Bristol Beacon announces opening weekend free party

The Bristol Beacon will reopen on Thursday 30 November after a £132m rebuild

Bristol's biggest concert venue has announced its reopening events, including a free party for city residents. 

Bristol Beacon has been undergoing a radical £132m rebuild since closing in 2018.

The venue will reopen on Thursday 30 November.

Its first event will be a performance from Paraorchestra, who will perform a special newly-commissioned piece for the reopening.

Paraorchestra will kick off the reopening night with a newly-commissioned piece to mark the occasion

Paraorchestra are known for creating large-scale music experiences in collaboration with their ensemble of professional disabled and non-disabled musicians.

Their music spans across multiple genres and aims to remove barriers to showcase excellence in disabled musicianship.

The opening night will also see a collaborative performance from Surgeons Girl, Charles Hazlewood and Limbic Cinema.

The capacity of the main auditorium has been increased as part of the transformation

Following the opening performance, Bristol Beacon will host an opening weekend where residents across the city are invited to an all-day free party on Saturday 2 December.

The day party will feature communities, artists and talent gathered from across the city.

The weekend will round off by Bristol Beacon presents Penguin Cafe on Sunday 3 December.

It has taken five years to refurbish the Victorian building

The performance marks the reopening of all of Bristol Beacon's venue spaces, including the more than 2,000 capacity Beacon Hall, 500-capacity Lantern Hall and the brand new 200-capacity Weston Cellar.

Part of the five-year refurbishment of the building has been making it more accessible for performers and artists, and allowing it to welcome bigger touring productions than it could previously accommodate.

The venue's front-of-house and backstage areas have been made completely level-access, meaning previously inaccessible dressing rooms, entrances and facilities are now open to all artists.

Todd Wills, artistic director at Bristol Beacon, said: "When considering how to mark the occasion of reopening Bristol Beacon, we thought immediately of Paraorchestra.

"Not only does the ensemble represent the spirit of inclusion and reinvention that we cherish in this city, but they were also incredibly open to collaborating with other Bristol artists to create something truly innovative and celebratory."

The Bristol Beacon, which opened in 1867, is owned by Bristol City Council and run by Bristol Music Charity.