Bristol Beacon concert hall to reopen in November

Concert venue Bristol Beacon has announced it will reopen on 30 November after a five-year transformation.

Formerly known as Colston Hall, the Victorian music venue has been closed since 2018 as it underwent a £132m refurbishment - almost three times its original estimate.

Bristol City Council has said the spiralling cost was due to inflation and external influences.

The venue's full reopening programme is set to be announced later this year.

The Bristol Beacon, which opened in 1867, is owned by Bristol City Council and run by Bristol Music Charity.

The refurbished music venue has seen improvements to its performance spaces, with the 2,000-plus capacity Beacon Hall, the 500 capacity Lantern Hall and the brand new 200 capacity Weston Cellar.

Ahead of the announcement about the full reopening programme, the venue has said the Simple Things Festival will return for its 10th edition, following a five-year hiatus.

Thomas Frost, the festival's co-founder, said: "The Beacon will be such an integral part of Bristol's music scene, championing grassroots and local artists as well as supporting projects and events from every genre of music.

Some artists already revealed to be playing at the Bristol Beacon include This Is The Kit, Jools Holland and the Bootleg Beatles, as well as a December show from Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

December will also see the return of comedy to the Beacon stage with performances by John Robins and Ross Noble.

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