Mafia Weekend CIC is back with the fifth edition of this interactive experience, which has sold out every year. The themes for this Story Gathering will revolve around local river restoration, human separation from the natural world, and local organic food growing.

The Story Gathering is an interactive workshop where participants can experience “switching it up” as characters or citizens within this story. Join and immerse yourself in this narrative, supported by professional storytellers, musicians, and artists who will guide the day.

To participate, bring yourself as you are with courage, playfulness, and a willingness to try something new.

Activities include:
-chilled, no-pressure group singing (can feel a bit awkward at the start, but ends feeling awesome)
-interactive stories from world-class storytellers
-live music
-choice between creative writing & printmaking workshops
-talks from people doing good things in Bristol
-a fun & accessible ceremony to celebrate nature & the start of autumn
-guided group discussion
-silly games
-accessible breathwork & stretching

Lunch:
Your ticket includes a hearty hot vegan lunch. The vegetables are sourced from local organic Bristol food producers (Sims Hill Shared Harvest), and the meal will be prepared by a professional chef. The meal will be gluten-, dairy-, and nut-free. Please email here. 

Attendance from the start is essential. Latecomers arriving after 15 minutes will not be admitted (it’s like going to the theatre). Please make evening plans from 5pm so that everyone starts and ends the workshop together.

Lullabies is a project by Associate Artist Roxana Vilk, connecting people around the world through lullabies.

Inspired by singing traditional Iranian lullabies to her children at night, Roxana wondered how many other families where singing lullabies in the many languages spoken across Bristol. In 2018, Roxana began to collect lullabies with local families, during her IGNiTE residency at Trinity.

In 2020, the project was selected to be part of the Nationwide Here & Now project, celebrating 25 years of The National Lottery. Roxana continues to collect, record, and share lullabies from around the world, using them to find common ground between different communities and cultures.

You can take part in the project and be part of an online exhibition sharing Lullabies from across the world.  Submit yours online here.

Join an unforgettable evening of passion and rhythm at the Flamenco Dance Show 'RAÍCES' ("ROOTS") presented by the internationally acclaimed prized winner flamenco dancer from Madrid, Rebeca Ortega accompanied by UK leading flamenco guitarist and composer from Granada, Ramón Ruiz, established star flamenco singer from Cádiz, Natalia Marín, London rising percussionist, Sebastian Ruiz.

Get ready to be mesmerized by the fiery footwork and soul-stirring music that will transport you to the heart of Spain.

Local children took part in What I Want To Be, What I Want to See in April 2021

In 2021 we asked the people of Bristol to tell us their hopes and dreams for the future as part of our ambitious community arts project, What I Want To Be, What I Want To See.

Trinity collected over 70 responses that ranged from a community mural, celebrating heroes, a daily protest, listening posts of voices we should listen to - young & old, a playlist for Newtown, a silent disco, a place for tea and cake, a zine to remind us ‘how to be nice’ and a day of art and dolphins.

In Autumn 2021 we sent an open call for an artist, collective or company to creatively respond to these. The successful project The Wish List by artist Michelle Roche was selected by Trinity’s programming forum. The forum, are made up of local residents, Trinity Members and regular groups and classes, chose Michelle’s project as it connected with the local community in a fun and playful way.

Working with grassroots organisation, Newtown Network, The Wish List will make the hopes and dreams, collected during the call out, a reality by co-creating creative happenings with local communities this December and January.

Newtown Coffee Mornings Throughout December local residents joined artist Michelle Roche for a cup of tea coffee and cake and creative activities.

Catch sight of The Newtown Dolphin Parade

In January keep an eye out through the curtains and look for the Dolphin Lantern parade that will take place in the streets on Newtown.

Get involved:

If you would like some further information on the project contact Stefan Boakye on stefan@trinitybristol.org.uk

Trinity is proud to present Echo, an international cross-city celebration of sound, creativity and community. Developed in partnership with Le Rocher de Palmer (Bordeaux), and Twin Cities Fest, Echo marks a remarkable 79-year relationship between the two officially twinned cities, bringing together grassroots artists, cultural practitioners and local communities through a free one-day festival at Trinity on 30 May.

