Bristol in pictures: Lanterns light up the gloom

In a picture taken from roof level, North Street in Bedminster in Bristol is crowded with spectators and participants in the annual winter lantern parade. At the front of the procession is a samba band all wearing white trousers and red tops, while behind them many different shaped illuminated lanterns are being carried. The picture is taken at night and shop and restaurant lights are visible along the side of the street

Saturday evening saw the return of the Bedminster Winter Lantern Parade

Steve Mellen
BBC News, Bristol

Christmas has past and there's plenty of winter yet to go. Thank goodness for the Bedminster Winter Lantern Parade, which has been lighting up the gloom for years now.

Thousands of people took part in the annual event on Saturday evening as the procession wound its way through the streets of BS3.

Elsewhere in the city, there's a bold new version of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night at Bristol Old Vic, two special anniversaries and a look back at a European win for the Bears.

Participants in the Bedminster Winter Lantern Parade walk down East Street. The photograph is taken at night and hundreds of people are visible, many of them carrying colourful, illuminated lanterns.

Got a light? The colourful, noisy wonder that is the Bedminster Winter Lantern Parade wound its way down North Street, Cannon Street and then - in a change to the traditional route - East Street on Saturday evening. Thousands of people took part in the parade, or watched from the roadside.

A group of performers stand on stage at the Bristol Old Vic, with one man standing out in front wearing an all-yellow suit. They are in the musical Play On, a show based on Shakespeare's 12th night. Behind the man at the front are dozens of performers mostly wearing blackEllie Kurttz

Jazz it up: The music of Duke Ellington is at the heart of Play On at Bristol Old Vic. The show, a jazz retelling of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, is set in New York's Cotton Club and is on until 25 January.

A large group of people dance inside Bristol underground venue Loco Klub. The internal walls are made of large dark brickwork and a female DJ is playing on a set of decks at the front of the crowdPlaster Communications

A decade of dance: Loco Klub, the underground venue at Temple Meads, announced this week it will be having a special 10-year anniversary event on Friday 7 February, including circus acts and live DJ sets.

Bristol Rovers player Ruel Sotiriou shouts as he looks to the sky after scoring the third goal in Rovers' 3-1 win over Barnsley at the Memorial Stadium. It is after dark and the blurry main stand can be seen in the backgroundBristol Rovers FC

Relief: Bristol Rovers' goalscorer Ruel Sotiriou lets it all out after netting the third against Barnsley as the Gas registered a much-needed 3-1 victory at the Memorial Stadium.

Hundreds of new cars are seen parked up in regimented lines at Portbury Dock in Bristol. The picture is taken from the air on a clear day and the Severn Estuary is visible in the background, as are large industrial buildings, some with steam or smoke coming out of themGetty Images

UK's biggest car park? Getty photographer Anna Barclay took this shot of a familiar sight to drivers on the M5 bridge over the River Avon - hundreds of imported new cars lined up at the Port of Bristol ready to be moved on to businesses around the country.

Two Bristol Bears rugby players, wearing the club's change kit of dark red with black flecks, salute each other as they celebrate a try scored against French club Benneton at Ashton GatePA Media

Bienvenue à Bristol: The Bears played host to French club Benetton on Sunday, racking up five tries in a 35-29 win in the Investec Champions Cup at Ashton Gate.

A man wearing a chef's white top stands holding a very sharp knife and looking at the camera while multiple pieces of steak are seen airborne in a picture taken using time delay technology. The man, who is a member of staff at the Ashville Steak House in Southville in Bristol, has a black and white beard and is wearing glassesThe Ashville

Meat the chef: Talking of anniversaries, Sandor Marton, who runs the Ashville Steakhouse in south Bristol, and his staff have been celebrating 10 years since taking over the business.

A woman called Jen Reid stands at a lectern with a microphone as she addresses an audience at Bristol Cathedral. She is wearing an all-black outfit including a black woolly hatUWE

The next generation: Work made by school pupils in lessons designed to help combat racism has gone on display at Bristol Cathedral.

The artwork was made by pupils from Hannah More school at Ashton Gate, Wallscourt Farm in Knowle Park and primary schools in Almondsbury.

Many of the lessons were linked to the toppling of the statue of Edward Colston during a Black Lives Matter protest. The event was launched with a talk from Jen Reid (above), a leading member of Bristol's anti-racist movement.

Members of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra perform on stage at the Bristol Beacon. The picture is taken from the back of the auditorium and the musicians, all dressed in black, are facing the audience and standingBristol Beacon

Back on stage: The first event of the New Year at the Bristol Beacon was a performance by the venue's regular performers the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, with conductor Valentina Peleggi.

A man in dark clothing walks along one side of the Bristol harbourside opposite a row of brighly-lit restaurants and bars. He is walking past five large trees which have hundreds of small lights attached to their trunks and lower branches

Light up the gloom: Christmas may be in the rear view mirror but there are still twinkly lights to be seen, such as here on the harbourside, helping lift spirits as people are still walking home from work in the dark.

Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.

Related topics

More Bristol galleries