There are some final festival flourishes this month, as well as some intriguing new openings, and more than enough other events to keep you well fed and watered. It’s going to be a good one, whatever the weather!

Festivals and celebrations

First up from 2nd-3rd is the 20th anniversary event of Bristol Vegan Fayre, with this free event being hosted at Document in St Jude’s, featuring street food, over 80 stalls, music, live music, talks and other entertainment.

Celebrate two years of the latest incarnation of The Old Bookshop in Bedminster with a selection of special beers and cocktails on Fri 8th.

8th-10th September sees the return of Bristol Wing Fest on the harbourside, with chicken wings of all flavours being served up by 15 different traders and BBQ teams for you to decide who’s the best. There will also be a spicy wing eating competition, music and entertainment. Tickets for the sessions are priced £18.50 – £21.

Next up is Bristol Coffee Festival on Saturday 9th at Bristol Beacon, featuring over 40 exhibitors, talks and a coffee trail. If you’re excited by that, you should nab a ticket to the Barista League at Extract Coffee Roasters for a competition and coffee making competition on the same day!

The South Glos Food & Drink Festival will be hosted at Bristol & Bath Science Park in Emersons Green on the weekend of 9th – 10th September. Featuring food and drink stalls and entertainment, this event is free to attend.

There’s also a BBQ, Beer & Bourbon Festival in Almondsbury on Fri 8th, followed by a Cider & Pie Festival the following day.

Head along to a special collaboration festival between Tobacco Factory and KASK on Saturday 16th, featuring local food and drink producers⁠, wine tastings & pairings, street food, live music and DJs⁠. Entry to the event is free.

The full lineup of bars and venues participating in Bristol Cocktail Weekend (28 Sept – 1 Oct) has been announced, along with some exciting events as part of the festivities, including an Old Fashioned workshop, Martini hour, art classes and even a cocktail-themed cinema club.

Purchase your festival wristband for Cocktail Weekend to get access to exclusive £6 signature cocktails in the participating venues, special food offers and access to the special events.

Oktoberfest

Wiper and True are hosting a mega party at their Old Market taproom on Sat 16th, featuring a bottomless supply of their own home-brewed Oktoberfestbier, food from Pasture and live samba music. Gluten-free, alcohol-free and plantbased options will all be available. Tickets £70.

Lost & Grounded Brewers in Brislington are going traditional on Sat 16th Sept, with steins of their German-style beer (the first 50 pints are free!), hotdogs, pretzel snacks and DJs. Entry to the event is free.

Lakota are hosting their own outdoor Bavarian celebration on Fri 22nd and Sat 23rd, featuring beer, hotdogs, DJs and a live oompah band! Tickets are priced at £8 + booking fee.

The Old Bookshop in Bedminster are going big and running their Oktoberfest celebrations from Fri 15th through to the start of October! Expect special festbiers, plantbased German-style food and some other exciting bottles, plus a keg-tapping party on the Friday to kick things off. Nearby Alpha Bottle Shop are hosting an Oktoberfest party on Wed 27th, with tickets including 5 German beers in a stein, pretzels and bratwurst.

Dining and special events

Join a fish and chips cruise around the harbour on The Matthew on Wednesday evenings throughout the month. Or if you’d rather make it a boozy affair, book one of the Thirsty Thursday evening trips with Bristol Ferry, priced at just £10 (plus drinks).

If you want to see a distillery this is your lucky month, because not only are there numerous tour and tasting events (see below), but Circumstance Distillery are doing an open day at their place in Whitehall on Sat 9th, and Bristol Distilling Co. in Bedminster are hosting a summer wrap party on Sat 16th, featuring cocktails, DJs and food from Bocca di Bianchi.

Good Chemistry once again have a bucket load of events going on, including She Drinks Beer at The Good Measure on Tue 5th AND another She Drinks Beer at The Fallen Tree in Clevedon on Sunday 24th. They also have a tap takeover from Utopian Brewing at The Good Measure on Thursday 28th (plus their pub quiz every Monday!)

