Top 10 Christmas activities in Bristol

Dinner and drinks are fine, but Christmas in Bristol has so much more going on if you know where to look. If you’ve been left to plan the work do – again – or you just want a festive date night or an excuse to put on your best winter coat and disappear into a cup of mulled wine, here are ten ways to make your December feel a lot less average… and a lot more fun. Starting with…

1. Get locked up at Alcotraz Bristol

Start your festive season with something completely unexpected. Alcotraz is a prison-themed activity bar in Bristol disguised as an immersive theatre experience (or it might be the other way around; after all these years, we’re not sure). Either way, you and your crew dress in regulation orange jumpsuits and smuggle in your own spirits for the bootlegging inmates to mix into personalised cocktails. It’s like nothing else around, and it’s certainly nothing like another bog-standard night out.

2. Find some last-minute gifts Bristol Christmas Market

If your idea of Christmas involves fairy lights, steaming drinks, and being slightly too warm in a ski gondola, the Bristol Christmas Market has you covered. Right in the city centre, you’ll find over 40 stalls, live music, festive bites, and bars serving everything from hot chocolate to glühwein. If you’re after something a bit more private, you can book your own ski gondola or hot air balloon basket and drink in peace while pretending you’re somewhere in the Alps.

3. Have Christmas dinner Bristol-style at M Shed

M Shed transforms into a Christmas woodland wonderland on the Harbourside, complete with themed decor, rooftop views, and exclusive venue hire for parties. Whether you go for a full three-course dinner or keep it casual with bowl food and a DJ, you’ll have the place to yourselves from 7pm until 1am. You can even add entertainment extras if someone in your team insists on a magician. Or fire-breather. Or both. But you can’t have them battle for your amusement.

4. Sing along to Mamma Mia at the Bristol Hippodrome

Mamma Mia! lands at the Bristol Hippodrome from November 11th to 22nd, making it an ideal pre-Christmas theatre night for anyone who prefers sequins to Santa hats. Expect all the hits, some questionable Greek accents, and an audience that knows every word. A great shout for a midweek break from shopping or an unofficial team night out.

5. Take in Rapunzel: A Hairy Tale at the Tobacco Factory Theatre

Running from November 27th to January 17th, 2026, Rapunzel: a Hairy Tale at the Tobacco Factory Theatre is a spellbinding and playful take on a classic. If you’ve been to see Cinderella, the Borrowers, or Oliver Twist at the Tobacco Factory, it’s the same team that are behind Rapunzel, so you know it has to be good. And with family ticket offers, matinees, BSL interpreted performances, captioned performances, and even relaxed performances, everyone can go.

6. Get in the Christmas spirit with Carols by Candlelight at St George’s

If you do want the carols though – proper carols, in a beautiful venue with exceptional acoustics – this is the one. St George’s Carols by Candlelight is back again after sell-out runs in 2023 and 2024, featuring the Fitzhardinge Consort and a wide-ranging programme of seasonal music. It’s atmospheric, spine-tingling, and Christmassy enough to make you forget about the wrapping you haven’t done.

7. Dine at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery

For a Christmas party with grandeur, Bristol Museum pulls out all the stops. Your guests arrive under high ceilings, sip cocktails in the Egypt & Assyria gallery, and dine beneath stunning decor in the Wills and Winterstoke halls. The party goes until 1am with DJs, dancing, and a private bar. If you’re planning a formal event but still want it to feel fun, this fits the bill.

8. Make the trek to Avon Valley Adventure Park

Just outside the city, Avon Valley Adventure Park has a habit of going big at Christmas. Last year featured ice skating, a light trail, and a full Santa show. They haven’t announced exactly what’s coming for 2025 yet, which only makes it more intriguing. All we know is that Father Christmas and his crew will be there, and that the rest is a festive secret waiting to be unwrapped…

9. Take the family to Bristol Aquarium

The Bristol Aquarium hasn’t published its full Christmas plans yet, but if past years are anything to go by, expect family-friendly festive touches like grottos, themed trails, and a meet-and-greet with Charlie the Clownfish. It’s an easy win for anyone with kids or just a soft spot for tropical fish.

10. Rediscover Christmas magic at Longleat Festival of Light

A little further out, but absolutely worth it. Longleat’s Festival of Light runs from November 8th to January 11th 2026, and this year’s theme is British Icons: monarchs, Vikings, dynasties, and more. The light trail is huge, immersive, and gets better every year, with a Winter Safari by day and a full-on lantern wonderland by night. Don’t skip the Enchanted Christmas Tree show or the Santa Train unless you hate joy.

Why have your Christmas party at Alcotraz?

Alcotraz turns a standard Christmas do into something completely unrepeatable. You bring the booze. We bring the jumpsuits, the story, the characters, and the energy. It’s immersive, ridiculous, and way more fun than another sit-down meal. Give it a go. You won’t regret it!