Last week, Bristol played host to SISTALAND, a new festival celebrating community, creativity, and the power of womanhood. Spread across multiple spaces in the city, the event brought together artists, performers, and organisers committed to building an inclusive environment for women and non-binary people.
The day unfolded through workshops, talks, and performances designed to spotlight underrepresented voices and give emerging creatives the platform they often struggle to find. Whether it was music, art, or conversations about wellbeing and identity, the atmosphere was centred on openness and collaboration rather than competition.
I went along to experience the festival myself, and the energy was immediately distinctive: warm, colourful, and intentionally community-driven.
Sistaland’s founder, Nikita Smith, told us more about the roots of the festival:
“When I founded SISTALAND, it came from a place of desperation, I was at a really low point in my life and I knew that for me to stay in the industry, I needed to find community, I needed to find the right people.
“When magic happens when people are together, there’s no distractions and that’s when you really see people shine through and you see the emotion, so that was always the plan from day dot, I knew that I wanted to get people in rooms together, but I wanted it to be something that was unconventional to normal networking.
“That’s a huge part of what I wanted to do with SISTALAND, even the way we’ve designed our installations, is that everyone is on the same level, even with our main stage, just little things like that. We’re all human, we’re all from different backgrounds, all from different areas of the industry, so that was really important for us to do.
“The world is on fire a little bit at the moment, and to keep ourselves motivated we need to find our tribe, so coming back to community is so important, and especially as women.”
Throughout the day, attendees moved between spaces that felt more like cosy studios than formal venues. One of the most striking elements was the emphasis on representation; performers and facilitators came from a wide range of backgrounds, and the programme was shaped to make everyone feel welcome.
Attendees like René said, “It feels like home to me. It feels like women getting together, collaborating, networking, sharing ideas, sharing space and knowing it’s a safe space to be who we are.”
SISTALAND also highlighted just how hungry Bristol is for events that prioritise community and collective joy. People lingered long after sessions ended, chatting, swapping social handles, and making plans for future collaborations. It felt less like a festival and more like a temporary home for anyone looking to express themselves freely.
Amy told us, “I’m here to get inspired, to meet some lovely ladies, already I feel the energy that I want to go home and do some work. This feels like a safe space for lots of people, I feel more empowered to speak up.”
Nikita also shared her hopes for the future of the festival:
“We want to take it across three days, and give all of the activations more space, more time, bring more creative elements into the festival, build little mini theatres, the ultimate goal for SISTALAND is to become its own financer.
“Spaces like this need to happen for men too, it’s so important. So, I would love to one day find a way of trying to integrate, because we’re never really going to make that change if we keep working in our echo chambers. We have to have those conversations together, so it’s finding a way of doing that together.”
