Amadou rose to become one of the top West African Stars and a busy musician on the vibrant Dakar music scene. This event is part of Bristol Folk Bristol at St George’s Bristol. Get your… Continue Reading Bristol Folk Festival: Amadou Diagne
£19 – £37
Vulva Voce re-write the ‘string quartet’ as we know it. Taking influence from folk, jazz, classical, techno and funk, they create original music which honours women’s stories throughout history A must-watch collective, alongside their string instruments, Vulva Voce use singing, movement and anecdotes to connect with audiences. The result is a genre-defying, universally appealing live… Continue Reading Bristol Folk Festival: Vulva Voce |
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9 events,
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Come dance and draw with dancers with Sachin and Anna. This session is a special for DIASPORA!, offering festival-goers the chance to dance and draw live performers in a collaborative setting. Anna, from South West Dance Theatre, will lead dance activities based in ballet, commercial, and contemporary styles to help participants explore the qualities of… Continue Reading Dancing & Drawing with Sachin & Anna
£3 – £15
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‘What we cannot imagine cannot come into being’ – bell hooks Join mental health and performance charity Many Minds for an interactive and inclusive workshop inviting you to dream with others, of the future we are longing for in a collective act of imagination, care and resistance. Centring people’s experience of culture and identity, we’ll… Continue Reading Collective Dreaming for the Future with Many Minds
Free
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Makaani Arts is a new collective aiming to champion and showcase music and cultural crafts from the Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) diaspora, spanning from Morocco to Pakistan. Makaani means ‘my place’ in Arabic. Or, ‘I belong here’. Makaani Arts are inviting performers and practitioners with shared regional heritage to celebrate their art. Bridging cultures… Continue Reading Makaani Arts Hosts: Spirit of SWANA
Free
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Formed in 2025 by singer-songwriter Yiran Liu, Hazed Date is a Bristol-based five-piece emerging from the city’s vibrant Queer POC community. Their sound is a compelling blend of heavy, distorted textures and delicate indie-rock lyricism, exploring themes of sapphic yearning and the search for sanctuary. ABOUT YIRAN As a first-generation immigrant and queer woman, Yiran… Continue Reading Hazed Date
Free
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6 events,
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Hosted by film blogger and critic Oreoluwa Ige (Binge God), this session features a selection of films from Inaz Hussain (Belong), Louise Ndibwirende (Rice at Home) and Jessica Olivia Neill (Green Hills). Each work explores themes of identity, home and belonging, and what that means to people with a history of migration. After the screenings,… Continue Reading DIASPORA! on Screen
£9 – £11.50
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Colonial history has wiped many stories off the map. In this one-woman show, Inez Aponte follows a fragile thread back in time to meet the mothers, grandmothers and great grandmothers that carried her family to safety and freedom. Mixing tales from Surinam’s oral tradition with family history, she explores themes of home, rootedness and belonging.… Continue Reading Un|Earthed – Of Mothers, Grandmothers & Freedom |
7 events,
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Drawing from an expansive palette of R&B, neo soul, contemporary jazz and poetic songwriting, British-Nigerian award-winning singer-songwriter and musician Ego Ella May is creating music that resonates deeply across generations and cultures. Her work is united by her profound reverence for jazz – for Ego, it’s ‘the root of it all’ – and a fearless… Continue Reading Ego Ella May
£18
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Priscilla Andersohn is a singer/ songwriter rooted in the London/ Bristol scene. She crafts atmospheric alternative pop built on live instrumentation and emotional depth. Performing with bass, guitar and percussion, her music unfolds slowly and expansively, blending rhythm and texture into an immersive live experience. Priscilla’s sound is moody, spacious and quietly powerful, drawing audiences… Continue Reading Priscilla Andersohn
Free
A genre-spanning set to keep you moving and grooving with our very own Giulia with a G. Expect percussive and melodic house and techno from around the world and everything in between. No need to book, just turn up. ABOUT GIULIA Born of Italian and Romanian heritage and raised across Europe and the US, Giulia… Continue Reading Giulia with a G
Free
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8 events,
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Join us for an afternoon of conversation, short film and live music exploring the Kurdish situation in the Middle East. Led by artist Taban Yasin and friends, this is a free, informal drop-in session. Featured image: Levi Meir Clancy. ABOUT TABAN Taban Yasin is an actress, writer, filmmaker and dancer who began her artistic career… Continue Reading Kurdish Diaspora: Talks, Film & Music
