3 min readBristol's cultural scene to take centre stage next summer in new Bristol Fringe
A major call-out has been launched for artists, cultural organisations and community groups to join a new Bristol Fringe linked to Bristol’s upcoming display of the British Art Show 10: A Chorus of Strangers (BAS10) in summer 2027.
The BAS10 exhibition will be hosted across four major creative institutions in Bristol: Arnolfini, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, RWA and Spike Island, collectively known as the BAS10 Bristol partners. Drawing visitors from across the UK and beyond, BAS10 creates the perfect opportunity for the city to show off its one-of-a-kind cultural scene in a new Bristol Fringe arts festival.
To create the Bristol Fringe 2027, the BAS10 Bristol partners are looking for independently organised and self-funded creative projects or cultural events taking place in Bristol during 19 June to 19 September 2027 when the exhibition will be on display.
These projects and events will be promoted through a city-wide marketing campaign carried out by the BAS10 Bristol partners and Visit West, including a Bristol Fringe website and a digital citywide events map.
To be considered for the Bristol Fringe 2027, your activity must:
- be organised by a contemporary arts organisations, artist-run spaces and projects, community organisations, independent curators, artists and arts organisers based in the South-West
- take place in Bristol
- happen between 19 June and 19 September 2027
- be independently organised and self-funded
- align with the aims and values of the Bristol Fringe Programme Policy.
Be part of the Bristol Fringe 2027 - Sign up here
In a joint statement, the BAS10 Bristol partners and Visit West, said: “The Bristol Fringe 2027 will act as a catalyst for creativity across the whole city, ensuring that people in every part of Bristol can connect with, make and experience art in a way that feels relevant to them.
“We know and love that there is so much creative activity constantly happening across the region and we want to use the spotlight on Bristol during British Art Show 10 to highlight all the cultural brilliance that makes the city buzz.
“Whether your Bristol Fringe 2027 submission is an art exhibition in a gallery, a film screening in a community centre, a creative workshop in a park, or something somewhere entirely unexpected and Bristol-coded, we want to hear from you.”
To enhance the Bristol Fringe 2027, there are two funding opportunities for local artists to create work in response to the themes of the BAS10. The work they create will become core parts of the main Bristol Fringe 2027 programme. The two funding opportunities are:
- Community Commission: to fund three locally-based artists to work with pre-chosen community partners.
- Artist Grant: to fund locally-based artists to deliver a new project or secure the final funding needed for a project already in development.
More information about the two different grants and the themes of BAS10 can be found on the BAS10 website.
To find out more about the Bristol Fringe 2027, visit the British Art Show 10 in Bristol website.
Send media enquiries for Bristol Fringe 2027 to the public relations at Bristol City Council on newsdesk@bristol.gov.uk.
