Electric leap for major events in West

As world leaders gather in Brazil to tackle the climate crisis, closer to home, the city of Bristol is set to lead the world in the powering of major public events by establishing a clean power hub for its summer programme that guarantees renewable energy for music festivals, high attendance cultural events, & film and television productions.

A new pilot partnership between West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, Bristol City Council, the ACT 1.5 project, and multiple clean power providers will see a new temporary mobile power hub established within the city, that can be utilised by a selection of music and cultural events and ongoing tv and film shoots. This pioneering leap builds on the world record breaking low emissions ACT1.5 festival produced by Massive Attack on Bristol Downs in 2024 and the sustainable work the city events team have been carrying out through other initiatives.

While other national and international events have trialled part-battery power, this model would see the City Council and Regional Authority collaborating to guarantee renewably powered mobile energy and charging for the summer months to a selection of outdoor events. The health & environment benefits in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution will be extremely significant.

The pilot programme is anticipated to run from May to early September 2026, bringing together a range of battery and pioneering green-hydrogen solutions to green the summer season, and is also supported by Arts Council England.

Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, said:

 “People across the West love culture and love our environment, so this new partnership with ACT 1.5 is really exciting. Clean energy and the creative industries are both key growth sectors for us over the coming decade. Powered by Grid Faeries and Ecotricity, Geo Pura, and other partners, next summer in Bristol major events on council sites can follow Massive Attack’s lead by cutting pollution for live events.”

Mark Donne, Lead Producer at ACT 1.5, said:

“2026 will be the summer of plug for Bristol events, seeing in excess of 20 major events decarbonised, & an entirely new, viable model introduced. This is major step of unprecedented scale & the perfect legacy of Massive Attack’s transgression - not only for the environment, but for the people who live near, work at, or go to summer festivals and events. This is a clean air strategy as well as a climate one, and another world first for Bristol.”

Tony Dyer, Leader of Bristol City Council, said:

“Meeting our goal of becoming a carbon neutral city requires all sections of our economy to take action to reduce emissions and move to more sustainable practices. Working together with our partners across the city and beyond we are adopting innovative solutions to accelerate our progress towards net zero. This trial is a welcome approach to exploring how we can support the events sector to move away from the use of fuel driven generators, in turn improving air quality and lowering emissions. This approach sits comfortably alongside other efforts we’re undertaking to support the sector to recue emissions in the delivery of events. We’re investing in the Amphitheatre to green mains power and are scoping out the potential of replicating this approach across eight further venues.”

Claire O’Neil, Co-Founder of Grid Faeries, said:

“We’re delighted to have been at the heart of the 2024 Downs project providing clean energy for the whole site, as part of our mission to drive diesel & diesel generators out of major events. It's not only about the noise and the local air pollution, burning diesel contributes to the climate crisis. This is why, alongside batteries, our goal is to connect major event sites to the grid. We're happy to support WECA, BCC and ACT 1.5 to scope what is now possible"

Andrew Cunningham, CEO of GeoPura, said: 

“We’re proud to support Bristol’s bold ambition to clean up power at major events. Green hydrogen and battery technologies play a vital role where direct electrification isn’t possible - reaching locations the grid can’t and providing long-duration, reliable power at the scale required to deliver these events. By replacing diesel and biofuels, we’re cutting harmful emissions, protecting public health, and improving local air quality, demonstrating that world-class events can be powered sustainably.”

Robert Long, Head of Portable Power at ZENOBE, said:

"The ACT1.5 project shows that clean, reliable, mobile energy is available today and we celebrate this development in 2026. Temporary power is a crucial part of event operations and can be decarbonised with battery technology. This is more than a festival demonstration – it’s an example for construction sites, logistics hubs, and other sectors that currently rely on diesel to generate their on-site power.”