“It was a lovely ray of hope in difficult times and a way to feel connected and a part of the community.”

Bristol Refugee festival connect communities, to promote greater understanding of those seeking sanctuary, overcome misconceptions and celebrate their contributions. It is a collaborative organisation that aims to inform, educate and inspire.

We value the skills, creativity and resilience of refugees and asylum seekers. Cultural differences enrich our communities. Refugees have lost support networks, but host communities can help them rebuild and heal.

Our year-round programme of events culminates in a city-wide festival in June, with a programme of arts, cultural, sport and educational events.

Our vision: Refugees and Asylum Seekers feel welcome, valued and confident to celebrate and share their culture, skills and knowledge in their local community and beyond.

Our mission: We support and facilitate newly arrived and settled communities to come together in celebration of inclusion and diversity through a year-round programme of events, with an annual cross art-form Festival at its core.

Our values: Celebration. Inclusion. Collaboration. Integrity. Respect.

Our impact: See our impact report 2022-2023 for details.

Last year our events brought together over 6196 people, nearly 983 of which were from refugee and asylum seekers communities.

“The whole line up at Queen square was refugees.” “It was great to see how excited the performers were before they went on stage, doing something they really love and sharing that with other people, was really positive.” July 2023

Your donations: All donations, large and small, will help us to support vulnerable community members, bringing people together to create strong inclusive communities that welcome everyone. This is evident in the feedback we receive across all our projects, which are carefully designed to nurture connections and increase mutual understanding.

“It was so lovely that long-time community members and newer arrivals to the area were meeting and chatting and laughing together.”

“Felt empowering to talk about Kurdish identity.”

“It is really helping me as a New in the city. Which is given me opportunity to learn and get on with people fast.”

“I met Amir who lives just down the road from me. He has moved here from Iran with his wife and kid. It was really lovely to meet him and I hope our paths cross again.”

“A beautiful space to share stories of personal depth.”

“I have met many refugees socially before, but the walk made informal contact easier.”

Website: bristolrefugeefestival.org
Twitter: @RefugeeFestBRL
Facebook: @BristolRefugeeFestival
Instagram: @bristolrefugeefestival