Events – OutStories Bristol

LGBTQ+ tours of Bristol Museum & Art Gallery

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Jul 012025

Oil painting of a sun-tanned young man wearing only shorts standing against a rock being embraced by a pale-skinned mermaid with long blond hair.

Frederic Leighton
‘The Fisherman and the Syren’
Credit: Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives

Discover some of the incredible LGBTQ+ stories, histories and connections in the rich and surprising collections at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery. Led by local queer historian Jack Shoulder, the tour offers insights from the natural history world, fine art and history ranging from Ancient Egypt to the present day.

Tour dates in 2025:

Sunday 27 July
Saturday 6 September
Saturday 13 September
Saturday 4 October

Tours are one hour, 11am to 12pm.

Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, Queens Road, Bristol BS8 1RL
Getting there Access

Tickets are £6/£4 (concession). This includes entry to the Gender Stories exhibition.

Please book in advance, places are limited to 15 per tour. Walk-ins welcome on the day if space is available.

Click here for further information and to book your place,

3 July to 21 Sep 2025 – ‘Fierce: Bristol’ photo exhibition

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Jun 102025

Black and white photo showing the left side of the face of a young Black man with short, tightly-curled hair, his face glowing in light. He looks directly and confidently at the camera with a slight smile.

Myles-Jay Linton. ©Ajamu X

Since 2013, photographer Ajamu X has set up portrait studios in select cities to create celebratory, distinctive and aspirational images mapping contributions of Black Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Queer individuals, who have often been overlooked within mainstream narratives and histories.

Last year the Martin Parr Foundation commissioned Ajamu to make ten new portraits, adding a Bristol chapter to the ever-evolving Fierce archive. This new work is presented alongside archival materials, exploring and providing more context to Black queer histories in Bristol.

Fierce: Bristol will be displayed alongside images from Fierce: London and Fierce: Toronto.

3rd July to 21st September 2025
Martin Parr Foundation, 316 Paintworks, Arno’s Vale, Bristol BS4 3AR
Getting there and accessibility

Gallery opening times: Thursdays to Sundays, 10am to 5pm (closed Monday to Wednesday).
Free entry.

FIERCE: Bristol

To 23 Nov 2025 – Bristol Pride x Martin Parr photo exhibition

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Jun 012025

Legendary photographer Martin Parr has teamed up with Bristol Pride and Bristol Museums to showcase a retrospective of his photos of the city’s annual Pride festival.

Images in the exhibition capture all the different walks of life that come to celebrate and protest at Bristol Pride.

Martin Parr explains that: “I have photographed over four Prides and it is always one of the best days for shooting in the Bristol calendar …. It is fantastic how Pride marches are now enjoyed by so many people. This would not have been the case when these marches started”.

27th May to 23rd November 2025. Daily (not Mondays), 10am to 5pm

Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, Queens Road, Bristol BS8 1RL
Getting there Access

For further details see the Bristol Museums webpage. The exhibition is free but donations to the museum welcome.

31 May to 12 Oct 2025 – Gender Stories exhibition

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Apr 292025

Modern art coloured line drawing of bright yellow head and upper body with raised laft arm on swirling cerise and blue background.

Credit: Mister Samo

Challenging rigid definitions and binary narratives, Gender Stories dives deep into the intricate connections between sex, gender, sexuality, and identity. Discover how these fluid, and multifaceted ideas have been mythologised, stereotyped, expressed – and sometimes concealed – through art, history, politics, and daily life over time.

Featuring works by Grayson Perry, David Hockney and Catherine Opie, this groundbreaking exhibition invites visitors to delve into the multifaceted world of gender, challenging traditional binary narratives and exploring how gender intersects with sex, identity, and sexuality across cultures and history.

31 May to 12 October 2025. Daily (not Mondays), 10am to 5pm

Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, Queens Road, Bristol BS8 1RL
Getting there Access

For full details and to pre-book a time slot, see the Bristol Museums Gender Stories webpage.
Choose what you pay – the suggested price is £6.

12 July 2025 – OutStories at Bristol Pride

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Apr 242025

Bristol Pride Day is back! Not only is Bristol Pride one of the largest UK Pride events, it’s one of Bristol’s largest festivals.

OutStories will be there with a stall in the Community Area. Come and say hello!

Saturday 12th July 2025, 12pm onwards
The Downs, Westbury Park, Bristol
Map

It’s costing a whopping £740k+ to make Pride happen – approximately £20 for each person that attends. So buy your Pride Day Supporter Wristband now! Bristol Pride is a not for profit charity and every penny helps.

See you there!