Paint By Numbers festival has announced its inaugural edition

Bristol and Nottingham, grab your brushes and stick on that old band tee you don't mind getting messy: brand new festival Paint By Numbers is ready to colour outside the lines this December. The inaugural, one-day-per-city edition lands at Thekla, Bristol on Saturday 6 December 2025, before rolling into Bodega, Nottingham on Sunday 7 December 2025 — each across two stages and in partnership with Dork (Hi, that's us! - Ed).

Today’s first wave is led by headliners Porij. The Manchester electro-pop outfit spent 2023 opening for Coldplay on their ‘Music Of The Spheres World Tour’, then properly set the pace with debut album ‘Teething’ in April 2024. This summer past, they achieved what many are calling their greatest feat yet, by headlining Dork's Day Out.

Fresh from a breakout 2025 — opening Dot To Dot and hitting the road with Suede and Pale Blue Eyes — Nottingham trio Bloodworm bring their goth-punk soundscapes to the party, while fast-rising Bristol post-pop-punk four-piece My First Time join the bill after getting tips from all the right places. Having already appeared on the bill at one of our Dork's Night Out shows this year, they're ones not to miss.

More acts are set to be announced soon. Tickets are £15 + fees in advance - you can grab them here.