DIASPORA! — a festival of global majority artistry.
DIASPORA! 2026 ran for ten days across Bristol and the South West region, with more than 100 events spanning exhibitions, performances, workshops, talks, crafts and family-friendly activities. Many events were free or pay-what-you-can, with free places for asylum seekers and refugees.
DIASPORA! 2026 — 1-10 May 2026
Ten days, one hundred–plus events, the whole city. Here's a taste of what's coming.
Exhibitions from 30 April, including RAIN/RUIN by Phillip Lai and Feedback by Olukemi Lijadu at Spike Island, A land as big as her skin by Mounira Al Solh at Arnolfini, Returning by Jason Wesaw, Queendom Rising: Portraits of Diaspora by George Netana, and CRAZE WORLD by BOLARINWA
Performance and music at The Station, Spike Island, Jam Jar, The Canteen and Bristol Beacon, with artists including Nubiyan Twist, Ego Ella May, Dur-Dur Band International and Faris Ishaq
Dance workshops spanning Persian, West African, Tibetan and Fusion Bellydance styles
Creative writing and journalling sessions, sound baths and meditation
Craft workshops including flag-making, sewing and zine-making
Music production and vocal workshops
Desi Day programming celebrating South Asian cultures
Bristol Folk Festival performances, Playback Theatre workshops, and storytelling and world-making sessions
The story so far
DIASPORA! 2024 took place across Bristol and the South West from 3-6 May. Celebrating cultural diversity through the arts, it was a new and first-of-its-kind festival for Bristol and the South West, showcasing and reflecting the wide variety of talent from the region's underrepresented diasporas across one exceptional long weekend.
“I made connections and memories for life due to [DAN]'s vision.”— Festival participant
Mini-DIASPORA! 2025
Following the huge success of DIASPORA! 2024 — which welcomed over 10,000 attendees and platformed more than 200 artists across the South West — Diverse Artists Network returned on the May Bank Holiday, 2nd to 5th May, with Mini-DIASPORA! 2025. Marking the legacy of the flagship festival and building momentum toward 2026, Mini-DIASPORA! offered a vibrant long weekend of creativity, culture and connection. The programme brought back festival favourites while spotlighting new talent across community-driven events including First Friday, Social Sundays, Bristol Ferries, and Sing on the Ferry with Gena Rose.
“DIASPORA! 24 resonated so well across the city, I'm very happy that we are marking the dates with a Mini-DIASPORA! for 2025 as we plan and plot for 2026!”— Deasy Bamford, Founding Director
DIASPORA! is made possible by