Friday 27th until Sunday 29th August 2010 @ Secret Location, Northamptonshire

It felt like most of Bristol had upped sticks to live in the flamboyant, glittery, eco conscious land of Shambala for a few days. If only this festival existed all the time, 365 days a year, down a spankly little portal. Whipping on a furry lion suit and faux diamond encrusted headband, we could simply take a shimmy ‘Shambala break’. Be there dancing with men in tight pink trousers and women in purple wigs - kids dressed as monsters. But unfortunately this world doesn’t sit next to the KitKats in the vending machine at work and we have to make do with the Shambalic festival pleasure but once a year.
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On a basic level, you can buy pretty much all you need in Brislington. Along Sandy Hill you’ll find a decent butcher, convenience stores, a café and close by some handy corner shops, one of which I use for milk, bread and toilet paper on a regular basis. In fact, if I didn’t ‘want’ to shop in the nearby Tesco or Sainsbury’s, I could happily avoid them altogether.

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Friday 30th and Saturday 31st July 2010 @ Gilcombe Farm, Somerset
Featuring Performances From: High Grade Rockers Dub Sound System, The Fables, Smerins Anti Social Club, Paper Tiger, Sabria Jade, Asian Hawk

Farm Festival is a two day little festival that gives you a mixture of live local bands and DJs spinning there ones and twos. With a strong anti-corporate sentiment (all the money raised is donated to the charity Practical Action) and with all food organic and local, Farm Festival is very rural.

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Friday 30th July until Sunday 1st August 2010 @ City Centre, Bristol

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Thursday 5th until Sunday 8th August 2010 @ Watershed, Bristol

The bike holds a special place in the hearts of Bristol’s ever-growing cycling community and to celebrate the many pleasures to be had on two wheels, Watershed is hosting Cyclescreen, Bristol’s first Bike Film Festival, a season of fun, inspiring cycling films, talks and events for riders and non-riders alike. Cyclescreen’s wide variety of features, documentaries and shorts cover the wonderful diverse landscape, from the bicycle’s rich history, to cycling communities, disabled riders and lovers of road racing, mountain biking and BMX riding.

www.watershed.co.uk

Friday 23rd until Sunday 25th July 2010 @ Charlton Park, Wiltshire
Featuring Performances From: Calypso Rose, Little Axe, Ozomatli, LaBrassBanda, The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, Imogen Heap, Refugee All Stars, Rolf Harris, Imelda May, Gill Scott Heron

The weather is fine and the ground dry as friends help me pitch a last-minute-bought tent for my umpteenth WOMAD since I were a young lass. The campsite has showers and the toilets have cleaners. We’re off to a brilliant start.

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April 23rd 2010: The second TV General Election Debate
With the faces of the 3 main party leaders projected on the Arnolfini, police divers searching for possible bombs in the Avon River, halted traffic and The Apprentice-style filming of shiny/stylish/stunning Bristol, the election buzz was impossible to miss. Cameron, Clegg and Brown? It was anyone’s game.

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Saturday 3rd July 2010 @ St Pauls, Bristol

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Everyone knows being green has environmental protection as a core value. What is a little less well known is the high emphasis greens put on grassroots democracy and participation. Participation at its best, is all about the open exchange of ideas, mutual understanding, effective and timely information, promoting trust, highlighting decision-making processes, dealing with complex and possibly controversial issues, unique insights, and serving each other. It ideally develops a common view, a sense of purpose and allows communities to take control and set agendas. This is the way to learn to live better lives.
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Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th June 2010 @ Tobacco Factory, Bristol

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