What began as a focused technology festival has grown year after year into something much bigger; a city-wide movement that brings together founders, creatives, investors, policymakers, researchers, artists and communities from across the South West and beyond.
In 2025, we evolved the festival into BTF+, recognising that some of the most exciting innovation happens at the intersection of technology, creativity and culture. That shift allowed us to broaden the programme, bring in new audiences and create more opportunities for collaboration across sectors.
Brazen is the next step in that evolution. The new name reflects the confidence, ambition and boldness of the community we’re building. It’s about being courageous enough to challenge convention, experiment with new ideas and create unexpected connections. The rebrand also signals our ambition to move from a successful regional festival to a nationally recognised platform that showcases the South West’s innovation ecosystem to the rest of the UK and the world.
What makes Brazen different is that it’s not a conference in a convention centre. Bristol itself becomes the venue. The festival takes place across the city’s institutions, neighbourhoods, creative spaces and grassroots communities, creating opportunities for people who might never normally meet to collide, collaborate and create something new.
At its heart, Brazen exists to tell a bigger story about Bristol and the South West: a region where technology, creativity and culture don’t sit in separate silos but come together to drive innovation, economic growth and social impact. It’s a not-for-profit platform built for the long term, with each edition helping strengthen the ecosystem and create opportunities for the next generation of innovators.
Photo Credit: @Jon_Craig
