Down Stokes

Down Stokes returns to Stokes Croft on Saturday 17 October, taking over several venues across the neighbourhood from 16:00. It's a multi-venue festival built by local promoters and artists right in the heart of the area, and it's run as a proudly independent, community-driven affair. The whole thing is self-funded and self-marketed, and it turns the neighbourhood into a carnival for the fuzz-inclined over the course of the weekend.

One ticket gets you into all the associated venues, though opening and closing times vary by stage. This year it's spread across SPACE at PRSC (17-25 Jamaica St, BS2 8JW), The Full Moon, Attic Bar, The Croft, Canteen, and The People's Republic of Stokes Croft, so you can drift between them as the day goes on.

The programming leans on the psychedelic, garage and alternative underground, pulling in psych rock, garage rock, indie, noise, fuzz and rock n roll. The festival makes a point of pairing growing local acts with better-known touring names, so you'll hear Bristol bands alongside touring bills. It's an over-18s event, and anyone under 18 has to be accompanied by a 21+ adult at a 1:1 ratio.

Tickets are £35 plus a £2.45 booking fee, and that single entry covers you for all the venues involved. With the first stages opening at 16:00, there's plenty of room to wander through the different rooms and catch as much as you fancy.