This first chapter of Echo takes place in Bristol, with the celebration continuing in France as the programme travels to Le Rocher de Palmer on 19 September for the second half of this unique cultural exchange.

Audiences at Trinity can expect a day of music performances, food, and refreshments available from local vendors and community engagement for all ages as Bristol’s grassroots talent meets exciting artists from Bordeaux. With Trinity Garden‑party vibes, Echo offers a feel‑good day out for the whole family.

Line-up:

• Binbag Wisdom

• DJ Koyla (Bordeaux)

• Josephine Gyasi

• MĀDŁY

• Okali (Bordeaux)

• T L K

Alongside the main programme, pupils from Hannah More Primary School, St Nicholas of Tolentine Primary School, Evergreen Primary Academy and Easton CE Academy have been taking part in after‑school sessions led by artist Laura Clifford, the CEO of Colourful Minds. Using recycled materials, each KS2 group created detailed skyline artworks combining iconic landmarks from both Bristol and Bordeaux. These collaborative pieces will be displayed at Trinity during the festival, inviting children, families and the wider community to celebrate their work.

Bristol City Council  visited each participating school to deliver assemblies and staff sessions, introducing an accompanying classroom activity pack.

“We were approached by Bristol City Council’s International Twinning Manager, to introduce the team to the local primary schools we work closely with through the PHF‑funded Cultural Alliance Programme. Our strong relationships with these schools have enabled us to support them with creative projects and to strengthen communication and delivery.” - Sarah Franke, Children's Programme Manager, Trinity Community Arts

The festival is free to attend, with a suggested £3 donation per person on the door to help Trinity continue delivering inclusive, community‑focused events.

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“We were approached by Bristol City Council’s International Twinning Manager, to introduce the team to the local primary schools we work closely with through the PHF‑funded Cultural Alliance Programme. Our strong relationships with these schools have enabled us to support them with creative projects and to strengthen communication and delivery.” - Sarah Franke, Children's Programme Manager, Trinity Community Arts

The festival is free to attend, with a suggested £3 donation per person on the door to help Trinity continue delivering inclusive, community‑focused events.

Listing Information

Echo Festival at Trinity 
Date: 30 May 
Location: Trinity Centre, Bristol 
Admission: Free (suggested £3 donation)

About Trinity Presents – Celebrating 50 Years of Music

Echo forms part of Trinity Presents, our in‑house programme spotlighting outstanding artists and fresh new voices, rooted in the communities at the heart of the city.

About Le Rocher de Palmer

Le Rocher de Palmer is a contemporary music venue (SMAC) in the Bordeaux metropolitan area. The 6700m2 venue includes 3 concert halls, a documentary resource centre on world music, a digital studio, a coworking space, a cultural business incubator, and a digital museum with the Micro-Folie label.

https://billetterie.lerocherdepalmer.fr/

About Twin Cities Fest

Through its programme, Twin Cities Fest aims to celebrates the unique cultural identity of each city - spotlighting its music, food, art and wider creative communities. It provides emerging artists with opportunities to perform for international audiences, while building lasting connections with artists and venues in partner cities

In Autumn 2024 we celebrated the rich creativity in Old Market through a programme of free creative happenings throughout the inner city suburb.

Amplifying the wide-ranging grassroots musicians in Bristol we took over shops and restaurants transforming them into pop-up DIY music venues hosting the likes of d Young Echo, TLK, EJ:AKIN and Rider Shafique and Sarahsson.

Audiences also explored Old Markets history through a promenade performance devised by writer Edson Burton and artist Tom Marshman. The performance uncovered the hidden stories of residents from Old Market’s past as well as exploring the sites and sounds of the area.

In addition to celebrating the rich cultural offerings in Old Market the programme of work intended to help encourage new audiences to Old Market – an often overlooked suburb of Bristol. Over 90% of audiences who came along to one of the free events shared that they were visiting the area specifically for the show or performance – and 55% shared that having come along to an event meant they were more likely to visit Old Market in the future.

In total over 700 audience members attended one or more of the events as part of Destination Old Market. As part of the programme we created paid opportunities for 48 musicians, 5 actors and 15 creative practitioners.

About Destination Old Market

Destination Old Market is produced by Trinity Community Arts and is part of the City Centre and High Streets Culture and Events Programme, funded by Bristol City Council and the West of England Combined Authority. The initiative aims to attract more visitors to the City Centre, boosting local businesses and the economy.

