Join us for the 27th UK Sacred Harp Convention in Bristol!
Come and sing with us in Bristol for the 27th UK Sacred Harp convention!
We look forward to welcoming you back to the Trinity Centre (BS2 0NW). We’ll sing from the 1991 Denson edition of the Sacred Harp on both days.
The singing is open to the public and free to attend, with all welcome and no experience necessary. There will be a collection to cover event costs. All attendees must take a covid lateral flow test before they arrive each day; please scroll down for our guidelines.
We are asking people to pre-register to give us a good idea of numbers and so that we are able to share any vital information closer to the event. Please use this Google form to let us know you are coming: https://forms.gle/8GQnZT4hYv2cmWVy8
Schedule (full timings & details here):
- Friday 13th September | 7pm-8.30pm, Singing School with Thom Fahrbach of Portland, Oregon. Central Bristol Quaker Meeting House, Champion Square, Bristol BS2 9DB
- Saturday 14th September | 10am-3.30pm: First day of the 27th UK Sacred Harp convention. Registration opens at 10am for 10.30am singing. We’ll sing until about 3.30pm with regular tea breaks and a shared pot luck lunch (dinner on the grounds). Please note that there won’t be facilities for reheating food or plugging in slow cookers at the venue; see the programme for more info. There will be a business meeting after the singing.
- Saturday night social | 7pm onwards: we have reserved a seating area at The Stag and Hounds (74 Old Market Street, Bristol BS2 0EJ) – about a 4-minute walk from where the convention is being held.
- Sunday 15th September | 10am-3.30pm: Second day of the 27th UK Sacred Harp convention. Registration opens at 10am for 10.30am singing. We’ll sing until about 3.30pm with regular tea breaks and a shared pot luck lunch (dinner on the grounds).
See our directions and transport page for accessibility information about our singing and social venues.
COVID Mitigations:
We will be using the same COVID mitigations as the 2023 UK Convention. These mitigations are subject to updates if levels of infection change in the lead up to the event. We appreciate everyone needs to make their own assessments about attending a large singing event which cannot be made risk free so if you have questions about any of the mitigations below, please contact us.
- All attendees must use a lateral flow test on the morning of each day of singing, before they travel to the venue and bring evidence of a negative test with them, for example a photograph of the test read at the time suggested by the manufacturer. If you test positive at any point, please do not attend. For children under 7 lateral flow tests are at the discretion of parents and evidence of their tests will not be asked for. Please get in contact with us if you are having trouble finding or paying for a test. We will have some spares on the door.
- We ask that you stay home if you have recently been in close contact with someone who tests positive for Covid or if you or someone in your household has any new, unexplained symptoms. (For updates on the symptoms of covid variants please see: https://covid.joinzoe.com/post/what-are-the-symptoms-of-covid ).
- Masks are not required for singing, but singers are welcome to wear masks if they would like to.
- We will be singing in a hollow square with chairs spaced at the usual distance but there will be extra chairs and space in the large hall for singers who would be more comfortable sitting further away from others.
- The hall will be ventilated as much as possible throughout the singing so we advise people to bring layers whatever the weather.
- We will hold a bring-and-share lunch both days but people are equally welcome to bring their own lunch.
- If you test positive for Covid-19 within 7 days after the event, please notify organisers. Your name will not be shared but we would like to let attendees know so that they can make informed decisions to reduce the risk of infections in their household or local area.