Bristol Museums

04/09/2026

🪩 Did you know you can disco all night like its 1999 with your friends at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery? Yes, that's right, our beloved Silent Disco series is back!

Shake up the dance floor like you used to at our 90s themed Silent Disco🕺🕺 book your tickets now online.

90s themed Silent Disco | Bristol Museum & Art Gallery | 26 September 2026 | 7pm till 9pm or 9.30pm till 11.30pm | £16 or £21

Bristol Museum & Art Gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm. You don’t need to book to visit Bristol Museum & Art Gallery unless you are in a group of 10 or more people, just turn up on the day. Entry is free – but donations are always welcome! All schools and groups […]

01/09/2026

Have you seen The Lost Paintings: A Prelude to Return yet? At Bristol Museum & Art Gallery till 27 September 2026.

This exhibition shares stories, art and ideas from Palestinian artists and communities – everyone is welcome.

This exhibition is suitable for children aged 12+. Tickets are 'pay what you can’ with a suggested price of £6 ❤️

More information: Palestinian‑Lebanese artist Maroun Tomb opened a new exhibition in Haifa on 29 November 1947 - the same day that the United Nations approved the partition of Palestine.

The exhibition was lost amid the following war and events during the establishment of the state of Israel. Almost nothing remains of Maroun Tomb’s original exhibition, apart from a handwritten letter he sent to his friend Jacques Motola, including the invitation to the opening of the exhibition and a list of the titles of the paintings that were to be shown.

From this fragile trace, a powerful contemporary exhibition has been created.

Descendants of Maroun Tomb and Jacques Motola, artists Joëlle Tomb and Haidi Motola, as well as curator, historian and critic Rula Khoury, have curated this exhibition of 53 artists from across Palestine and the diaspora.

Each artist was invited to respond to one of the titles of the lost paintings from Tomb’s original exhibition.

Together these pieces are the exhibition ‘The Lost Paintings: A Prelude to Return’.

🖼 The Road to Stella Maris by Mary Tuma

26/08/2026

⭐ The FINAL weekend BIG BONANZA ⭐

It’s almost time to wave goodbye to 'Cracking Exhibition, Gromit! 50 Years of Aardman in Bristol' at M Shed as the exhibition closes on Sunday 13 September. We’re all devasted to be seeing our best Aardman friends go but what a summer we’ve all had!

To send them off in style, we’re throwing a final weekend big bonanza at M Shed:

🌙 On Friday 11 September, we are keeping the exhibition open until 9pm (that’s 4 extra hours of fun)

And then if that wasn’t enough …

🕺 On Saturday 12 September, we are keeping the exhibition and the whole of M Shed including the shop and bar open until 9pm!

This means you’ll have even more time to enjoy the exhibition, grab your Aardman keepsakes and be able to tell people that you went to one of the best exhibitions ever.

This exhibition has been selling out every day, so make sure you book ahead if you don't want to miss our final cracking celebration.

Proudly sponsored by Bristol and South Gloucestershire law firm Barcan+Kirby

21/08/2026

Sir David Sproxton CBE, co-founder of Aardman is coming to M Shed this September to talk about his incredible experience at the forefront of the creative industry and share the story of Aardman’s journey.

This event includes access to Cracking Exhibition, Gromit! 50 Years of Aardman in Bristol.

Limited tickets are available for this unique evening, so book yours now.

An Evening with Sir David Sproxton CBE | 2 September 2026 | 6.30pm - 9.30pm | £15 | M Shed

20/08/2026

As the rain and the darker evenings approach, we all need some colourful fun in our diaries to look forward to 🫟🫟

Tickets are officially on sale for our Sip and Sketch evening events with late night entry to upcoming The Secret Life of Colour exhibition opening at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery on the 24 October 2026.

Book now on our website!

From Pop Art to Pointillism, this exhibition will showcase work from global blockbuster artists such as Andy Warhol, Wassily Kandinsky, Georges Seurat, Bridget Riley, Peter Blake and Katsushika Hokusai alongside items from our natural history and science collections to examine how colour is made and used in nature, as well as how it influences our emotions, cultures and understanding of the world.

This touring exhibition was jointly created by Sheffield Museums Trust, Tullie museum, Hampshire Cultural Trust, Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, and Bristol Museums.

18/08/2026

Celebrate all year round with beautiful LGBTQ+ artwork in your home 🌈 our print-on-demand service will deliver framed or unframed prints right to your door.

Artworks included:

Glyn Philpot - Head of a Jamaican Man, Henry Thomas
Christopher Wood - Landscape, Vence
Charles Shannon - The Pursuit

Visit https://orlo.uk/ciz7b

16/08/2026

Fancy discovering a different side of Bristol this September?

Join M Shed's guided historical walks and explore the people, places and events that helped shape our city.

📍 Thursday 3 September | Pirates and Prejudice
Explore Bristol's dockside haunts of pirates, privateers, smugglers and literary legends.

📍 Sunday 6 September | 1831 Riots
Discover the causes and consequences of one of the most dramatic episodes in Bristol's history.

📍 Thursday 17 September | Old City
Uncover a millennium of Bristol's history, from its medieval beginnings to the city we know today.

📍 Thursday 17 September | Bristol Abolition
Learn about the people and places connected to Bristol's long fight to end slavery.

More information in the comments 👇

14/08/2026

📢📢 Global blockbuster artists - Andy Warhol, Hokusai, Bridget Riley, Wassily Kandinsky and Peter Blake - are coming to Bristol Museum & Art Gallery this Autumn ... well, their artwork is!

That's right everyone, from Pop Art to Pointillism, our next major exhibition 'The Secret Life of Colour' is going to explore the powerful role colour plays in our lives 🌈

Alongside famous masterpieces, The Secret Life of Colour will showcase a range of treasures such as Delftware ceramics, seabird eggs, tribal outfits, taxidermy Kingfishers and Hummingbirds, and rare colourful rocks and minerals, including native copper from The Lizard, Cornwall 🩵

Interactive spaces for younger visitors will help bring the subject to life through colour mixing light tables, movement-responsive floor tiles and opportunities to share their own colour-inspired memories.

Running from 24 October 2026 to 31 January 2027, the exhibition programme is packed with events including curator talks, Sip and Draw late-night openings and a special performance from the acclaimed In Accord Community Choir.

Tickets are available now - pre-booking is recommended for school holidays and the festive period.

This exhibition is made possible with support from the Museums and Galleries Network for Exhibition Touring (MAGNET) and Art Fund, with funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

Images: Colour exhibition at the Millennium Gallery © Andy Brown

12/08/2026

We're delighted to be holding an evening with Sir David Sproxton the co-founder of Aardman Animations at M Shed.

Hear Sir David talk about his lifetime at the front of the creative industries and listen to the incredible story of how a local Bristol animation studio became a global success!

2 September 2026 | 6.30pm to 9.30pm | M Shed | tickets from £10

Tickets for this event also includes access to the exhibition Cracking Exhibition, Gromit! 50 Years of Aardman in Bristol 💚

Book your tickets now: https://orlo.uk/cbsAQ

10/08/2026

An English Civil War Era re-enactment day is coming to The Red Lodge Museum this Saturday ⚔️⚔️

Wardlaw’s Dragoons at The Red Lodge Museum | £5 | 15 August 2026 | 11am to 4pm

What's on?

* Tudor music
* Historic games
* Costumed re-enactors
* Dress up in historical costumes
* Sights, sounds and smells of the past

Explore one of Bristol's oldest buildings in this memorable day out for all ages ❤️ Find out more: https://orlo.uk/z14Pk