Brisfest at Ashton Court

It's been a perfect autumn day for the return of a Bristol music festival to its spiritual roots. Brisfest is back at Ashton Court for the first time since its predecessor collapsed five years ago. Since then organisers have staged the event on the harbourside. Tanya Mercer reports

Fine weather is setting the scene for the first day of Brisfest. Thousands of people are expected to attend the two-day music event which starts shortly.

This weekend sees 20,000 people head down to Ashton Court for this year’s Brisfest.

It'll be the first event of its kind there since The Ashton Court Festival went bust in 2007.

Hip Hop legends De La Soul will headline alongside Hawkwind, beatbox wizard Beardyman, Roni Size and Radio 1’s Jaguar Skills. They top the bill on a line-up which features over 300 acts representing the best musical talent from all over the South West including Babyhead, Laid Blak and Dr Meaker.

Brisfest was born in 2007 when a group of local people - passionate about ensuring the survival of a not-for-profit music festival in the city - got together after Ashton Court Festival declared bankruptcy. The story has now come full circle as Brisfest moves to its 'spiritual home' of Ashton Court.

Final preparations are underway for BrisFest, which is taking place at Ashton Court in Bristol this weekend. This is its first year at the site, although its origins lie in the hugely popular Ashton Court Festival which went bankrupt.

Around 20,000 people are expected to turn up to hear bands like Hawkwind, hip hop legend De La Soul and Bristol's own Roni Size.