Some other interesting meal options this month include:

• An Evening with Limeburn Hill at Rick’s (Thu 7th, £30)
• Bottomless Burger Club at Burger Theory (Sun 17th, £39.50)
• Seven-course tasting menu evening at The Square Club in Clifton (Wed 20th, £70pp)
• Aurora Kusina x The MAZI Project (Wed 20th, £35)
• Mamma Mia Greek Night at Future Inn (Fri 22nd, £35)
• Afternoon tea at Brunel’s SS Great Britain (Sun 24th, from £15)
• Mexican supper club at FED Gloucester Road (Fri 29th)

Classes, tastings & tours

Learn or try something new and impress your buddies!

• Wed 6th – KASK’s Great Big Wine + Cheese Tasting, £35
• Wed 6th – Blind Date wine tasting at KASK
• Wed 6th – Spirit of the South West tasting at Spirited, £30
• Thu 7th – Amazonian Cacao Experience and chocolate tasting, £25
• Fri 8th – Gin Lover’s Masterclass, £30
• Sat 9th – Chinese Street Food class at Little Kitchen, £68
• Sat 9th – Orange wine tasting at Native Vine, £22
• Tue 12th – Ghanian cookery class, £35
• Wed 13th – Hine Cognac tasting at Spirited, £30
• Thu 14th – Whisky Lover’s Masterclass, £30
• Thu 14th – Scotch egg masterclass at Little Kitchen, £65

• Sat 16th – Bristol Street Food Tour, £25
• Sat 16th – Cheese & wine pairing class, £40
• Sat 16th – Summer reds wine tasting at Native Vine, £20
• Sat 16th – Sausage making at Ruby & White, £60
• Sat 16th – The Port Masteclass, £45
• Sat 16th – Bristol Cider Tasting Tour, £34
• Sun 17th – Bread masterclass at Little Kitchen, £87
• Wed 20th – Natural, Organic & Biodynamic Wine Tasting at Le Vignoble, £20
• Thu 21st – Pickling and fermenting workshop at Coexist Community Kitchen, £57
• Fri 22nd – Wine and Cheese Tasting Tour in the Cheddar Valley, £120
• Fri 22nd – Gin Lover’s Masterclass, £30
• Fri 22nd – Little Italy at Little Kitchen, £68
• Fri 22nd & Sat 23rd – Wine and magic at Averys, £35
• Sat 23rd – Food and Drink Tour: Hotspots & Hidden Treasures, £55
• Sat 23rd – The wines of France one-day course, £100

• Sat 23rd – Truffles and pralines workshop at Zara’s Chocolates, £50
• Sat 23rd – West Country cider tasting at Native Vine, £18
• Tue 26th – Mexican Street Food class at Cooking It, £70
• Wed 27th – Cooking Classic French Cuisine, £75
• Wed 27th – Whisky vs Mezcal tasting at Spirited, £35
• Wed 27th – Rhone & Languedoc Cellar Tasting at Averys, £30
• Thu 28th – Yoga class followed by G&Ts, £15
• Thu 28th – Harvesting the hedgerow to make medicine, £57
• Thu 28th – Whisky Lover’s Masterclass, £30
• Thu 28th – Cider vs Cheese at The Cider Box, £25
• Fri 29th – Chew Valley gin tasting experience, £30
• Sat 30th – Bristol Street Food Tour, £25
• Sat 30th – Bristol Cider Tasting Tour, £34

New places to visit

Newly open in town are Bagelry Box in Wapping Wharf, Greytone cafe in St Pauls, Little Kitchen Chinese restaurant in Clifton, and The Dame pub in Bedminster (in what was The Tap & Barrel). Not a new place, but The Kensington Arms in Redland is now refocusing on being a chophouse and grill (you can still get a great roast in there every Sunday).

Opening this month are Nutmeg Street Kitchen in the centre by the Hippodrome, and an exciting new revamp for The Granary building on Welsh Back (formerly Loch Fyne), although I haven’t had any exact details on what the theme/vibe will be.

Coming up soon are South American cake maestros Lunita Pasteleria on Gloucester Road and Meet Up Noodle Bar on Marsh Street in the city centre.

Further down the line are the refurbishments for The Colosseum pub in Redcliffe, and new restaurant The Forge & Fox in St George.

That’s it for this month, let me know what you’re planning on booking over on Twitter, see what I’m eating on Instagram or see the latest local food news by following A Life Less Organised on Facebook. Cheers!

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