10 Years of Yard Fest: Underfall Yard’s flagship summer festival!

Yard Fest is back from the 17th to the 19th of July, and we are planning our biggest celebration yet! Since 2016, Underfall Yard has gotten involved with the festivities along the harbour in July. Now, for the first time, we’ve been made an official location of Bristol Harbour Festival, as well as this year’s charity partner.

Live music, raving DJ sets and fantastic street food!

 

Alongside the returning Sonic Sounds to provide the best from everything disco, funk, dub and more, we now have a fantastic line-up of live music. Enjoy stripped back performances from bands, acoustic sets from solo artists and wonderful harmonies from a cappella groups and choirs.

View our whole line-up on the Bristol Harbour Festival website

We are opening our big weekender with another edition of Slipway Sessions, giving you the chance to perform at Yard Fest and be involved in the celebrations. Our Friday night edition will feature local band Maria and the Wilds, but we have tons of spots on both Friday and Saturday night for all budding musicians and spoken word artists.

 

Mak sure to get yourself some great food and drink while you listen! Underfall Cafe will be open with great breakfast and lunch options, along with tasty tacos from Pura Vida and amazing crepes from The Lush Creperie. We are also supported by Bristol Beer Factory during the weekend, thanks to their Brewed 2 Give scheme.

Discover the Floating Harbour’s past – Celebrate its present

The Floating Harbour would not exist without Underfall Yard. For over 200 years, we have been the main location in the city for maritime skills and traditional boatbuilding, and during Yard Fest, you can join us and find out just how important our unique harbour is to the success of the city.

Visit our Victorian-era workshops and ‘Underfall’ sluices, where machinery built as far back as the 1880s is still in use today. Learn about our hydraulic accumulator, which powered the cranes, bridges and lockgates up until 2010. Award-winning boatbuilding firm Star Yachts will also be opening its doors for visitors to have a look at what traditional boatbuilding entails, and our good friends at Bristol Gig Club are inviting you to take to the water and enjoy the cultural side of the harbour.

The perfect location for the western side of the harbour

 

Based only a five-minute walk from Cumberland Basin and The Baltic Wharf Water Arena, Underfall Yard is the best landmark for discovering all the events and activities happening on the water with a view of the Suspension Bridge.

The Baltic Wharf Arena is a new addition to Bristol Harbour Festival, and will host a range of regattas, Have-A-Go sessions, and Red Bull’s very own ‘Up The Mast’ contest. If you’re the type of person who strives for a bit more sporting competition, Cumberland Basin is the home of the Canoe Polo tournament on Sunday.