Bristol in Pictures: Let there be light

Hundreds of model flamingos are seen in the water in front of City Hall on College Green in Bristol. The picture is taken at night and the building behind the flamingos is lit up with purple, blue and green lightsAndre Pattenden

The Bristol Light Festival has returned to the city, with illuminations across the centre

Steve Mellen
BBC News, Bristol

There has been a welcome burst of light across Bristol city centre this week as the light festival returned, bringing flamingos to College Green, glowing swings in Queen Square and many more attractions.

Enthusiastic ravers combined their love of music and running to raise money for charity, and there were some new woolly arrivals at one of the animal parks near the city.

Lunar New Year celebrations have also been livening up Bristol as our Chinese communities mark the turning of the season.

A group of people who are part of Ravers to Runners smile at the camera as they pose for a group shot. Some of them are in running gear and some are also wearing bobble hatsKayleigh Bricknell @12kmedia
A group of people who took part in the Ravers2Runners event in Bristol smile as they group together for the camera. Some of them have race numbers pinned to their torsos, and the group is made up of a variety of ages and contains both men and womenKayleigh Bricknell @12kmedia

It's all the rave: Dozens of runners raised money for a homeless charity by taking part in a 'dry' pub crawl, jogging from pub to pub sampling alcohol-free or low alcohol drinks in an event organised by Ravers2Runners.

Two lambs lie on straw at Noah's Ark Zoo Farm near Bristol. One is nuzzling the ear of the other. They are very young lambs and have white faces and cream-coloured wool.Noah's Ark Zoo Farm

Newborns: Noah's Ark Zoo Farm has welcomed some extra residents with the arrival of twin lambs. The north Somerset venue said their births signalled the onset of lambing season and was a "joyful early celebration of spring".

The first two arrivals have been given the names Nik and Nak.

A group of Bristol Bears rugby players huddle together as they celebrate a try against Newcastle. A player is leaping in the air as he joins the group. The match is at Ashton Gate and the players are wearing Bristol's traditional blue and white hooped shirtsGetty Images

Happy huddle: Bristol Bears players had plenty of moments to celebrate when they played Newcastle at Ashton Gate, crossing the try line eight times to keep themselves riding high in the table.

Three ballerinas in black and white outfits perform dance moves on stage at The Mount Without in Bristol. They are casting shadows due to spotlights and there is dry ice in the airPA Media

Elegance: Ballerinas from the Bristol Russian Ballet School rehearse for a performance of Giselle in the opening week of Impermanence, Bristol's new dance theatre which is hosted at The Mount Without.

A man in a bright yellow high-vis jacket, black bobble hat and blue jeans walks through an underpass at Bedminster Station in Bristol. All the walls around him have colourful cartoon-style murals on them

New look: Bedminster Station in the south of the city has been brightened up thanks to murals from local artists Lucas Antics and Paul Roberts in a project that saw Upfest and Severnside Community Rail Partnership working together.

The Clifton Suspension Bridge is seen from a higher point in the Avon Gorge on a dry but cloudy day. The river is between high and low tide below the bridge and the North Somerset countryside is visible in the distance

Vantage point: The many people who took a stroll up to the Observatory to gaze down on the Clifton Suspension Bridge did so without the thunder of traffic on the Portway below, as it was closed as trees threatened by ash dieback were cut down along the gorge.

A group of staff at Chinese restaurant Wongs in Bristol pose together for a group shot, all wearing red uniforms of a satin-type material. Behind them is a large dragon created to celebrate the Lunar New YearWongs

New season: The Chinese community in Bristol has been joining with millions of people around the world in celebrating the Lunar New Year with fireworks and parties, including at Wongs, a city centre institution.

A couple stand outside a business premises in Bristol. On the left is a man with a white top and a blue and white vertically striped apron. He has a dark beard and short dark hair. The other person is a woman with fair shoulder-length hair and a black cardigan onSWIG

Branching out: Bristol bagel baker Wesley Thompson is opening a second branch of The Little Bagel Co, which started on Queen Street. He began his business after taking the plunge in the Covid-19 pandemic and the second branch will be in the city centre, thanks to a loan from SWIG Finance.

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