Spilt Ink developed Home at Trinity in collaboration with local school children

Spilt Ink Theatre, a trio of performers who specialise in movement, clowning and puppetry, created a new piece of work for children through a paid Trinity commission. The company worked in collaboration with a local school to develop a movement piece called 'Home’ - a piece that would celebrate the many cultural heritages of children in Bristol.

"My 4-year-old was totally engaged, repeating the keywords from the main character. She even wrote her own letter!"

Split Ink embedded themselves in the school. Many children felt anxious at first, having recently experienced disruption due to Lockdown restrictions however, through small group workshops, games and storytelling activities the children increased their confidence. As part of the journey children shared their own stories, many of whom had experienced the themes explored in Home, such as experiencing migration.

The final part of the development of the work saw the company inviting the children, their teachers and their families to Trinity to see a preview of the performance Summer 2021. As part of the post-show discussion the children shared their own insight into the themes of flight, home and belonging.

Having developed the seed of Home, Spilt Ink are now in the process of realising this into a full length children’s performance to be completed in collaboration with local school children and presented at Trinity in 2022.

Bristol Harbour Festival 2024 - Image Credit: Amy Fern

We were delighted to be welcomed back to programme the vibrant dance stage at this year's Bristol Harbour Festival - one of the biggest events in the city welcoming over 250,000 visitors across the weekend.

'This cocreated dance piece has been a wonderful creative project that brought dancers together from different backgrounds from across Bristol to create a unique, emotive piece' - Penny Marie, Dance Workshop Facilitator

Taking over the stage in Queens Square, we platformed a huge range of dance styles and traditions present in Bristol’s dance community; from Indian to Irish Dance, Voguing to Turkish Belly Dancing.

Some highlights from the weekend included Anna K, Bristol Ballroom Community, D-Wild Fitness and RSVP Drummers. We also platformed established resident dance groups based at The Trinity Centre, such as Gerry’s Attic, a dance group for older people who rehearse at Trinity every week.

In the lead-up to Bristol Harbour Festival, we commissioned Dance Facilitator, Penny Marie, to lead a series of participatory dance workshops in which attendees co-created a new dance piece to be performed at the festival. Across five workshops dancers of all abilities and backgrounds collectively devised a 15 minute dance piece entitled 'Our Light Within' that they performed on the Saturday of the festival.

Alongside this, HYPE Dance, who offer weekly street dance sessions at Trinity, hosted the Ultimate Dance Championships 2024 – a competition open to all dance styles for ages 12 and above. Winners of this competition showcased their dancing skills in front of the Harbour Festival audience and a panel of judges that included professional dancers Bethany Kyle, Tesleem Adeyemi and Candice Scott. Alongside this, HYPE brought performances from Lil Hype, Hype Dance and Hype Carnival Squad.

We wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who made the takeover at Bristol Harbour Festival 2024 such a success; from the facilitators, the talented dancers, the technical team behind-the-scenes, our partners Movema, Gerry’s Attic and HYPE Dance, and of course to everyone who came along to watch the performances and support dance in Bristol.

Programming the Dance Stage is one of the many ways we are creating pathways for communities to connect and celebrate together though culture. Click here to find out more.

“Some of my favourite times making music, sharing music has been in grassroots venues. Getting it really right, getting it really wrong, getting it all shades of in between and through that, learning so much about not only myself, but learning about the people around me, learning what a sense of community feels like.

Grassroots venues are essential and so much love to Trinity for what this space is going to be." - Grove

Trinity Community Arts has launched Art of the Possible, new pilot programme exploring how creativity can thrive inside Jacobs Wells Baths while the historic building continues to undergo restoration. The programme offers a rare chance to experience the site in its current transitional state, test creative ideas and imagine future uses for the space for both communities and artists. The series invites Bristol artists to respond to the building as it is now, capturing the energy, atmosphere and potential held in an unfinished space.

As part of this pilot programme, Trinity is releasing a series of short videos created on site with Bristol artists, including Grove and Muneera Pilgrim. The series will feature a broad mix of artistic disciplines - from spoken word and live music to dance and electronic music, with more contributors to be announced as the programme unfolds.

