30 upcoming shows
The Grove
The room
Thekla is a former cargo ship moored in the Mud Dock area of Bristol's Floating Harbour, now one of the city's best-known music venues. Built in Germany in 1958 for the coastal trades, it was bought in 1982 by Ki Longfellow-Stanshall and brought to Bristol the following year.
You asked, the internet answered
Frequently Googled
Does Thekla actually sail?
No. It is moored at East Mud Dock in Bristol's Floating Harbour and stays there — the venue's own FAQ answers this one with a flat "unfortunately not". It did sail once: in 1983 a crew who mostly had no nautical experience took it 632 nautical miles round the east coast of England, six days and six nights from a Sunderland dock to Bristol, and the BBC's Omnibus filmed it coming in under the Clifton Suspension Bridge.
What was Thekla before it was a music venue?
A German coastal cargo ship. It was built in 1958 at Büsum in Schleswig-Holstein for the Schepers family of Haren, and spent its working life hauling cargo — timber from Baltic ports in particular — with its hold lined in Australian red jarrah. After running aground off northern England it lay half-submerged in a Sunderland dock for seven years, until Ki Longfellow and Vivian Stanshall bought it in 1982. It opened in Bristol as the Old Profanity Showboat, shut in August 1986, reopened as The Thekla in April 1987 with a club night called The Cooker, and has been run by DHP Family since 2006.
What time does Thekla finish?
Most gigs are over by 10pm or 11pm, depending on the night of the week. Club nights carry on from 10pm and finish between 3am and 4am, with last entry somewhere around 1.30am to 2am depending on the event.
What time do bands go on at Thekla?
Thekla does not publish stage times in advance as a rule. It posts set times on its Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts on the day, and says to ring 0117 929 3301 if you cannot find them. The door time is the one printed on your ticket.
Can you buy tickets on the door at Thekla?
Yes, as long as the show has not sold out — but not in advance. Thekla has no box office at all, so advance tickets come from Alt Tickets, its official partner, or from another vendor for some club nights. The venue specifically advises against buying through Viagogo or StubHub.
What is the age limit at Thekla?
Most gigs are 14 and over, and anything 18+ will say so on the listing and on the ticket. For an 18+ night you must be 18 on the day the event started — turning 18 at midnight does not get you in. Accepted ID is a driving licence (a provisional counts), a passport, or a PASS-approved UK card.
Is there a dress code at Thekla?
Nothing strict. The only things turned away are team-affiliated sportswear, hi-vis vests and jackets, and fancy dress that gets in the way of everyone else's night.
Is Thekla wheelchair accessible?
Only in part, and the venue is candid about why: the live room is in the hull of a 1958 cargo ship, so there is no level-access route in, no lift, and nowhere inside that avoids stairs. The shortest way to a viewing spot is nine ordinary steps up to the balcony, where a chair can be reserved in advance. There are no accessible toilets on board and motorised wheelchairs cannot be accepted. Essential Companion tickets are free and an Access Card is accepted as proof — email office@theklabristol.co.uk before you book.
Where do you park for Thekla?
There is a council-run car park directly in front of the venue, off The Grove, with accessible bays. The address is The Grove, East Mud Dock, Bristol BS1 4RB, in the harbour just off Queen Square. Thekla's own pages put Bristol Temple Meads somewhere between ten and fifteen minutes away on foot, and the Broad Quay stop on The Centre is about five minutes.
Keen to see Thekla live? Follow it — free — and never miss a date.
What's on
What did I miss? (7)Hide past shows
Are you Thekla?
This is your page. Grab the free show widget — or if anything here is wrong or out of date, tell us and we'll fix it.
Inside