As the August bank holiday approaches, Bristol gears up to welcome back one of the UK’s most progressive weekends of music and culture.
FORWARDS Festival returns to Clifton Downs on August 23rd and 24th, once again reimagining what a city festival can be. Since its debut in 2022, the event has become more than just a stage for live music—it’s a cultural meeting point, weaving together performance, politics, and purpose.
This year’s music programme captures FORWARDS’ unique ability to cross genres without losing focus. Saturday brings a rush of energy from Barry Can’t Swim, Ezra Collective, Confidence Man, Orbital, Mount Kimbie, and English Teacher, alongside indie brilliance from Happy Mondays, Katy J Pearson, and Nilüfer Yanya.
Rising names such as Anna Erhard keep the line-up fresh, while Annie Mac headlines the newly introduced Arches tent, an open-air dance space designed to channel Bristol’s deep electronic heritage. She’s joined across the day by selectors including Jamz Supernova, Helena Star, and SpicyIvy, ensuring the Downs won’t stop moving until sundown.
Sunday’s programming leans into a wave of fearless female talent, with Jorja Smith, The Last Dinner Party, and Olivia Dean leading the charge. They’re joined by Fabio & Grooverider’s Orchestra, Moonchild Sanelly, The Silhouettes Project, Alemeda, and Snapped Ankles, creating a line-up that shifts between soulful introspection and raw, high-octane performance.
The Arches turns darker and heavier for day two, where LTJ Bukem, Smith & Mighty, Shy One, and Miss Mash deliver a masterclass in Bristol-rooted bass culture.
But what sets FORWARDS apart is not just who plays, but who speaks. The festival’s signature INFORMATION Stage continues to expand as a pivotal platform for dialogue, and 2025’s talks programme feels more vital than ever.
Themes of optimism, hope, action, community, food, race, class, history, and youth will be explored by a line-up of leading thinkers, activists, creatives, and cultural figures.
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Saturday’s talks dive into justice, culture, and care, with political satirist Munya Chawawa joining the YoungSixSix Cohort to discuss theatre as a pathway for underrepresented young people, and his own initiative, Black Boys Theatre Club, which has already introduced over 120 schoolboys to the stage.
Denise Gough joins the Palestine Solidarity Campaign in a debate on mobilising for a free Palestine, while Moonchild Sanelly and Dread MC appear in Our Rhythm, Their Stage, a hard-hitting look at who profits from Black music. Food, community, and care also take the spotlight with chefs and activists unpicking the role of hospitality in humanitarianism, and climate activists interrogating conflicts and care in a rapidly shifting world.
On Sunday, the focus sharpens on politics, people, and the fight for change. Carol Vorderman, Zarah Sultana, Gary Stevenson, and Coco Khan lead a no-holds-barred session titled Pissed Off With Politics, while historian David Olusoga returns with The State of the Dream, marking 60 years since the Race Relations Act alongside Bristol Bus Boycott legends and Talks4Change. Elsewhere, DJ Krust, JayaHadADream, Eva Lazarus, and Teddy Good come together with Bristol’s youth platforms to reimagine creative futures in Youth Spaces and DIY Culture.
FORWARDS has always been a festival with a conscience, and this year’s blend of world-class performances and provocative discussion underlines that commitment. By pairing headline sets from artists like Ezra Collective and Jorja Smith with talks from voices as diverse as Munya Chawawa, David Olusoga, Moonchild Sanelly and Carol Vorderman, the festival cements itself as both a place to celebrate and a space to question.
Set against the backdrop of Clifton Downs, FORWARDS 2025 promises a weekend where Bristol’s identity as a creative, socially-minded city is amplified on the biggest scale. More than a festival, it’s a platform for sound, for action, and for ideas worth carrying forward.
Sunday is now sold out, Saturday tickets are available via forwardsbristol.co.uk.
