Independent music festival celebrating community

A city's independent music community is gearing up for a pop up festival of sound, food and arts across five venues and eight stages.

Jam On The Horizon, in St Jude's, Bristol, which first ran in 2023, is billed as a full day and night of music from around the world and is being held in venues including a victorian sawmill.

Hadie Abido, Co founder and Director of one of the chosen venues - The Jam Jar - said: "The festival is a reflection of how Bristol works best when independents support each other."

The event is expected to bring more than 2,500 people to the area.

Other venues involved in Bristol include Lost Horizon, Swan with Two Necks and The Volunteer Tavern.

Abido said the event is about "trust, collaboration and shared energy. It is about bringing global sounds into a local neighbourhood and watching that connection come alive".

Music booker, Laurence Walker, said the festival started as a simple idea to connect the venues and it has grown to be a key moment in the Bristol events calendar.

"I haven't seen a lineup of this scale, and this particular style of music in Bristol for decades, if ever," he said.

"We're proud to be bringing these names to my hometown once again. Expanding to five venues this year feels like a real milestone," he added.

Founder of Lost Horizon, Robin Collings, said although St Jude's feels like a lesser known area, it is the "gateway to the city".

"It's a vibrant area and has become something of a cultural quarter. We want to celebrate St Jude's, its community and its incredible venues."

The event will run between 14.00 – 05:00 on Saturday the 2 May.

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