BBC Radio 6 Music today revealed that the 6 Music Festival 2016 will be taking place at carious venues throughout the city from Friday 12 to Sunday 14 February. 

The first wave of artists revealed today are Primal Scream, together Roni Size, Tricky, Beak and The Blue Aeroplanes.

The full line up for the 6 Music Festival will be announced on 19th January together with ticketing details. y.

Mary Anne Hobbs said : “The 6 Music Festival is such a special event because it brings all the elements of what we do as a digital radio station into a physical space; the artists, the whole of the station's staff and presenters, and of course our wonderful listeners. This year, the festival is coming to Bristol, a place where music is such a primary element of the DNA of the city. It’s going to be a truly unforgettable experience."

Steve Lamacq says: “I love getting out of London and going to gigs around the country, so the 6 Music Festival is ideal. Bristol has some fantastic venues - I was there a while back to see a band called The Archie Bronson Outfit and had an excellent night at the Colston Hall so I’m really looking forward to going back there. I’ve also presented a lot of good shows from Bristol over the years including Sound City for Radio 1 in the ‘90s and some gigs for 6 Music, so I know the appetite for music is really healthy around the city. I hope people come along and enjoy it.”

6 Music champions music with an alternative spirit and the Bristol music scene encapsulates this. The city is steeped in a fantastic musical heritage with a hugely diverse scene which will be reflected at the festival. Bristol has also gained renown for its thriving graffiti art scene with one of the world’s biggest names, Banksy, hailing from the city. At Watershed today, Steve and Mary Anne talked to graffiti artists CHEO, Inkie and Cosmo Sarson, and 6 Music commissioned local artist Loch Ness to create an artwork especially for the festival which he made during today’s show – see a time lapse video of him creating it later this week at bbc.co.uk/6music.

Paul Rodgers, Head of Programmes for 6 Music, said: “It’s great that Bristol is the host city for the 6 Music Festival 2016. At BBC Radio 6 Music we celebrate music with an alternative spirit and Bristol, with its unique music and arts scene and many important venues, is a wonderful place to do that. And we’re delighted to be announcing today that some of its finest musicians will be performing at the festival.”

Pat Connor, Head of Development and Events for BBC England, said: “It is incredibly exciting that Bristol will host the BBC Radio 6 Music Festival in 2016. Bristol has a truly unique music scene, always evolving, surprising and thriving. This Festival brings us the opportunity to work with partners right across the city to showcase what a vibrant and inspiring region it is for creative people."