To book your place, visit arnosvale.org.uk/events/
- Guided tours
Classic tour
Every Saturday Sat 3, 17, 24, 31 January 1.30pm
7, 14, 21, 28 February 1.30pm
Tickets £6, please book in advance.
Join us for a guided walk through our beautiful cemetery, where you’ll explore its history, symbols, notable residents, and landscape. Each tour varies with the season, and your guide will welcome questions and contributions. Please note: the route includes steep slopes, steps, and uneven paths, and may not be fully accessible.
Valentine’s Love Tour
Saturday, 14 February at 10am-12.00pm
Tickets cost £10
Uncover the many stories of love ‘buried’ in Arnos Vale.
On this atmospheric tour, your guide will share a rich mix of real-life tales — from couples united in life but separated in death, to daring elopements, parental love, and forbidden love. Some stories are touching, some tragic, and some wonderfully surprising, so you may want to bring a hankie.
Please note due to the nature of the stories, this tour is not suitable for children.
- Talks
The Marvellous medics of Arnos Vale– online and in-person talk
Wednesday 21 January 2026 6.30pm-7.30pm UK time
Tickets cost £8 and must be booked in advance.
Learn about often unsettling and sometimes grim story of Victorian medicine and how it transformed Bristol and the world. Discover the horrors and triumphs of 19th and 20th century medicine through this fascinating talk. From fresh water to forensics, childhood disease to Cholera, the discoveries of medical professionals saved many lives and along the way made Bristol one of the healthiest places to live. Join us and celebrate the doctors, surgeons, scientists and patients (and a few quacks) who made medical history and transformed the city’s health and hear about the wild and wonderful cures and discoveries of the past.
Imagining Beyond: The Eeriness of Place – in person talk
Wednesday 28th January 2026, 6.30pm
Tickets cost £10 and must be booked in advance
Join Dr Mary Steadman, Artistic Director of Dust Ensemble, for an atmospheric and thought-provoking talk that dives deep into the uncanny power of derelict mansions, eerie rural landscapes, and downtrodden towns.
As “English Eerie” and “Folk Horror” rise in popularity and creep further into the mainstream, this is the perfect moment to look at why unsettling landscapes and derelict places captivate us. The eerie doesn’t reveal its source — it’s a feeling that ‘things are not what they seem’, disturbing our sense of reality and opening us to the mysterious and inexplicable.
This unique evening draws on the work of M. R. James, David Lynch, PJ Harvey, and thinkers like Mark Fisher and Robert Macfarlane. Through personal stories and performance footage, Mary shares how she explores the eerie in her creative process and how it connects with English folk horror.
The Unquiet Dead – The lively burial grounds of the eighteenth century. Online and in-person talk
Wednesday 25th February 2026, 6.30pm
In person at the Spielman Centre and online
Tickets cost £8 and must be booked in advance
Death historian Dr Dan O’Brien presents a talk on the unpredictable world of eighteenth-century burial grounds. Before modern cemeteries existed, these long-used community spaces were practical places for dealing with the inevitable problem of death — but they were also far from quiet. Burials, mourners, and everyday life all mixed together, and the dead didn’t always rest peacefully.
In this talk, you’ll learn about the many people connected to a burial ground and the unexpected activities that took place there — from games and animals to crime. You’ll hear stories of undertakers at work, mourners gathered by candlelight, and sextons digging graves in dangerous conditions. Drawing on evidence from many sources, Dr O’Brien reveals how burial grounds were lively public spaces that frequently brought the living close to the dead.
- Special Events
Winter Nature-Connection Walk
Sunday, 18 January 2026, 10.30am
Tickets cost £12.50
Reconnect with yourself and nature on a mindful 90-minute winter walk in the beautiful grounds of Arnos Vale Cemetery that blends movement, stillness, and simple grounding practices, with Dr Miriam Ricci, certified wellbeing coach and former sustainability researcher.
Funeral planning workshop
Saturday, 7 February 2026 at 10am-1pm
Tickets cost £30
Join Dr Helen Frisby to explore how English death and burial traditions have evolved from the Norman Conquest to today, then use this insight to begin shaping your own meaningful send-off. This workshop offers a gentle space to learn, reflect, and put your funeral wishes down on paper so your loved ones know exactly what you want.
Dearly Beloved – Alternative Market
Saturday 14 February and Sunday 15 February 2026 11am-4pm
Step out of the ordinary and into the shadows for The Haunts Curiosity Shoppe’s Dearly Beloved – Alternative Market! Where dark romance reigns.
Shop for unique, hand-crafted treasures, bewitching jewellery, alternative apparel, eerie art and treats for your valentine.
- Arnos Vale Cemetery – Opening Hours and contact information
Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust is a UK registered charity; it is a place of heritage, tranquility, stories, respect and wildlife. More than 300,000 people are buried or remembered here, from much-loved members of ordinary Bristol families to those who changed their world or sacrificed their lives in war.
Arnos Vale was established as a Victorian garden cemetery in 1839. Today, it is run by a charity fully committed to protecting and caring for it as place of love, community, and remembrance.
Often described by visitors as serene and peaceful, Arnos Vale is a beautiful natural landscape, and a welcoming location that encourages people to celebrate life and remember those who’ve passed.
Vehicle gates, Bath Road are open 9am-5pm. Pedestrian gates remain open
Cafe | Open daily 10am -4pm Shop | Open daily 10.30am -4pm
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