WHAT’S ON

Bedminster Winter Lantern Parade Waitress at The Bristol Hippodrome

Photograph by Chris Dean

n Throughout February Bristol College of Massage and Bodywork offers high quality training in the heart of Clifton. Founded in 1986, it runs a variety of different courses including monthly holistic massage introductions for beginners and professional training in holistic, remedial and sports massage and Indian head massage. Qualified therapists can also join Continuing Professional Development (CPD) workshops and a low cost graduate massage clinic every Thursday. bristolmassage.co.uk

n Throughout February, We The Curious With shorter days and clear nights, winter can be the best time of year to look up at the night sky. We The Curious is running winter stargazing shows in its 3D digital planetarium. Discover famous constellations, unveil the secret lives of stars, and learn the fate of planet Earth. wethecurious.org

n 4 February, Harvey Nichols Bristol Celebrate Lunar New Year and enjoy a traditional menu with a Second Floor twist. Enjoy a Year of the Tiger cocktail, followed by a starter and main course.Specialising in French-style pastries with Asian flavour, Bath-based patisserie Sugarcane Studio will end the evening in style with a unique Chinese New Year dessert. harveynichols.com

n 5 February, Bristol Beacon The biggest Record Fair in the south west, spread over all five floors of the Bristol Beacon Foyer building. Almost 100 stalls, dealers from across the UK, all genres and era's of vinyl, with a few CD dealers thrown in. Free entry all day 10am to 4pm. swrecordfairs.co.uk

n 6 February, St George’s Bristol For the first time, the Bristol Palestine Film Festival is putting on an event outside of its usual festival dates in December. The evening will include two insightful short films focusing on cultural resistance in Palestine and a panel discussion. Liwan is an uplifting story about the struggle to establish a cultural café in Nazareth promoting Palestinian culture and driving a rejuvenation of the old city. bristolpff.org.uk

n Starting 8 February, Oldfield Road Bristol Bridge Club is back welcoming members and guests to its premises on Oldfield Road. The club is running beginner lessons on Tuesday mornings and/or evenings. The course costs £90 for ten lessons, which will include a BFA Beginning Bridge book. Alternatively, members can pay £8 a lesson.For more information, contact Sue at: teaching@bristolbridgeclub.co.uk

n 8–12 February, The Bristol Hippodrome Meet Jenna, a waitress and expert pie-maker who dreams of some happiness in her life. When a hot new doctor arrives in town, life gets complicated. With the support of her workmates Becky and Dawn, Jenna overcomes the challenges she faces and finds that laughter, love and friendship can provide the perfect recipe for happiness. atgtickets.com

n 11 February, Tobacco Factory An evening of film and talks celebrating adventure from some of the most spectacular places on earth, brought to you by the team behind Kendal Mountain Festival. You'll be guided through a curation of stories from across the globe, told by a unique collection of films from travellers, athletes, activists and creatives. Kendal Mountain Festival is the ultimate social gathering for outdoor enthusiasts – with a world-class programme of films and talks from international adventurers taking place on the edge of the Lake District each year. tobaccofactorytheatres.com

n 12 February, St George’s Bristol Exultate Singers is joined by the internationally-renowned Australian saxophonist Amy Dickson for a concert of spellbinding music for choir and saxophone. The rhythmical and virtuosic pieces feature exciting interplay between choir and saxophone, including arrangements of folk songs from around the British Isles in which the saxophone soars over the choir's beautiful melodies and sumptuous harmonies. stgeorgesbristol.co.uk

n 12 February, BS3 Bedminster Winter Lantern Parade is the largest community project in south Bristol, celebrating the creativity, inclusivity and the wonderful spirit of BS3. On 12 February,

Eleanor Alberga OBE

Ciaran Corsar and Amy Tanner in Decadence, directed by Joanne Butler

just after darkness falls, organisers will be hosting the 10th annual parade, which will see local schools, businesses, residents and community centres parade their colourful lanterns from Ashton Gate to Bedminster along North Street and British Road. As music plays, dancers entertain and paraders soak up the good vibes, spectators from Bristol and beyond are invited to join the festivities. lanternparade.org

n 14 February, St George’s Bristol Allow yourself to be swept off your feet for an evening of passion and drama from the world of classical and film music. Promising to be a Valentine's Day to remember, this concert is packed with ravishing melodies, poignant songs and heartrending music from some of the world's favourite romantic composers. stgeorgesbristol.co.uk

n 15 February, The Marble Factory Nubiyan Twist craft, led by multiinstrumentalist and producer Tom Excell, the nine-strong London-based collective of musicians offer a combined powerhouse of talent and musicianship. Earlier this year they released their acclaimed new album Freedom Fables. The record continues the group’s collaborative essence featuring guest appearances from the likes of Ego Ella May, K.O.G. and Cherise. bristolbeacon.org

n 18 February, Bristol Folk House Whether he’s playing master of ceremonies at a Libertines show in front of 5,000 screaming rock fans or reciting Georgian ballads down your local, Luke Wright is adept at taking poetry to places it doesn’t normally go. His poems can be tender, riotous, caustic and romantic and he delivers them with the ferocity and panache of a raconteur at the top of his game. Now Luke is preparing for an extensive tour the UK in 2022 with an all new show of poems. Appearing at Bristol Folk House on 18 February, grab your tickets at: bristolfolkhouse.co.uk

n 21 February, 02 Academy Bristol One of the UK’s most exciting, credible and influential British groups, The Stranglers, are set for an extensive, full production tour –the last time they play together in this format. Coming to O2 Academy Bristol on 21 February and covering tracks from their mighty, 45-year catalogue, fans can expect to hear all the classics and get the full rock ‘n’

n 1–5 March, The Alma Tavern &

In Decadence, a terrifying light is brutally shone on the excesses of the ‘80s and all that decade offered and took away. Steven Berkoff's searing indictment of the moneyed classes is brought gloriously and grotesquely back to the modern stage by theatre company Misplaced.

How much has really changed? Are we a classless society? Can we build better? Penguin suits and Mouton Rothschild Champagne collide with fake furs and powdered glass in gin. Absurd, horrifying and obscene in equal measures, watch Berkoff's characters immerse themselves in ridiculous pursuits of pleasure and revenge roll experience for one final time. Tour support comes from Ruts DC. academymusicgroup.com

n 24 February, Bristol Cathedral Aled Jones MBE, one of the classical world's vocal powerhouses, has announced a very special tour for February and March 2022, as he brings his unique concert of music and stories to cathedrals and churches around the UK. Aled will be appearing at Bristol Cathedral on 24 February and will be singing songs from a range of different faiths - Quaker, Christian, Catholic, Muslim and Buddhism - including uplifting hymns, texts and scriptures set to music. bristolcathedral.co.uk

while morality and compassion are nowhere to be seen. thealmatavernandtheatre.co.uk

n 5 March, St George’s Bristol On 5 March, in celebration of International Women’s Day, Brandon Hill Chamber Orchestra – one of the finest non-professional orchestras in England –will be playing a major new symphony by the eminent composer, Eleanor Alberga OBE. The piece, titled Strata, is a joint commission between The Meadows Orchestra based in Edinburgh and the BHCO. Strata is a musical telling of the geological history of our world. It invites listeners to travel to the very dawn of time, when mysterious and colossal forces were forging planet Earth. stgeorgesbristol.co.uk