As Trinity Community Arts works to restore the Grade II listed bathhouse, Art of the Possible acts as a living research and development process.

Emma Harvey, CEO of Trinity Community Arts, said:

“The history of Jacobs Wells Baths is rooted in everyday people making that which seemed impossible into a reality. And we know artists are the best people at bringing our imaginations and dreams to life.” -Emma Harvey

These early responses demonstrate how different art forms can inhabit the building even as repair work continues, offering audiences a glimpse into how the Baths might operate as a creative hub once restoration is complete.

“Grassroots venues are not just important they are vital they are the life blood to what we do as artists, as communities. If we don’t have grassroots venues we don’t have venues.

In spaces that are grassroots you get to cultivate music, art, truth, create community and create change”- Muneera Pilgrim

Muneera Pilgrim by Khali Ackford Photography

A continuation of heritage learning and participation offer for residents, schools and community groups already involved in this phase of the project, will run alongside the artistic research and development programme, helping people connect with the building’s social history and understand the traditional skills involved in its conservation.

This work is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, made possible thanks to National Lottery players, and is part of Trinity’s wider programme to bring Jacobs Wells Baths back into everyday community use. The Art of the Possible pilot also complements active restoration funded by the Architectural Heritage Fund and other partners.

Trinity continues active fundraising to support the next stage of restoration, with the aim of safely reopening the building as soon as possible. Continued support from local people, funders and partners will determine how quickly the Baths can return to public use.

Art of the Possible marks an important moment in the journey to bring Jacobs Wells Baths back into everyday community use, offering a glimpse of its future potential while celebrating its past alongside this important renovation phase.

Trinity’s wider renovation and engagement programme is supported by a range of funders and partners including the National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to National Lottery players, The Nisbet Trust, John James Foundation, Society of Merchant Venturers, Historic England, Pilgrim Trust, Bristol City Council, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Centrica Energy and Trinity’s individual donors and sponsors.

Activism through the lens workshop, photo Khali Ackford

The "Art of Resistance" project, made possible with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund, documented and celebrated the human stories behind activist movements in Bristol. The project focused on the rich histories of five key activist movements from the last 100yrs: Women’s Equality, Workers Rights, Anti-Racism & Anti-Fascism, Counterculture & Reclaim the Environment. Through collecting oral histories and retaining mixed art forms (e.g. poetry, textiles, banners, music, photography) from protest movements we celebrated the rich heritage of Bristol, and its citizens, as a 'city of protest' to educate, inspire and retain this rich history for ours and future generations.

"What I noticed was by taking part in this project, people discovered that there are so many people battling injustices and fighting against social injustices and yet so often don’t see themselves as an activist." Miranda Rae, Facilitator 'Stories of Resistance'

The project, led by historian and writer Dr Edson Burton, programmed an array of activities, including interviews, workshops, performances, film screenings, and exhibitions - engaging over 3226 audience members across 45 events and activities.

As part of the project we created opportunities that enabled first-step engagement with heritage – providing space for people to explore their heritage and learn new skills in research 83 volunteers took part in 69 hours of training delivered by 11 professionals.

Events included 'The Final Frontier', a creative conference of artists and activists and commentators, we welcomed Soundsystem pioneers DJ Stryda, Lioness, Big D and Vibronics for a 'Desert Island Discs' style event in our outdoor venue. We curated three exhibitions' exploring protest through various artforms. 'Snapshots of Resistance' (online & in person) showcased a selection of photographs documenting women protestors & pioneering artists.

We preserved local testimonies of activism across generations through 'I Remember When'. During these sessions we collected memories and artefacts that contributed to our end of project exhibition, book publication and online archive. Participants included Laura Corballis, Deasy Bamford, Gill Haugh, Ros Beauhill, Lilieth Morrison and Colin Moody.

Oral histories collected as part of the project have been captured in the table book ‘Art & Activism Vol 1: A Portrait. Alongside this bringing the project to life, people can explore the stories further via our interactive Heritage Archive, where you can listen to oral testimonies, watch videos and explore photos and other items gathered during two years of the Art of Resistance project.

To find out more about the project read the Art of Resistance report here.

