After the success of last year's inaugural event, the 2009 Bristol Festival has well and truly found its feet. Fire shows, street theatre, music and live graffiti are amongst the highlights.

Explosive Start
This year's Bristol Festival kicks off with a host of interactive art installations at the Lloyds Amphitheatre. There's also a silent disco, where clubbers can hire headphones to listen to DJs across the site, fire shows, cabaret and poetry, as well as some experimental music. Festival-goers who attend the opening will be the first to view a range of street art and graffiti created especially for the festival.

Music, and More Music
The main Brizzolfest site is bang in the centre of the city at the Lloyds Amphitheatre and features seven stages hosting a variety of music and cabaret. There's ska 'festival bands', rock, indie, jazz, world music, burlesque, drumming, dance and folk. You name it, they've got it. Headline acts include Turbowolf Dr Meaker, Babel, The Black Sheep and Headhunter. This year's Bristol Festival also includes an open mic stage where local performers can show off their talents.

Capoeira and Hula Hoops
But it's not just about the music in 2009. There's street theatre and a full programme of workshops. And, like the music, the selection is diverse. You can try your hand at life drawing or lyric writing or get those hips swinging with hula hoop classes. There's also breakdancing, salsa, capoeira, live graffiti painting, an open mic stage, boat parties, fire displays as well as street theatre walkabouts.

Family Fun
At Millennium and Anchor Square you'll find the Street Stage, Anchor Stage and lots of family entertainment. Bristol Festival is an ideal family event as there's free entry to children under 12 and there's a dedicated kids' zone with recycled arts and crafts workshops taking place throughout the festival.

Rave on Avon
For the evening, things get ramped up a gear with the Rave on Avon programme. With your Bristol Festival wristband you'll have entry to 10 late night venues across Bristol which will be hosting dubstep, house, drum n bass, garage, breaks and techno. Those taking part include Lakota, The Croft, Blue Mountain, Attik, Lab, Timbuk2, Start the Bus, Mr Wolfs, Chesters and the Big Chill bar. Over at Colston Hall there's also an under-18s Rave on Avon event.

Buzzing Brizzol
The Brizzolfest event saw thousands turning out in 2008 although you'll have to be quick as access to the main Brizzolfest site is limited to 10,000 a day. There's plenty going on around the city though to keep you entertained, and organisers are expecting around 30,000 visitors. And as with any good festival, there's plenty of good nosh on offer with 15 food and drink sellers covering everything from vegan and world food to local produce.

The festival takes place from Friday 18th September - Sunday 20th September 2009. Events run from 6pm - midnight on Friday and from 11am - midnight on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets cost £5. For more information click on the link below.

Bristol Festival Official Site