Essential Information 2026 - Simple Things Festival

Festival wristbands give you access to all venues listed on Saturday 7th November 2026 ONLY. Tickets to the opening party & after parties are sold separately.

All Simple Things Festival tickets are sold via these outlets:

Bristol Beacon
Dice
Resident Advisor
Headfirst
See

For tickets sold via Bristol Beacon, you will have received your e-tickets via email attachment after you completed your purchase. We will also send you a SMS text message with a link to your e-tickets close to the Festival date.

If you haven’t received your e-ticket, please check our advice here.

Contact hello@bristolbeacon.org for any ticket queries.

Wristband Collection

Tickets need to be exchanged for wristbands in order to allow entry into the venues.

Please ensure you bring:

A valid ticket
Lead booker ID

Tickets will not be accepted on the door of venues.

If you have a ticket for more than one person, we encourage everyone attached to that ticket to arrive at wristband exchange together. If this isn’t possible, ensure all parties arriving separately have their digital version or individual ticket printout.

Please only buy tickets from authorised agents. Beware of touts and unauthorised ticket agents selling tickets as there is no way to guarantee their authenticity. You will be refused entry if you attempt to use a counterfeit ticket.

Refund and Resale Policy

Tickets are non-transferable and non-refundable unless in the case of a cancellation of the event by the promoter. If you purchase your ticket from a third party, please ensure you trust the person who you are buying from. Tickets can only be scanned once, and ID verification is required, so you must bring a copy of the purchaser’s ID at the wristband exchange.

Venue Entry

Ticket holders will be issued with one wristband which grants entry to every venue at wristband exchange. It is not possible to pay for access to individual venues or performances.

We advise that you arrive in good time if there is an act that you want to watch as we cannot guarantee entry to each venue if it reaches capacity. If a venue reaches capacity, a one-in-one-out system will be used.

Please take care of your wristband. Any wristbands removed from wrists, lost or tampered with will be deemed invalid and not replaced. You will be refused admission if you do not have a valid wristband.

Age Policy

Simple Things Festival is for ages 14+ (under 18s to be accompanied by an adult who is over 21, on a 1:1 ratio) up until 9pm.

After 9pm: all venues are 18+

The Island is one of the external venues in the Simple Things programme. This venue is 18+ for the duration of the festival.

A full, general admission ticket must be purchased for any under 18s. Please note that individual venues reserve the right to change their age policy if deemed appropriate. If there is a specific act you would like to attend, it is worth speaking to the venue directly to avoid disappointment.

After parties are all strictly 18+. Challenge 25 will be in operation at all venues. ID will be required on entry and you may also be asked to verify your age at the bar.

Re-entry

You will be able to re-enter each venue with your wristband however it is at the discretion of the venue. Please check before exiting a venue what their re-entry policy is at that time.

Once full capacity is reached in any venue, a one-in-one-out system will be in operation.

Last entry to Bristol Beacon is at midnight. Last entry times vary for other Festival venues. Please check individual venue timings for more information.

Set Times

Clashfinder is available to view here.

Download a plain text version here.

Our schedule is estimated and may shift naturally throughout the day. Keep updated on our FB & IG story plus our IG broadcast channel which you can join here, where we will make any time change announcements.

Medical and Welfare

Each venue will have quick access to first aid and will know how best to proceed in the event of any emergency.

If you begin to feel unwell or see anyone who appears to be in distress for any reason, then please inform a member of staff immediately. Look after yourself and be considerate of those around you.

Drink testing kits are available at all Bristol Beacon bars for anyone who suspects their drink may have been spiked. Speak to a member of bar staff, who can test the drink for you.

Anti-spiking lids are available free of charge at all Bristol Beacon bars. Simply ask a member of bar staff if you would like one.

Lost Property

Each venue will operate its own lost property policy. If you find or lose something, please speak to a member of staff at the venue or contact the venue directly post-event.

Cloakroom

A Cloakroom for small items will be available at the below venues. The amount charged per item is at the discretion of the venue.

Bristol Beacon
Strange Brew

Transport

Car

Simple Things takes place in the city centre so there are plenty of options for parking. Please note there is no on-street parking located at any of the venues. The closest car parks to each venue are listed below:

Bristol Beacon – Trenchard Street Carpark (500ft)
Shredenhams – The Galleries Car Park (250ft)
The Island – Rupert Street Carpark (0.1mile)
Rough Trade – NCP Nelson Street (0.1mile)
Strange Brew – NCP Nelson Street (300ft)

Please check individual car parks for their opening times and prices.

Train

Bristol Temple Meads (1.5 miles) First Bus Services 8 and 72 run from Stop TC outside Bristol Temple Meads to the centre.