Photo credit Zack Henry

Photo credit Zack Henry

Photo credit Khali Ackford

Dr Edson Burton, curator of Art of Resistance, reflects on curating weekend of activity exploring creative and activism

The Final Frontier was a two-day festival, programmed as part of Art of Resistance, that celebrated the rich history of activism that has happened in Bristol. The festival, and the wider project, explored creative expression in relationship to political movements, ideologies and philosophies.

As the festival curator I have a conceptual oversight of the project and work closely with the wonderful team at Trinity to help build the relationships and coordinate the activities and also problem-solve the things that don’t go according to plan.

"...artefacts, they’re not just Benin Bronzes, they’re simple manifestations of a time"

Dr Edson Burton on 'Art of Resistance'

For the Final Frontier we wanted to curate a 'conference style' event to explore how creative outputs have been integral to particular protest movements. We invited contemporary artists and activists who use creativity as a form of protest to take part in Keynotes addresses, panel discussions and lead workshops. Guests included environmental activist Mikaela Loach, Bristol ‘artists and activists’ Doug Francis (Invisible Circus) Chris Chalkley (PRCS) and Michelle Curtis, plus comedian, programmer and tutor Angie Belcher (Aftermirth) whose recent calls for ‘comedy on prescription’ made headlines, and many, many more.

As part of the weekend, we curated a 'pop-up' mini exhibition that pulled together artworks that used different forms, textures and mediums that celebrated the different kinds of protest that have happened in Bristol. These drew upon the key themes of the wider project including workers' rights, anti-racism, anti-fascism, women’s equality and counter-culture (people breaking out of the mainstream, expressions of living that counter the societal norm). We picked those movements because what was key with a project like this is trying to look at a broader span of mass participation.

We were able to display pull-out banners from The Central Library that charted the history of the suffragette’s movement in Bristol alongside a number of placards from the Black Lives Matter March of 2020 that the Mshed had collected following the protests of 2020. These are simple wood and cardboard placards on posts - that’s the irony of artefacts, they’re not just Benin Bronzes, they’re simple manifestations of a time and when put together with other kinds of sources tell us about what we were thinking and the immediacy of what we were expressing.

People’s Republic of Stokes Croft has been a wonderful ally throughout the project, and it was through them we were introduced to Jamie Gillman who was the artist behind the Bristol Bear, that sat in the Bear Pit and was the herald of the City, the soul of the city. As it was so large, we were only able to display the head and arms!

We had some provocative work by Tamatha-Ann Harris, whose an artist who looks at women’s bodies, sexuality. There was some really evocative work there but I think at the same time for many of us who are looking at these issues it's celebratory rather than offensive.

Through Final Frontier, we’re really keen to, and what I hope we did, honour and acknowledge other communities, and other forms of protest that haven’t had mass participatory scope but nonetheless have been a critical part of activism in the last 20-30 years. We also want to celebrate and engage and honour the activism of movements that are to some extent outside of our chronology, hence we had the banners by Vince Laws hung from a wonderful rope structure that allowed us to display various kinds of disability rights banners charting the history of the disability movement and some of the awful, shocking cases of exclusion that have happened over the years.

Click here to watch a (very) quick tour of the Final Frontier 'pop-up' exhibition

About Art of Resistance

Art of Resistance is a two-year, National Heritage Lottery Funded project charting 100 years of protest in Bristol.

We’re reflecting on the energy and creativity shared at last week’s launch of Freedom 25: Poetic Placards & Billboards, Trinity’s contribution to the national Our Freedom: Then & Now programme led by Future Arts Centres. The project brings together 60 arts centres and libraries across the UK to mark 80 years since VE/VJ Day and explore what freedom means today.

Over the past four months, participants from across Bristol, including local residents, refugee and asylum-seeking communities, and Caribbean Elders, have taken part in creative writing sessions with Bristol City Poet, Sukina Noor, and Heritage Curator, Dr Edson Burton. These conversations and workshops uncovered personal reflections, memories and hopes, forming the foundation for a series of autumn printmaking sessions led by visual artist Sonja Burniston.

Their incredible work is on display in Trinity’s Graffiti Room November 2025 as part of a new exhibition of poetic placards and prints. Alongside this, a large-scale Billboard Art installation was unveiled last week in Old Market Community Garden, created in partnership with Build Hollywood and inspired directly by the words and ideas shared throughout the project.

