Bristol in pictures: Concerts, cats and cricket

Summer is here and Bristol is once again hosting a variety of concerts and events.

Here is a selection of pictures taken across the city over the past few days, covering the T20 derby between Gloucestershire and Somerset, two music events in the form of Bristol Sounds and BS3 at Ashton Gate, and England fans watching their team at Euro 2024.

Photographers also captured hot air balloons over the city and a pub where furry felines keep a close eye on the pouring of pints.

Ready to rock: Bristol Sounds is back, with several concerts happening on the harbourside this week. Skindred kicked things off in the Lloyds Ampitheatre on Saturday, with Gentleman's Dub Club, James Arthur, Busted, Placebo and The Breeders all headlining between now and Sunday.

Light up: The Bristol Sounds gigs take place with the city's iconic harbour cranes as a backdrop.

Ready to dance: Across at Ashton Gate Stadium, the BS3 festival made its debut on Saturday with thousands of fans entertained by the likes of Dizzee Rascal, Ne-Yo, Jess Glynne and Craig David.

Packing them in: Fans at BS3 Live were entertained by 10 acts across two stages for the hip-hop and R&B-themed one-day event.

A Thatchers hot air balloon hovers over Ashton Gate Stadium in Bristol with the River Avon visible in the distance
[Simon Boddy/Ambitious PR]

Not long to go: There have been many chances for Bristol residents to see balloons in the skies over the city this week, firstly because of the start of the countdown to the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta. The above picture captures sights including the River Avon, Ashton Gate and Greville Smyth Park.

A hot air balloon flies over the centre of Bristol with the harbourside visible below
[Simon Boddy/Ambitious PR]

Eagle-eyed readers will also be able to see many Harbourside sights in this one including The Matthew, The Thekla, the Lloyd's Ampitheatre and the Arnolfini.

The orange 'Wrong Trousers' hot air balloon flies over houses in Knowle West in Bristol
[Exclusive Ballooning ]

Cracking view Gromit: And if you needed another hot air balloon fix, the Grand Appeal's 'Wrong Trousers' hot air balloon made the most of the conditions this week to glide over the city. The balloon was designed in collaboration with Bristol-based Aardman Animations and is operated by Exclusive Ballooning.

Hundreds of England fans watch a Euro 2024 match at the fan park in Prospect venue in Bristol
[Prospect Bristol]

Standing together: Hundreds of England fans have been gathering in venues across Bristol to watch the team in action at Euro 2024 this week. One of the biggest fan parks is at the recently-opened Prospect venue in the east of the city.

A row of people sit in sits at the Bristol Beacon to honour members of the Windrush generation
[Plaster Communications]

Heroes of history: Bristol Beacon held a special ceremony this week to honour people who took part in the Bristol Bus Boycott, a campaign for civil rights in the 1960s. Seats in the venue have been named after some of the key people in the struggle (below) as part of a week of events to celebrate the Windrush generation.

The crowd watch Gloucestershire play Somerset under floodlights in the Vitality Blast at the county ground in Bristol
[Steve Mellen/BBC]

Derby day: A sell-out crowd watched Gloucestershire beat local rivals Somerset in the T20 Vitality Blast on Friday night. Predicted rain showers largely stayed away to allow Ben Charlesworth and Ollie Price to hit a late blitz of boundaries to swing the contest the host's way.

A cat sits on the bar by the beer pumps at the Bag O'Nails Pub in Bristol city centre
[Steve Mellen/BBC]

The purr-fect pint: Bristol has many unique pubs - but only one has resident cats who watch the patrons come and go from their boxes on the bar. Regulars at the Bag Of Nails can follow the fortunes of the feline friends via the pub's Facebook page.

Two cats eat from their bowls on the bar at the Bag O'Nails pub in Bristol
[Steve Mellen/BBC]

More Bristol galleries