Top ten best things to do in Bristol this Autumn

Inspired by London 2012? Check out Bristol’s sporting glory at a series of four, free sport history events at M shed

in September.

The initiative by the Bristol Record Office is part of the national 2012 Archives Awareness campaign and the events will be held every Thursday in September.

It will start on September 6 with screening of Bristol sports footage featuring ballooning, powerboat racing and skateboarding and links with the closing days of M shed

’s Bristol Urban Sport Exhibition.

The timetable sees Bristol Urban Sport on screen on September 6 from 5.30pm to 7pm while September 13 sees the early years of Bristol Rugby Club featured.

Hear about the history and heroes of Bristol Rugby Club from Mark Hoskins, author of books including Bristol Football Club (RFU) - 100 Greats. Archivist Graham Tratt also presents highlights from the club’s archive at Bristol Record Office.

Bedminster Down Boys Club is the focus of September 20 when visitors can meet Clive Burlton, a former member of Bedminster Down Boys Club, to find out how the club established a sterling reputation for sporting success - and hear about a new project to document its history.

Finally on September 27, it’s Olympic visions with art historian Mike O’Mahony (University of Bristol), author of Olympic Visions: Images of the Games through History, talks about the visual legacy of the Olympics and his work to create an alternative archive of London 2012. To book your place for the events at M shed

call 0117 922 2686

And there’s plenty on in Bristol throughout the Autumn – we’ve picked out 10 for your diary.

1. Lion King – with the hit-show now open at The Hippodrome

and running until November 17, there’s just a couple of weeks left to check out the unique exhibition Exploring the Lion King: From Inspiration to Realisation hosted by the Royal West of England Academy

until September 16. The interactive exhibition incorporates the costumes, masks and puppets and gives visitors the chance to discover how the award-winning musical was created. Admission is free and is open Monday to Saturday 9.30am to 5.30pm and Sunday 11am to 5pm. Last admission is half an hour before closing.

Royal West of England Academy, Queen’s Road, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 1PX T: 0117 9735129

2. Pumpkin parade – Tyntesfield House is planning Pumpkin fun for October. From October 27 to 31, marvel at the display of Tyntesfield grown pumpkins and squashes in the Kitchen Garden or try a treat from a pumpkin menu in the restaurant or follow the pumpkin trail around the estate. On Halloween itself, visitors are invited to bring a carved pumpkin and take part in the best cut pumpkin competitions with bonus prizes for the best fancy dress too. Meet in the Upper Courtyard of Home Farm at 2.30pm. £1 per trail. Tyntesfield is a fine Victorian country house created by William Gibbs. Admission tickets for the whole property or garden only are available.

Tyntesfield , Wraxall, Bristol, BS48 1NX T: 01275 461 900

3. Igfest 2012 – a festival with a difference which is returning to Bristol from September 5-8 bringing robots, zombies, ninja death cows, water fights and powdered paint. It is based in and around the Old City this year and boasts a fringe of games in Castle Park on September 8 including Quidditch, Binocular Football and Rainbow Rain. It is the fifth year of the festival which sees games in the streets and has been split into headline events and fringe. Headline tickets are £15 to £28 with the Festival Fringe game tickets ranging from free to £5.

Castle Park, Bristol, BS1 3DY. For information on the Festival visit www.igfest.org

4. Encounters – a short film and animation festival taking place at The Arnolfini, The Watershed, The Cube and Big Top @Creative Common from September 18 to 23. Features include Aardman in Conversation – meet those behind the national treasures of Wallace & Gromit and films such as Chicken Run. Peter Lord, David Sproxton and Nick Park will be joined on stage by Francine Stock from BBC Radio 4’s The Film Programme for a discussion. Tickets are on sale now with general ticket prices £6.50 or £5 concessions. Organisers say prices vary for special industry and gala events such as workshops, master classes and panel discussions.

The Watershed Media Centre, 1 Canon’s Road, Harbourside, Bristol, BS1 5TX or Encounters Festivals, St Bartholomew’s Court, Lewins Mead, Bristol, BS1 1BT T: 0117 929 7501

5. Cocktails in the City – a master class with the city’s top bars in partnership with the UK’s finest drinks brands. The organisers say: “Learn how to make and shake luxurious cocktails under the expert tuition of the city’s best bartenders.” Entry costs £20 including three cocktails, drinks, sampling, main stage demonstrations and tutored tastings. The event has already been popular in Edinburgh and Manchester and comes to Bristol on September 6.

St George's , Great George Street, Bristol, BS1 5RR T: 0117 929 4929

6. Explore Bristol – the city’s Doors Open Day takes place on September 8 and is when many contemporary and historic buildings open their doors for free. For some you need to pre-book, others offer regular tours without pre-booking. Wander around The Exchange which was an 18th century trading and meeting place for merchants and ship owners or discover the Redcliffe Caves or perhaps take a peek at the Old Dock Cottages or the Concrete House in Westbury-on-Trym described as a ‘Modern Movement’ House, built in 1934. Leaflets on all those participating are available from Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset Libraries, Bristol Tourist Information Centres and Bristol Architecture Centre.

For more information contact the TIC on Bristol’s Harbourside or call 0906 711 2191 – calls charged at 50p/min plus network extras.

7. Bristol Half Marathon – enjoy the stunning spectacle of thousands of runners pounding the city’s streets for the 24th Bristol Half Marathon on September 30. The race starts and finishes in Bristol’s historic harbourside with the route taking runners around the Old City, past the Harbourside, the Portway, through the Avon Gorge and they will pass twice under Brunel’s Clifton Suspension Bridge. The event is one of five RunBritain Grand Prix events with others being Reading half marathon and London 10000 which took place in the Spring, Swansea Bay 10k on September 23and Great Eastern Run on October 14.

Race Hotline 01782 396113

8. An ode to Bristol – Bristol Poetry Festival runs from September 25 to October 2 and features award winning poets including Philip Gross, Kathryn Symmonds and Matthew Barton. It also showcases poetry slams with a highlight being Bristol v Dublin.

The Arnolfini, 16 Narrow Quay, Bristol, BS1 4QA Box Office 0117 917 2300

9. Family Garden Show – Bristol Zoo is holding its first Family Garden Show on September 15 and 16 with a host of activities taking place in the award-winning gardens and the fun is free with usual zoo admission. From 9am to 5.30pm pop into the marquee for activities such as arts and crafts, pot a plant, busy buzzy bee game and face painting. From 10am to 4pm meet the experts in herbaceous border for a drop-in Q&A, really useful plants quiz and the chance to see the chilli tent. Elsewhere there will be stalls selling a host of gardening goodies and on Saturday at 2.30pm the zoo gardeners will be taking about encouraging wildlife in the garden while at the same time on the Sunday the One Show’s Wildlife Expert Mike Dilger will be giving a talk based on his new book My Garden and Other Animals.

Bristol Zoo, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 3HA T: 0117 974 7399

10. Theatre – be one of the first to see the city’s refurbished Bristol Old Vic. The first show to be performed on stage in the theatre since it closed for the massive revamp is John O’Keeffe’s Wild Oats. Described as a ‘riotously comic affair’, it runs until October 20. The 18 months refurbishment has seen the transformation of the Georgian auditorium, paintshop and back-stage areas. It is the oldest working playhouse in the country.

Bristol Old Vic, King Street, Bristol, BS1 4ED T: Box Office 0117 987 7877