Cirque Bijou Aliens
When: 18th – 20th July 2014
Where: Bristol Harbour
£: Free
What is it?
The Bristol Harbour Festival returns to occupy a two-mile stretch of the city’s historic harbourside from 18th to 20th July 2014. The festival boasts a mix of live music, dance, street theatre performance and circus displays.
Bristol’s rich maritime heritage will be celebrated by a visiting fleet of pleasure craft, working boats and beautiful tall ships. The festival will be a showcase of the city’s international reputation as a musical and arts powerhouse; showcasing over 100 local acts as well as bringing national stars to the city.
Pee Wee Ellis and Fred Wesley All Stars will headline the Friday night concert in Queen Square, where revellers will be able to grab a bite from the adjoining continental market or a Weston’s cider from its traditional cider bar. The New Art Club will open and compère the Dance Village Stage in Millennium Square, with all varieties of dance showcased throughout the weekend; including the humorous C12 Dance Theatre, a part dance, part ballet, part outdoor spectacle, telling a story of the trials and tribulations of five supermarket trolleys.
Visitors can amble between three different harbour side music stages, including the Bristol Plays Music bandstand which is organised and programmed by the city’s young people. Water activities include the Cardboard Boat Race.
The Black Eagles
The Hidden Gardens of Bristopia is an enchanted garden, built by a secretive community of climate change survivors. You are invited to join these green renegades as they open their doors to share their sustainable world for the first time. Décor plants, vines, flowers and leaves will be used everywhere to create a feeling of nature taking over. A permaculture garden will be the central focal point with décor and sculptures all made from recycled materials.
Fancy dress walkabouts and street theatre performers will roam the area, welcoming visitors and providing interactive entertainment. In one corner a small low-key stage, powered by solar power, will feature a range of semi acoustic acts, talks, stand-up comedy and cabaret performances from local acts. Around the garden edges will be stalls and displays on green energy as well as workshops on wood-turning, a free shop and bike powered children’s rides.
Cirque Bijou’s Circus and Street Theatre Stage will return transformed into Space Mountain, with a mélange of some of the funniest comedy antics, daredevil acrobatics, mesmerising aerial acts and the most surreal intergalactic randomness that has been seen in any universe. The action will be held on College Green on Saturday and Sunday between midday and 6pm.
For the first time ever, Cirque Bijou will be sending the rest of College Green to another planet with a beautiful area dedicated to children and young people. Children can put on a rocket pack and explore Rocket City, add a planet to the Pom-Pom galaxy, or enjoy market and food stalls.
More info: bristolharbourfestival.co.uk