About the City Centre and High Streets Culture and Events Programme, future events, ongoing events, and past events.
About the events programme
We're investing in the culture and events sector to:
- support Bristol's city centre and high streets, by increasing the number of people visiting and using these places
- support the culture and events sector
We organise activities under the City Centre and High Streets programme, funded by:
- Bristol City Council
- the West of England Combined Authority's Love our High Street project
City Centre Culture and Events Programme 2024
The City Centre Culture and Events Grant Scheme is part of the City Centre and High Streets Programme funded by:
- Bristol City Council
- West of England Combined Authorities Love our High Streets project
Between 2021 and 2023 the City Centre and High Streets Programme delivered a range of culture and events activities in four areas of the city centre.
We now have £170,000 to support three different areas of the city centre:
- Christmas Steps
- Old Market
- Stokes Croft
We're investing in the culture and events sector to:
- attract additional footfall to priority areas, supporting the city's economy
- advance equality, diversity and inclusion for all of Bristol's citizens
- support itself as a sector
- address environmental sustainability, climate and ecological emergency
This funding will be allocated to activity taking place between Summer 2024 and February 2025.
It is to be split in the following ways:
- City Centre: Large Culture and Events Grants
- City Centre: Small Culture and Events Grants
See information below for full details.
City Centre: Large Culture and Events Grants
We have allocated £120,000 to engage a cultural organisation in each of three city centre sites:
- Christmas Steps
- Old Market
- Stokes Croft
We're looking for one cultural organisation to act as a lead organisation in each location, to produce a highly localised culture and events project, which places collaboration and stakeholder engagement at its heart.
How to apply
To apply you should:
- read the pdf City Centre expression of interest guidance notes (459 KB) , which contain the full eligibility criteria
- download and complete the Expression of Interest Application Form:
- download and complete the document City Centre Equalities Monitoring Form (151 KB)
You can email questions to, business@bristol.gov.uk.
We'll add the questions we've received and answers to our Frequently Asked Questions document.
Deadline for questions
5pm, Wednesday 22 May 2024.
Deadline for applications
5pm, Thursday 30 May 2024.
Webinars
We'll be running two webinars to talk through the guidance.
- Webinar 1: Wednesday 15 May at 10am
- Webinar 2: Thursday 16 May at 2pm
To book a place on a webinar email business@bristol.gov.uk. We'll send you the link to join the webinar.
City Centre: Small Culture and Events Grants
We'll shortly be announcing a separate grant scheme to support independent businesses in each of the three city centre locations in diversifying their night-time offer.
These grants will be between £500 to £2000. The grants will allow businesses to test an idea to reach a wider or new audience, trialling something which can continue to be self-funded.
More information will be posted in the Business e-newsletter in July 2024. Sign up to the Business e-newsletter.
High Streets: Creative Practitioners Tender Brief
We would like to engage Creative Practitioners to work with the local community in three high street areas.
There are three commissions available and each one can be delivered by an individual, or by a collective or organisation.
Applications can be for one, two, or all three of the high streets.
Who we are looking for
We're looking for a creative practitioners in each of the following high streets with a particular specialism, as follows:
- Ashley Road / Grosvenor Road (BS1): local history/ heritage projects (with a focus on changemaking)
- Crow Lane (BS10): music performance and/or production
- Oatlands Avenue (BS14): visual arts and/or crafts
The role
The role will include developing and delivering creative participatory activities for local people, such as workshops.
It's intended that these activities will inform and determine what other culture and events local people would like to see on their high street, leading to further activities and events in the community.
It's essential that this role works alongside the wider community and local stakeholders to ensure activities reflect local interests and the character of the specific high street.
Activity should reach several different audiences in this process, including young people, families and older people, bringing inter-generational groups together.
How to apply
Read the pdf invitation to tender guidance notes (622 KB) .
The guidance notes contain the full eligibility criteria and information on how to submit your tender proposal.
If you can't access the information on the guidance notes, email business@bristol.gov.uk.
Deadline for applications
5pm, Monday 17 June 2024.
Webinars
We'll be running two webinars to talk through the guidance.
- Webinar 1: Thursday 30 May at 1pm
- Webinar 2: Tuesday 4 June at 1pm
To book a place on a webinar email business@bristol.gov.uk. We'll send you the link to join the webinar.
Information on the first phase of the City Centre and High Streets Culture and Events Programme
From October 2021 until October 2023, the first phase of the City Centre and High Streets Culture & Events Programme focussed on the city centre and nine priority high streets.
- Brislington Hill and Bristol Hill
- Church Road
- East Street Bedminster
- Filton Avenue
- Filwood Broadway
- Shirehampton High Street
- Stapleton Road
- Stockwood
- Two Mile Hill
Bristol City Council worked with Bristol-based organisations, with experience of working with the community to organise cultural activities and events.
Activities included: markets, community events and family fun days, public art installations, light and lantern parades, promenades and much more.