City's harbour celebrated as festival begins

The annual Bristol Harbour Festival has started, with organisers promising live music, water sports and historic ships.

The free festival, which runs until Sunday, celebrates the city's harbour and what used to be the docks.

Organisers said people could expect flyboard displays, a water cannon showcase by the Pyronaut, Bristol's former fire boat and the annual cardboard boat race.

BLOCO B, Laid Blak and Gabriel Templar are among the artists headlining the festival.

Bristol's docks used to be a vital part of the city's economy, but in the second half of the 20th Century its prominence began to fade.

The Port of Bristol Authority decided to close the docks in the 1960s, and organisers said the first harbour festival in 1971 was "an early weapon" in the fight to save the docks.

"The event grew in size and importance as the years passed, and even when plans to tamper with the docks were shelved, the festival carried on," organisers said.

The Lloyds Amphitheatre, called the Harbour View, will host the main festival stage this year.

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