Festivals in the West this bank holiday weekend

The weather is set fair for the August bank holiday weekend and there are plenty of festivals and fun days taking place across the West to keep the family entertained.

We have put together a selection of them for you to choose from - wherever you live.

Bristol's Forwards Festival - 23 August to 24 August

Organised by the team behind Love Saves the Day, Forwards Festival is back for its third year with a big focus on information and talks alongside the live music.

About 60,000 people are expected at this weekend's event on The Downs, which will provide a stage for international artists including Jorja Smith, Barry Can't Swim and Ezra Collective, as well as some of the West's best emerging acts.

BBC Proms Bristol Beacon - 22nd August to 24 August

Billed as the "world's greatest" classical music festival, BBC Proms returns to Bristol for the second year in a row for a weekend of concerts.

Sprawling out from the main concert hall to the building's public spaces and beyond, the concerts will encompass everything from performances by the Danish National Vocal ensemble, Paraorchestra and Britten Sinfonia, to a classical DJ set.

Bristol Beacon's chief executive, Simon Wales, said: "Our Proms weekend is a really kind of genre-defying combination of all different types of music, from local artists to international."

Old City Sounds - 23 August

Old City Sounds will return to Bristol city centre on Saturday.

The free music event takes over some of the city's most popular venues in King Street, Welsh Back and St Nicholas Street and will feature a wide variety of genres.

"Old City Sounds brings the city's spirit to life and we're proud to showcase both Bristol's incredible musical talent and the thriving local economy at the heart of the Old City," said director of Bristol City Centre BID, Vicky Lee.

Fergal O'Brien Open Day - 23 August

National Racehorse Week starts on Saturday and Fergal O'Brien is opening his Gloucestershire yard to engage the public with the world of horse racing.

Visitors will be able to see behind-the-scenes at the yard, meet top-tier jockeys and tour the gallops.

"It's a great way for people to have an insight into national hunt race horses and how they're cared for, and to see the full circle of a race horse's career and life," said Mr O'Brien.

Gloucester Goes Retro - 23 August

Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, Gloucester Goes Retro is one of the "highlights" of the city's calendar with hundreds of classic cars and bikes on display, along with vintage fashion and live music to enjoy.

"It's just such a wonderful atmosphere in the town, it's probably the best day of the year in Gloucester because it encompasses so much of the city," said Gary Boon from Gloster Swing Dance.

Stone Carving Festival - 23 August to 25 August

Gloucester Cathedral is hosting its first-ever Stone Carving Festival with the poignant theme of Peace and Remembrance in this 80th anniversary year of VE Day.

For three days, stonemasons will come together on Cathedral Green to chisel, carve and shape sculptures, which will be auctioned after the event to support cathedral conservation work.

Senior stonemason Paul Synan said: "The Stone Carving Festival is a fantastic opportunity to show people the skill and craftsmanship that goes into carving stone at Gloucester Cathedral."

Football in the River - 25 August

While strictly not a festival, it would be amiss not to include this well known bank holiday event in Bourton-on-the-Water.

Hundreds of spectators are expected to watch the players of Bourton Rovers Football Club play against each other in the River Windrush, which is ankle-deep as it flows through the Cotswolds village.

The fundraising event is said to have started about 120 years ago when drinkers in a riverside pub got bored one day and decided to stage an impromptu match in the water.

Bath Rugby Club Open Day - 25 August

Ahead of the 2025/2026 season at The Rec, rugby fans are being invited to a family fun day at Bath Rugby Club.

The day will provide a chance for fans to meet their favourite players with selfie and signing opportunities, live music and other activities.

Training takes place at 13:00 BST when you can watch the team being put through their paces by Head of Rugby Johann van Graan and other coaching staff.

Clevedon Show - 23 August to 24 August

Formerly called the Clevedon Flower Show, this event is now much more than just about flowers - there are arts and crafts stalls and produce of all sorts for sale as well as flower and vegetable competitions, live music and a dog show.

The event has been a popular attraction in the town for more than 125 years.

UkraineFest 2025 - 23 August

One of the largest celebrations of Ukrainian culture in the UK is taking place in Swindon on Saturday.

Folk and traditional dance groups will be performing at UkraineFest 2025, along with Ukrainian bands and artists.

Kris Taikowski, vice-chairman of organisers Swindon Welcomes Ukraine, said "We shine a light on a war that has not ended, on families still suffering, on a nation still fighting."

Summer at the Green - 2 August to 25 August

Swindon's month-long festival ends this weekend with a pop-up planetarium and activities including a virtual reality flying experience and a fossil dig.

The town centre space, Wharf Green, has hosted a range of events each weekend in August, with midweek sessions also held on Wednesdays.

Swindon Borough Council's cabinet member for placemaking and planning, Marina Strinkovsky, said the events were a chance for Swindonians to "learn and find out more exciting and amazing things that are happening in their town that maybe they didn't know about before".

Salisbury Fire Station Open Day - 23 August

Salisbury Fire Station is raising money for the Firefighters Charity on Saturday with activities laid on by the Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service.

There will be demonstrations including hot oil fires and using the aerial ladder, as well as a display of engines and a specialist airport vehicle from Boscombe Down airfield.

Firefighter Sam Edwards said: "We're building on the success of the last three years and the event should be bigger and better than ever."

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