FAQs and General Information

Where is Simple Things Festival?

Simple Things Festival takes place across 11 stages throughout Bristol’s city centre. Six stages make up the day leg of the event and five are night time venues. All venues are within a 10-minute walk of one another. A full list of opening times for each venue is at the bottom of this page.

Venues - Day

Colston Hall - COLSTON ST, BS1 5AR
O2 Academy - FROGMORE ST, BS1 5NA
Rough Trade - 3 NEW BRIDEWELL BS1 2QD
SWX – 15 NELSON STREET, BS1 2JY
The Sportsman / Zed Alley - 40 COLSTON ST, BS1 5AE

Venues - Night

Lakota & Coroners Court - 6 UPPER YORK ST, BS2 8QN

Where do I go to get my wristband?

Day
The public wristband exchange is located at Colston Hall’s Box Office, which is accessed via the Trenchard Street Entrance. The wristband exchange will be open from 12.00 and will shut at 21.00. You must collect your day wristband before 21:00 otherwise you will not be able to access any of the daytime festival venues

If you have a ticket for more than one person, we encourage all people attached to that ticket to arrive together. If this isn’t possible, then ensure all parties arriving separately have their individual print out of the ticket.

Night
For those that have a night time ticket your ticket can be exchanged at Lakota directly upon entry with your ticket. Ensure you have either the digital or paper version in your possession.

What time does the festival start and end?

Day

The first performances start at 14:00 and the final performance end at 00.30. We advise heading down early to collect your wristband to avoid queueing.

Night

The night-time programme starts at 22.00 and ends at 06:00 Sunday morning. Please refer to the set times for stage opening and closing times.

Where can I find set times?

Set times will be released on the Simple Things facebook page, We advise saving them to your phone or printing a copy at home. Set times will also be visible in each venue.

How does venue entry work?

Day
At the wristband exchange ticket-holders will be issued with one wristband which grants entry to every daytime venue. It is not possible to pay for access to individual venues or performances. We strongly advise that you arrive in good time if there is an act that you really want to watch as we cannot guarantee entry to each venue if it reaches capacity.

Night
All the stages in the Lakota complex are self-contained so entry is on the door. Re-entry will be up to the discretion of the club.

IMPORTANT: Please take care of your wristband – any that are removed from the wrist, lost or have been tampered with will be deemed invalid and will not be replaced. If you do not have a valid wristband you will be refused admission to the festival venues. Also Day event tickets are NOT valid for entry to the night programme and visa versa.

Safety and Wellbeing

Simple Things takes a firm stance on any aggressive or inappropriate behaviour. This includes any instances of racism, sexism, homophobia, or transphobia. If you witness or are affected by any inappropriate behaviour then please report to a steward or member of security. If you begin to feel unwell at any point or see anyone who appears to be in distress for any reason then please inform a steward or member of security immediately. Look after yourself and be considerate of those around you.

Age

All of the day-time venues will be operating a 16+ policy, and night-time venues will be operating an 18+ policy. Age checks will be carried out on the door and Challenge 25 will be in operation on all bars.

Accessibility

Simple Things Festival welcomes all deaf and disabled festival-goers and aims to provide accessible facilities to ensure that the event can be enjoyed by as many people as possible. Please follow this link for full details: https://simplethingsfestival.co.uk/accessibility.html

Wristband Exchange

Day
COLSTON HALL - COLSTON ST - BS1 5AR
Ticket exchange for all purchased daytime tickets will take place at the box office desk at the Colston Hall. The exchange will open at midday and will shut at 21.00. We would advise getting down early to avoid any queueing.

Night
Present ticket at Lakota.

Guestlist
Day
The Christmas Steps Pub - BS1 5BS
Guestlist wristbands are available to collect from the Christmas Steps pub.

Search Policy

Security will be operating searches at all venues. By entering the festival you are consenting to be searched. Security and venue staff reserve the right to refuse anyone entry to the festival. Simple Things operates a zero-tolerance policy on illegal drugs and legal highs. Please do not attempt to enter the festival carrying either as it may result in refusal of entry and/ or police involvement.

Should you do anything to result in your removal from a venue for any reason then you risk having your wristband removed and entry to any other venue declined on the day.

We would also strongly advise bringing as little with you as possible – especially bags. All bags will be searched which will significantly hold up the entry process.

Opening Times

Colston Hall Wristband Exchange - 12.00 - 21.00
The Christmas Steps (Guestlist and Press) - 12.00 – 21.00
Colston Hall - 14.00 – 00:30
O2 Academy – 14:30 – 00:30
Rough Trade – 15:00 – 23:30
SWX – 14:30 – 21:30
The Sportsman - 14.00 - 23.30
Zed Alley – 14:30 – 23:15
Lakota + Coroners - 22.00 - 06:00

As a condition of sale, all ticket holder consents to being filmed, photographed and recorded for television, radio, webcast and other public broadcast and/or for any video/DVD or by onsite CCTV cameras and recordings for security purposes.