Free live music event to take over Bristol city centre

Music with Maya will be one of the free shows for families during the event

A huge free music event is to take over a city centre on the Saturday of the August bank holiday weekend.

Made up of four different zones, Old City Sounds will bring family-friendly music to Bristol from 12:00 to 18:00 GMT on 26 August.

The event is being organised by the Bristol City Centre Business Improvement District (BID).

Its head, Vicky Lee, said: "We know that events like these are essential to boosting morale for residents."

Old City Sounds, which organisers have described as a "celebration of the city's songful soul" will cover King Street, St Stephen's Church, St Nicholas Street and St Nicholas Market.

The four areas will be split between multiple genres of music including jazz, flamenco, acoustic, blues and hip hop.

St Stephen's Church Garden and St Stephen's Avenue will be the focus for family entertainment with children's activities, and circus performers will also be moving between the zones.

Lindsey Cole will be bringing her mermaid show to the kids area

Ms Lee added: "With the summer holidays coming to an end, we wanted to give families something free that they can attend together to celebrate the incredible musical talent we have here in Bristol.

"Music is integral to Bristol culture and we want to bring people of all ages and backgrounds together to enjoy this in one of the city's oldest and most beautiful areas."

The free event would be key to "increasing footfall to support local businesses", she added.

The event is being supported by Bristol's City Centre & High Streets Recovery and Renewal programme, which is funded by Bristol City Council and the West of England's Combined Authority's Love our High Streets project.