Alien

Alien is showing at The Planetarium on Saturday 17 October, from 18:15 to 20:45. It's part of the Bristol Film Festival's space and science fiction programme, and it's not just the film on its own. The Planetarium is the festival's home for that side of things, and the screenings are built for immersion: a Planetarium star show takes you on a tour of the Solar System before the film starts, and there's a pop-up bar onsite serving drinks and limited snacks.

The 2026 Planetarium programme is built around anniversary editions of classic sci-fi and horror. Along with Alien, that includes a 70th-anniversary screening of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) and a 40th-anniversary screening of The Fly (1986). If you're into the genre, there's a few of these to pick from across the festival, so you can make a proper night of it.

The venue is The Planetarium at We The Curious, in Millennium Square, Bristol, BS1 5SZ. We The Curious itself is a science and arts centre and educational charity here in the city, with over 200 interactive exhibits and more than 300,000 visitors a year. It's a good spot to spend a bit of time around if you're arriving early.

So, Alien runs from 18:15 to 20:45 on Saturday 17 October at The Planetarium, with the star show beforehand and the pop-up bar open for drinks.