FEATURES

This September (22-23) Brisfest moves to Ashton Court, bringing a community music festival back to the estate for the first time since Ashton Court Festival ended in 2007. To celebrate the move, it’s collaborating with M Shed and us here at Venue to curate an interactive, audio-visual exhibition charting four decades of community music festivals in the city. ‘Sounds Like Bristol’ opens on 11 July in a disused public space in the city centre (to be confirmed).

We’ll be rummaging through the archives for photos, reviews and interviews from Venues gone by, but we also want to hear from you about your memories of both Ashton Court Festival and Brisfest.

The story began in 1974 when some friends put on a load of local bands over four weekends at Ashton Court: it marked the beginning of four decades of community music festivals on the estate. Ashton Court Festival and its successor Brisfest would become the city’s biggest and most important musical events, with thousands of local acts entertaining crowds over the years.

“There’s no doubt that Ashton Court Festival holds a very special place in everyone’s hearts,” says Brisfest coordinator Poppy Stephenson. “We really want to do something that will celebrate the history of Ashton Court Festival and also mark the beginning of a new era for community music festivals at the estate.

“We’d love to hear from people who want to share their memories. Whether it’s a funny anecdote, a tale of true love found, a photo, a poem, a song, a painting or an old programme… we’ll find a way to include as many of them as possible in our Sounds Like Bristol exhibition in July.”

To contribute to the exhibition by sharing your memories call Aisling at Brisfest on 0117 328 1492, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or share on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/brisfest.

Tickets for this year’s Brisfest are available from www.brisfest.co.uk