The Island Venue

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Location info –
The Island, Bridewell Street, Bristol. BS1 2QD
Access from Silver street or Nelson street.
The Island Venue is based in the basement police cells of an Edwardian building. Unfortunately it is not accessible to wheelchair users. For those with other access needs please contact us and we will do all we can to make your visit accessible. We are happy to arrange for free tickets for personal assistants. For full access information please download our accessibility document.

The Island Venue

The Island, Bridewell Street, Bristol. BS1 2QD

Get directions
Opening times
Monday to Friday: Monday – Wednesday, 9am – 12.30am. Thursday 9am – 2am.
Weekends: 10pm – late
Contacts
Call: 0117 3763457
Email: venue@theisland.uk
Features
We work with Amber Audio to provide high quality sound for clubnights. For more intimate events and performances we can supply an in-house PA.
Some staging and use of up to 100 foldaway chairs.
Fully staffed bar.
Sustainable – we provide reusable stainless steel cups.
Max capacity: 230 people
Length: 15m
Width: 5m
Height: 5m
Rigging:

All lighting, projectors and any other equipment rigged at height to be secured using G-clamping plus safety chains.
There are no height points required over 7ft in the interior space.

Private Hire
Booking enquiry: venue@theisland.uk
Hire ratesPrice on application

An independent grassroots arts and music venue in central Bristol with an industrial yet intimate feel found nowhere else in the city.

Unlike any other venue in Bristol, the former Police Station motorbike shed has been transformed into an industrial spot that captivates your senses from the moment you step through the Exercise Yard, leading you into the lockdown area, where the tunnel rumbles.

At The Island Venue, we are a vibrant, creative community, dedicated to curating unforgettable experiences, through our carefully crafted music programme, captivating exhibitions, performances and workshops. We collaborate with passionate event promoters to ensure a diverse and inclusive musical landscape, creating a safe, memorable experience for everyone. Our cells are also sought-out after as a filming and shooting location. 

Versatile Space, Endless Possibilities

Here at The Island Venue, we take pride in looking after our staff, artists and most importantly…you. 

We partner with Amber Audio to supply professional quality sound systems to ensure that our small grassroots venue has world-class sound. Our vibrant bar menu is inspired by mainland-European flavours, can be found here.

Our commitment to sustainability shines through our reusable Stainless Steel Cup system, which has reduced our waste by 75%. Our cup system does not require customers to pay a deposit; instead, upon arrival each customer is handed one token; this token is to be used towards obtaining a cup. The token covers the value of the cup, so customers must either bring their token to the bar, or bring their used cup to have it replaced with a clean one.

In addition to our curated music programme, the Venue and original Edwardian Police Cells are popular as Film & TV Locations, for Fashion Shoots, Comedy Nights, an annual charity ‘Jail and Bail’ and other immersive events. Recent filming in the Venues includes The Outlaws and Amber Run’s ‘The Start‘.

By far and away one of Bristol’s top club spaces. The Island is home to a tunnel, maybe 30 metres long and about six or seven wide. I’ve never not gone there and left feeling like I’ve experienced something special. Whether that’s down to the physical venue itself or the team behind it being exceptionally good when it comes to knowing who to book, it’s easily one of the clubs I get most excited about visiting.

DJ Miles Arnold

Accessibility

The Island Venue is based in the basement police cells of an Edwardian building which we don’t own and so have been unable to modify for accessibility. Unfortunately The Island is therefore not accessible to wheelchair users. For those with other access needs please contact us and we will do all we can to support your visit. We are happy to arrange for free tickets for personal assistants.

Your Safety, Our Priority

The Island is committed to the Good Night Out Campaign. Good Night out is an independent campaign working with clubs, bars, pubs and venues around the UK and Ireland to end harassment on nights out. Artspace Lifespace and The Invisible Circus Inclusion officers championed a Halt Harassment consultation in 2019 and ran a Halt Harassment campaign in 2021. All staff are fully trained and we carefully select our security and other contractors.

Hire, Join Us

The Venue can be hired until 00:30 Monday to Wednesday, 02:00 on Thursday, and we open until 03:00 at weekends with extended opening hours optional.For Venue Hire for gigs and club nights and lost property requests email venue@theisland.ukplease note we are a small team and therefore cannot always respond to enquiries immediately. We store lost property for a minimum of 3 weeks.

For Filming and other Art Events please email bookings@theisland.uk.

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Past events

Ef Kia | Duckland x Queer Haus of Bristol Live from The Island Bristol 2023

AMBER RUN – ‘The Start’ music video 2022