So much to look forward to

T'S going to be another big year of events in Bristol, with plenty to look forward to.

- Ellie KENDALL

Of course there will be live music, hot air balloons, and celebrations of Bristol's people and landmarks. But there will also be food and drink, culture, comedy, history, and plenty for families, friends, colleagues and individuals to enjoy over the next 12 months, including:Bristol Light Festival

>> February 19 to 28

Returning for its sixth year, Bristol Light Festival 2026 will once again "shine a spotlight on the city's creativity, community and culture". This free event, which sees festival goers traverse many a Bristol landmark to visit a trail of immersive light sculptures and artworks, is this year being backed by the newly unified Bristol Business Improvement District (Bid), and will take visitors further into the heart of the city.

One of the new installations this year is the acclaimed work by Liz West, called Our Colour Reflection. This will take over Level 7 of the Cabot Circus car park.

Over 765 mirrored acrylic discs, in 15 vivid hues and arranged at different heights, will form a reflective landscape that bathes visitors in shifting light, echoing colour across concrete and steel. Originally commissioned by 20-21 Visual Arts Centre, this is the first time the piece has been installed in a space like Cabot Circus car park - described as "turning a place of passage into a shimmering spectacle of movement, light and unexpected beauty".

Alongside her Bristol debut of Our Colour Reflection, West's second installation, Our Colour, returns to the city for the first time since its 2016 premiere at Bristol Biennial - this time twice the size. Using coloured theatre gels, the installation saturates the space in a radiant spectrum of shifting hues, inviting audiences to walk through colour as if it were tangible.