Taxi

Bristol operates either Hackney Bristol Blue carriages that can be flagged or pre-booked private hire. The BRAXI app can facilitate booking. Taxi ranks situated in the city centre include:

Colston Avenue
Small Street
Nelson Street

Bike

Please note there is not an official bike park for any of the venues, but there are plenty dotted around the city. Bikes are left at the owner’s risk.

Code of Conduct

We are committed to creating a safe, inclusive, and fun environment for everyone. Simple Things will not tolerate discrimination in relation to ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, faith, physical or cognitive disability, learning difficulties, neurodiversity, health or mental health related vulnerabilities, political beliefs, or any other kind.

Our Code of Conduct is designed to reflect our values and foster a culture of respect to allow everyone to enjoy our festival. It applies to everyone involved in the event; staff, crew and volunteers, festival-goers, guests, performers, and artists – we will all be held to the same standards.

Each of us is responsible for our own actions and for looking out for others. Be aware of situations taking place around you – don’t be a bystander, speak up and seek help if you need it.

Simple Things has a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination, harassment or assault. In the event of a breach of our Code of Conduct, we reserve the right to take any action we feel appropriate, including immediate expulsion from our events or reporting incidents to the police.

We will not tolerate harassment of any kind. For the purpose of this Code of Conduct, this includes:

Threatening or menacing behaviour
Physical assault
Verbal abuse
Discriminatory slurs and derogatory language of any kind
Sexual assault
Sexual harassment
Domestic Abuse
Bullying
Harassment
Stalking

If you witness or are subject to harassment whilst at Simple Things, then please report it to a member of staff.

Accessibility

As a festival, we welcome all D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent attendees and aim to provide an enjoyable experience for all. The following information provides basic details about the accessible provisions available at each venue.

Accessible Facilities that we offer:

Personal Assistant Tickets to those that need them. To be eligible, you will be asked to provide one of the following forms of documentation; PIP, DLA, Access or Nimbus Card or War Disablement letter.
Viewing Platforms or Areas (in some venues)
Accessible Toilets

If you have any access requirements or questions about accessibility please email access@bristolbeacon.org

To ensure that we have time to put appropriate provisions in place, we ask that all ticket holders with access requirements, pre-register their needs via Bristol Beacon.

If you have booked through an external ticket agent (e.g. Dice, Headfirst), please let us know in advance about your access needs. However, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to make the necessary arrangements.

Personal Assistant tickets will be available for collection on the day from Bristol Beacon at wristband exchange.

Venue Accessibility Information

Bristol Beacon

Bristol Beacon has step-free access from street level to the box office and performance spaces. There are accessible toilets on all levels of the venue accessible via lift and a Changing Places Toilet on the lower ground floor.

For those that find queueing difficult, if the main entrance is busy, we have an access queue jump entrance, located around the back of the building on Trenchard Street.

Trenchard Street car park is 200m from Bristol Beacon. People with access requirements can be dropped off and picked up on Pipe Lane or Colston Street. There are drop curbs in both of these laybys.

Accessible viewing areas and assistive listening systems are available in Beacon Hall, Lantern Hall and Cellars.

For those who need to take some time out from the festival, there is a designated Quiet Room on Ground Floor. From Box Office, follow signs to Lantern through the doorway to the right of the cloakroom and beyond the five digital screens. The room will be signposted on your right as you head through this doorway.

View detailed access information for Bristol Beacon

Shredenhams

Shredenhams features a flat-floor layout with ramps where necessary, wide entryways, and a cafe/bar. Accessible toilets are available. There is no induction loop facility or viewing platform at this venue.

The Island

Unfortunately The Island is not accessible to wheelchair users. There are no accessible toilets at this venue. There is no induction loop facility at this venue.

Rough Trade

Rough Trade Bristol is fully wheelchair accessible. This is a standing venue but seating can be provided when needed, please ask the staff at the venue. It has an accessible toilet. There is no induction loop facility at this venue.

Strange Brew

This has step-free and level access throughout. Accessible toilets and allocated viewing areas. There is no induction loop facility at this venue.

Induction Loops

There will be an induction loop available at Wristband Exchange in Bristol Beacon. Assistive listening systems are available for some Bristol Beacon spaces also.

Assistance Dogs

All assistance dogs are welcome across all venues in the Simple Things programme.

Content warnings

Strobe lighting, smoke and haze effects will be used at this event as well as heavily amplified sound at all venues. There will not be any specific announcements prior to their use.

Contact

Customer queries – hello@bristolbeacon.org

Ticket queries – hello@bristolbeacon.org

Accessibility – access@bristolbeacon.org