Free
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Be transported BAC in Time on Friday 8 May 2026 – VE Day with a community show performed underneath Concorde. Local Learning are keeping their tradition alive of telling true stories of people who have lived, worked, and grown up in Filton, Patchway and Southmead that are then woven into a theatre show and performed… Continue Reading Meadows to Meaders 6: BAC in Time Theatre show
£2 – £4
Eclectic DJ set, mixing genres from the Carribbean, UK, South Africa and Brazil. No need to book just turn up. Age: 18+ Venue: The Plough, BS5 0EG For accessibility information, contact the venue. About Azumei Azumei is a Bristol-based DJ and producer, and co-founder of the women-led label Bad B!tch Dubz. Following a debut UK… Continue Reading Azumei DJ Set
Free
Beat Cleaver the alien improvisation virtuoso – utilising beatboxing, freestyle rap & live looping/ production to create instant classics in mere seconds from your suggestions. Spanning styles like hip hop & reggae all the way to drum n bass & hard tek. Exploring diverse themes of fantasy, comedy, mental health, activism & community. You never… Continue Reading Beat Cleaver & Friends + DJ Rubba Riddims
Free
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8 events,
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Across Bristol, Global Majority communities are already engaging in environmental work in many different ways – through community organising, food growing, cultural practice, land stewardship, wellbeing and care. However, much of this work remains unseen, disconnected and largely excluded from how climate action is shaped in the city. This gathering creates a space to bring… Continue Reading Global Majority Environment Gathering
Free
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CROWN/تاج is the UK’s first touring production combining classical Persian dance, contemporary dance and Sufi whirling to tell a story of displacement, identity and body sovereignty to an original soundtrack of live music and electronica. Maria Tarokh directs this female-led production, featuring brilliant contemporary and classical dancers and virtuoso classical Persian musicians. Watch the trailer… Continue Reading Company SHE Presents: CROWN/تاج
£13 – £15
DIASPORA! is thrilled to welcome WINK to the Canteen for their second festival session. Expect sexy basslines, waist whiners and all-round gorgeous energy. All free, no need to book – just turn up. WINK is a FLINTA DJ collective born in Bristol, dedicated to celebrating bass music in all its forms across the UK and… Continue Reading WINK Collective DJ Set
Free
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9 events,
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This annual free music and arts festival celebrates 50 years of music at Trinity, bringing together a mix of local artists, bands and performers for a day of live music, creativity and community spirit. As always, the Garden Party is family-friendly, with workshops and activities running throughout the day, so everyone can get involved. DIASPORA!… Continue Reading Trinity Garden Party: 50 Years of Music
Free
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Join us for a warm and welcoming gathering, with music, tea, and cakes, where you can connect with others, get creative, and take part in something meaningful that celebrates creativity, diversity, and community spirit. Whether you’re part of a community group, attending on your own, or coming with friends or family, everyone is invited to… Continue Reading Afri Club X DIASPORA! Gathering + Community Flag Making Workshop
Free
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Join us for a film and food night at The Pearl Exchange in Bude, marking the beginning of Mental Health Awareness Week. This event brings the community together to connect, celebrate diverse and inclusive spaces, and support positive mental health. Guests will share a Palestinian-inspired meal before watching Palestine Comedy Club, a 2025 documentary following… Continue Reading Film & Food Night: Palestine Comedy Club @ The Pearl Exchange, Bude
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Dur-Dur Band International revive the joyful, groove-driven sound of the legendary Somali group who helped define East Africa’s funk scene in the 1980s. Formed by original members including bassist Abdillahi Ujerry and featuring vocalist Fadumina Hilowle, the London-based eight-piece celebrates the vibrant legacy of Somali funk with a repertoire of classic hits and new arrangements.… Continue Reading Dur-Dur Band International @ Bristol Beacon
£28
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Head to the Bristol Beacon for the final event of DIASPORA! 26, as Soul/ R&B artist Geo Baddoo opens for Dur-Dur Band International. Book your tickets here. Age: 14+ (under 18s must be accompanied by an adult) ABOUT GEO Geo Baddoo is a Somerset-raised, London-based Soul/ R&B artist. Through soft, expressive vocals, organic grooves and… Continue Reading Geo Baddoo @ Bristol Beacon
£28
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