Speaking after the celebration event, Jen, Trinity’s Arts Engagement Manager, said:

“Seeing participants find their voices reflected publicly was incredibly moving. This project has shown how creativity can build confidence, connection and a genuine sense of belonging.”

The launch brought together participants, artists, partners and supporters to mark the culmination of this collaborative journey and to celebrate Bristol’s rich tapestry of voices exploring what freedom means to our communities.

Artist Sonja reflected on her experience working with participants, saying:

"I think this project is really exciting and so important right now! It’s happening in art centres and libraries, places where people can come together to share and tell their stories. These gatherings help us feel connected and remind us that we’re not just shouting into the void or quietly holding onto our thoughts in a world that often seems a bit chaotic due to global politics."

Sonja continues:

"It’s comforting to realise there are others out there who share our beliefs and values. Without these spaces and moments to talk about what really matters, it can feel pretty lonely. I’ve found it really special to be with others who get it. We’re all allies in wanting freedom for each other, and it’s wonderful to advocate for that together!"

Please check out the Our Freedom film to experience these powerful reflections on freedom, identity and community.

Viki Browne during her residency at the University of Gloucester

I tend to work from what feels like the most difficult or sticky area of my thinking and whenever I’m like: ‘No, I’m not going there’, I’m like: ‘Oh, here we go! Viki Browne

Viki Browne is a performance artist who creates work about topics that are uncomfortable, risky or taboo.

As part of her 2018 IGNiTE artist residency, Viki focused on developing a new project Hyper Fem which considers whether the performance of femininity through drag can be as powerful, political or subversive when performed on a female identifying body.

The new piece was strongly inspired by some of her recent previous projects which involved wigs, Drag and performing as a "make up girl in a tiny dress".

Hyper Fem challenges restrictive gender norms dictated and commodified by the patriarchy.

How Viki describes her work:
“I thought: ‘I like that, I want that, I don’t know why it feels really naughty and forbidden. This is really difficult and feels very against my personal feminism. So I started making work about that. That’s what I’m bringing to IGNiTE – furthering my thinking about the performance of femininity and wether that can be a political and subversive performance, particularly if femininity is positioned on a female body”

Women Wise - photo credit Richard Worts

I have so far created work which has women’s mental health as its core theme.  This is such an important subject to me and I believe I can raise further awareness and add to the debate through the dance theatre Untold creates.

Vicki Hearne

Vicki Hearne is a the creative director of Untold Dance Theatre, an all female intergenerational company based in Bristol. Untold strive to create entertaining, emotive, visceral and accessible dance theatre for all audiences.

As one of four IGNiTE 2018 Artists in Residence, Wicki worked with experienced and novice female dancers with an age range spanning 23 to 72 to explore the variables, similarities and differences in how the idea of perfection manifests itself at different stages of ones life.

As part of her residency Vicki created a new piece (working title) Practically Perfect. The project focsued on the idea of perfectionism, the journey to strive for this unattainable goal and how this affects women in particular.

Alongside this, Vicki continued to develop her outreach project: The Confidence Project, delivering movement and arts workshops to women.

We really liked her desire to explore the idea of perfection in an intergenerational dance project.

IGNiTE resident Ania Varez describes her practice as 'community-engaging'

I want to give people in England a point of contact with a crisis that is largely undocumented in the UK. Ania Varez

Ania Varez is a Venezuelan artist who trained in classical dance and moved to Bristol in 2015 having graduated from the London Contemporary Dance School, before moved away from performing dance towards more participatory projects that explore issues of migration and loss.

We supported Ania during our 2018 IGNiTE Artists residency programme to develop her project Guayabo (Venezuelan slang for heartbreak). This was a participatory work that invited people to gather around their pain and the pain of others, challenging our ways of acting and caring for one another through geographical distance or cultural differences, as a medium of survival, transformation and belonging.

We really liked Ania's reasons for applying for an IGNiTE residency:

"The experience of leaving my home in the midst of a severe humanitarian crisis and facing the challenges of being an immigrant in the UK, as well as witnessing the current migration crisis worldwide, has strengthened my urgency to develop a practice for these issues to be addressed collectively and creatively, here in England."