• Swindon & Wiltshire Tech
• Wednesday May 6 2026

Bristol’s flagship tech festival relaunches as Brazen

Bristol’s flagship technology festival is relaunching in 2026 as Brazen, a five-day national platform focused on technology, creativity and culture, as organisers seek to expand the event’s reach beyond the city and into the wider UK innovation calendar.

Formerly known as Bristol Technology Festival and later BTF+, the event has grown over the past six years from a specialist tech gathering into a city-wide initiative that brings together founders, creatives, investors, policymakers and community groups.

Organisers say the new identity reflects broader ambitions and a longer-term model built around collaboration, with any surplus reinvested into the festival’s growth and impact.

Brazen will take place across Bristol in late 2026, using the city itself as a venue through institutions, neighbourhoods and grassroots spaces.

The format is designed to combine business-focused discussion with cultural programming and practical innovation, while positioning Bristol as a place to build, test and scale ideas.

In its most recent edition, the festival drew more than 6,300 attendees, hosted over 100 events, generated a reach of 4.6 million and delivered £883,000 in total social value.

Bristol Business Improvement District has signed on as a strategic partner for the next three years, underscoring the festival’s economic importance to the city centre.

Steve Bluff, COO at Bristol BID, said: “Bristol BID is excited to be a lead partner for Brazen, where technology, creativity and culture will collide across five days later in 2026.

“The festival will unlock new opportunities for Bristol’s businesses, strengthen pride and confidence in the city, and showcase Bristol and the wider region as one of the UK’s most exciting hubs for innovation and creativity.”

The programme will be structured around four tracks: Summit, Community, Showcase and Live.

Summit will feature major talks and debates, Community will focus on workshops and local participation, Showcase will highlight applied innovation and prototypes, and Live will deliver performances and immersive experiences.

Each day will be themed around issues including leadership, artificial intelligence, clean technology, scale-up growth and creative tech.

TechSPARK, which delivers the festival, said Brazen will build on partnerships formed with major companies including Accenture, AWS, Barclays, Deloitte, Dyson, EY, Meta, Sony and NatWest, as well as universities, public bodies and regional startups.

Ben Shorrock, CEO of techSPARK, said: “Brazen is the next evolution of everything Bristol Technology Festival and BTF+ set out to be.

“We’ve seen first-hand the power of bringing technology, creativity and culture into the same space, and Brazen gives us the confidence, scale and ambition to take that story beyond the city.”

He added: “This is about building a festival that people plan their year around, one that puts community first, but speaks to a national and international audience.”