Plaques celebrate Bristol’s role in influential tech and creative achievements, as first Brazen speakers announced
Bright pink plaques have appeared at locations across Bristol, marking the city’s role in some of the world’s most influential technological and creative achievements.
Installed under cover of darkness by pink balaclava-clad supporters, the pink plaques celebrate Bristol’s connections to innovations and cultural moments including IMDb, Nirvana’s first UK headline gig, Trip Hop, Life on Earth, Aardman’s Creature Comforts, tractor beam technology and Open Bionics’ superhero-inspired prosthetic arms.
Inspired by the national blue plaque scheme, the unofficial installations carry a simple message: “We made this.”
The activation marks the build-up to Brazen, a new five-day festival of technology, creativity and culture taking place across Bristol from 9 to 13 November 2026. Bristol Creative Industries is a proud founding partner of the festival that’s produced by techSPARK and also in partnership with Bristol BID and MyWorld.
The city-wide programme will bring together founders, innovators, creatives and community voices through talks, debates, technology showcases, workshops, performances and live experiences.
We will have a series of inspiring talks from Bristol Creative Industries members. We will announcing the events soon. Make sure you’re signed up to our newsletter to stay updated.
Here the locations of all the pink plaques:
The first speakers have also been announced for Brazen. They span technology, business, sustainability and culture.
It includes Google Cloud’s Caelum Rosenkranz, founder of Riverford Guy Singh-Watson, street artist Inkie, comedian Jayde Adams, author and entrepreneur Margaret Heffernan, Open Bionics ambassador Tilly Lockey, and activist and author Satish Kumar.
Across the five days, audiences can expect bold keynotes and panel discussions, cutting-edge technology showcases, immersive performances, live music and future-facing learning. Events will take place at venues ranging from St Nicholas Church to smaller, surprising spaces across the city.
Brazen’s programme is built around four core tracks, each designed to engage different audiences while contributing to a shared festival identity:
The Summit track is the paid for element of the festival. Tickets are available here. Most other sessions will be free, including the Bristol Creative Industries events.
Ben Shorrock, CEO of techSPARK, said:
“The strength of any festival is ultimately defined by the people who take part. This is the first of our lineup announcements and we’re already incredibly excited by the range and calibre of voices who will be joining us at Brazen.
“From founders and innovators to creatives and community leaders, our speakers will help create the kind of conversations and happy collisions that lead to new ideas, partnerships and opportunities. Together, they’ll help showcase the energy, ambition and creativity that make this region such a powerful hub for innovation.”
Full list of confirmed speakers so far:
Bristol Creative Industries is the membership network that supports the region's creative sector to learn, grow and connect, driven by the common belief that we can achieve more collectively than alone.
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