“Last year’s event was incredible, it exceeded all of our expectations”Bristol Birdman takes flight
It brought 10,000 people to the Harbourside to watch one of Bristol’s wackiest events of 2025, but the Bristol Birdman has a more serious side than just people in funny costumes failing to fly across the water.
The Birdman – which Bristol Live revealed back in January would be returning to the Harbourside again this year – is something of a double win for unsung and crucial work to support young people in some of the most deprived areas of the city.
For not only is the event organised by the young people themselves, but it’s also a major fundraiser for the Bristol-based youth work charity that supports and mentors them year-round.
The event is organised by the leaders and young people at Grassroot Communities, which is based in South Bristol but supports young people all over the city.
This week they issued their final call for business sponsors and teams to enter the Bristol Birdman, with the opportunity for a team-building exercise that could end with plunging into the warm waters of the Floating Harbour dressed as a pumpkin or a piece of toast.
Behind the event is an organisation that has done everything from the most vital street-based evening youth work, to running boxing clubs, to running a year long programme to tackle the issue of NEETs – young people not in education, employment and training – by mentoring and supporting them to be ready for a new future.
During 2025, Grassroot Communities delivered a whopping 260 sessions, and engaged more than 5,000 young people throughout the course of the year.
READ MORE: How young people’s lives were turned around by unique Bristol youth work project
For founder Ben Carpenter, the Bristol Birdman might have started out as a mad idea he had decades ago, but it has become a vital way to support young people, both in terms of them helping to run the event itself, but also the backing for the charity.
“The projects Grassroot Communities run include mentoring, internships, youth leadership training and mental health support,” he said. “Every single one of the participants in 2025’s version of the GAP Programme said they had improved their job readiness, and it’s calculated that the programme has a social return on investment ratio of £1.46 for every £1 spent,” he added.
“All profits from the event will go to Grassroot Communities, a Bristol not for profit organisation supporting young people from underserved communities through transformational youth and community work, mentoring, education, employment pathways, and leadership opportunities,” he explained.
The first graduates of a innovative programme for young people that was trialled from September last year in Bristol are talking about how it has changed their lives.
The Grassroots Activators Programme takes young people between 16 and 30 from deprived or challenging backgrounds and sets them on a new path to careers or university(Image: PAUL GILLIS / Reach PLC)
“Bristol is a city of ideas, humour, and community – and the Birdman event is the perfect way to celebrate all of that, while raising money for a vital youth and community work.
“Last year’s event was incredible, it exceeded all of our expectations, and we can’t wait to see what the teams come up with this year.
“We’ll be pulling out all the stops and have a longer schedule with more flying teams and other special water-based entertainment too. If you’re a business looking for a fun and purpose-led event for your staff to take part in, it doesn’t get much better than The Bristol Birdman,” he added.
“Taking part in the event is a huge opportunity for businesses to put their brand at the heart of a landmark Bristol event, while helping to support local youth and community work delivered by Grassroot Communities,” he said.
Last year’s stand-out entrants were the Bakehouse Factory – a prop company that created an incredible ‘Birdman’ entry of a piece of toast that popped out of a toaster. They are back for more this year and will be the team to beat.
Young people taking part in the Grassroots Activators Programme in Bristol
“We were thrilled to have been part of the first ever Bristol Birdman,” said the Bakehouse Factory’s boss Kate Statham. “When we found out about the amazing work Grassroot Communities do, it was the ‘yeast’ we could do,” she added.
The prospect of having people and contraptions plunging into the Floating Harbour might well have caused some initial palpitations at the Harbourmaster’s Office, but everything went well and harbourmaster Eric Dougall is looking forward to this year’s event.
First ever Birdman event gets underway at Bristol’s Floating Harbour (June 15, 2025)(Image: Paul Gillis/Reach Plc)
“We have not experienced such a well-attended, fun, family event at this end of the harbour for thirty years, it was amazing,” he said.
To find out more about entering a team or sponsoring this year’s event, which takes place on Sunday, June 14 from a specially-constructed Birdman ramp near Baltic Wharf, visit the website here.