Bristol Beacon opening weekend plans revealed

Plans for the reopening weekend of music and performance venue Bristol Beacon have been revealed - five years after it closed.

The work will be celebrated with a free 'housewarming' party and include a live orchestra performance.

Formerly known as Colston Hall, the venue has been shut since 2018, but will now open its doors on Thursday 30 November this year.

It follows a refurbishment costing more than £130m, almost three times Bristol City Council's original estimate.

The venue opened in 1867 and is owned by Bristol City Council and run by Bristol Music Charity.

The renovations will see the Victorian concert hall transform into a space that aims to be one of the most accessible venues in Europe. It will have three performance spaces as well as a brand-new restaurant available to the public.

Plans include a newly commissioned piece featuring some of the city's leading artists. This will feature the globally renowned orchestral innovators Paraorchestra, electronic artist Surgeons Girl, Charles Hazelwood and light artists Limbic Cinema, who have collaborated on a sound and light show.

Paraorchestra, who are also heading to Glastonbury this year, create large-scale music experiences with an ensemble of professional disabled and non-disabled musicians.

They are working with Surgeons Girl and responding composer Oliver Vibrans to create an evolving work illuminated by audio-visual experts Limbic Cinema. The piece is set to deliver a multi-sensory experience that will light up Beacon Hall for the first time.

Bristol Beacon's relaunch weekend will also see the venue open its doors for 'The Housewarming', an all-day free party across the entire venue on Saturday, 2 December.

It will feature communities, artists and talent gathered from right across the city through an open call.

The weekend is rounded off by 'Bristol Beacon Presents' performance from Penguin Cafe on Sunday 3 December, Arthur Jeffes’ collective.