Funds appeal City refugee festival needs £15k to keep events free
BRISTOL Refugee Festival is crowdfunding to keep its events programme free, inclusive and accessible. The festival - a fortnight of music, food, culture and sports events celebrating the skills and contribution of refugees – was established in 2017.
The much-loved flagship event in Queen Square has been a staple of Bristol’s cultural calendar since 2005. In 2023 over 6,000 people took part in the two-week programme, including nearly 1,000 refugees and asylum seekers.
While festival organisers have tripled their output over the last three years – costs and challenges in funding their work have increased. Bristol Refugee Festival hopes to raise £15,000 to showcase the talents and culture of refugees and asylum seekers in Bristol and to expand its services.
Diego Pena , a refugee writer and photographer, said: “Bristol is a city with its heart in the community, and the people living in it. Bristol Refugee Festival (BRF) embraces cultural diversity, giving people from different backgrounds the opportunity to be part of something big just by expressing themselves and doing whatever they love doing.
“I’ve seen people going through really bad times, children having to learn before time how to keep moving forward, and adults breaking because they have endured already too much. BRF is a fresh blow of air saying to them ‘we will cry together, and we will smile again together.’”
Joel Zuniga, a BRF ambassador who fled political unrest in Nicaragua and organised the festival’s first Latin American event in 2022, said: “Bristol Refugee Festival is special because it promotes inclusion, equality and creates welcoming spaces for everyone. It is important because all the different communities can express their culture through customs, food, music, dance – this is special because it is an expression by refugees and asylum seekers. It creates a sense of belonging and helps us to integrate.”
Donations could contribute to transport for refugees and asylum seekers to attend an event, or a meal when they arrive in the city. Those who donate £50 or more will receive a free festival T-shirt and members of the public who contribute £200 or more have the option of spending time backstage with the performers.
Director Jules Olsen added: “Our festival programme is a huge collective effort and brings much joy each year. But as costs rise, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to fund activities and ensure that the people who need our help most can lead and participate in the programme.
“We strongly believe in the right for everyone to live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives. Donations will enable us to help refugees and asylum seekers build vital community connections and feel welcome and able to become active community members.”
Donations can be made at