Arcadia Spider To Light Up Bristol City Centre

Ground-breaking performance, creative recycling, music and technology in the heart of Bristol

Arcadia Spectacular and its world-famous mechanical spider, built in Bristol from 50 tonnes of recycled military hardware, is due to land in Queen Square, bringing together the past, the present and the future in a seminal moment of spectacle.

Taking place on the 4th and 5th of September, this is going to be the first ever city-centre event Arcadia has held, combining cutting-edge sculpture, special effects, music and huge-scale pyrotechnics to deliver a truly unforgettable weekend.

‘Metamorphosis’, a brand new show, which will be unveiled at the 2015 Glastonbury Festival, is being brought to Bristol as part of the city’s year as European Green Capital. It will see the conversion of Arcadia’s signature flames to biofuel – creating the world’s first recycled biofuel pyrotechnics system.

Set against the backdrop of the historic Georgian square, Metamorphosis will see the Spider come alive as a living organism, fusing sustainable ideas with art and music, to create a spectacular symphony of transformation.

Arcadia's founders, Pip Rush and Bert Cole explain; "We're hugely excited to bring Arcadia home to Bristol for our first inner city UK show. Bristol and its community have been so influential in our evolution, and it's a real honour to play such a key role in the city's life during such an important year. We hope it will be a memorable moment of unity that celebrates the inspirational possibilities of what can be done with the world’s waste.”

Metamorphosis is one of six projects that Arts Council England’s Exceptional Award are funding, as part of Bristol’s year as European Green Capital. The event will be produced by Team Love, in partnership with Brisfest.

The full premises licence for Queen Square was submitted on the 14th of May and will be subject to standard licensing procedures, consultations and approval.

Tickets will go on sale from www.arcadiabristol.com on the 14^th of May, beginning at £25, with the artist line-up announced in June.

Further details will be posted on the Bristol 2015 website – www.bristol2015.co.uk.