Hi all,

My name’s Terry Moore – I’m the founder of Bristol Encontro, and I also run Bloco B. For a long time now, I’ve shared a dream with others in our community of bringing groups from all over the UK together in Bristol to celebrate Afro-Brazilian music and dance. There are loads of amazing bands out there, but we rarely get a chance to all be in the same place. Apart from St Paul’s Carnival and Bath Carnival, there’s not really been anything like that here.

That’s why we started Tambor. It’s a grassroots event, built from the community up – no big sponsors, no big funding behind it. Just people who love the music and want to be part of something good.

The first few Encontros were put together from scratch – mostly self-funded by me with help from Ilu Axé, supported by a brilliant group of people giving their time, energy and skills for free. I’m hugely proud of what we’ve built together. But the truth is, we can’t keep doing it like this forever. The event is growing, and so are the demands.

People often suggest applying for funding, and yeah – it sounds good on paper. But it’s not that easy. A lot of the groups in our scene are made up of people who are lucky enough to have stable jobs or income – and that doesn’t always fit what funders are looking for. And honestly, we don’t want to rely on funding anyway. If it gets pulled, everything could fall apart. We’d rather raise what we need together and stay true to what this is all about.

That doesn’t mean we won’t ever apply for funding – just that if we do, it’ll go towards things like workshops, kid’s projects, and making the event more accessible to those who might not usually get to be involved. But the main thing has to stay community-powered.

Over the years, we’ve done everything we can to keep Tambor affordable and fair. That means never asking bands to pay to play and not allowing groups to buy extra performer tickets. It might limit numbers, but it keeps things level – and it means we can protect space for the public too.

We’ve talked through how best to manage this as the event grows. More bands means higher costs – and fewer public tickets. Fewer bands means a smaller experience. What we’d really love is to include as many groups as possible and still keep the event affordable for everyone. That’s where fundraising comes in.

We’re aiming to subsidise ticket prices through community fundraising. It’s not about making money – it’s about keeping the spirit of the event alive and accessible. If those of us who can afford to chip in help cover the costs, then no one gets left out – on or off stage. Whether it’s donating, backing the crowdfunder, or just sharing the word, every bit of support helps us to stay true to the values that this event was built on.

This year, more bands have been in touch than ever before. That’s exciting – and it shows how much people value what we're building together. But as interest grows, so does the need to make careful choices. We’ve talked through a few options:

We could invite more bands, but that means higher ticket prices – which risks excluding people on lower incomes.

Or we could invite fewer bands, keeping prices down – but that limits the experience for both players and audiences.

Our preferred option is to include as many bands as possible and keep tickets affordable by fundraising to subsidise the event.

We’ll be doing our best to strike the right balance – guided by the values that Tambor was built on: openness, fairness, and shared celebration.

This isn’t just about bands playing for other bands – as great as that is. We also want to open things up to a wider audience, to create something that reaches beyond the scene and brings new people into the music and culture we love so much. That’s what really helps it to grow.

We’ve got big dreams for the future. One day, we’d love to have our own space here in Bristol – a proper home for Afro-Brazilian music, dance and culture. Across Brazil, as many of you know, samba schools have their own spaces – known as quadras – where they rehearse, hold events, run workshops, and support their local communities all year round. We’ve seen this especially in Rio, but it’s part of samba culture across the country. That model really inspires us. It’s not just about performing – it’s about building something rooted in community, culture, and opportunity. We're not there yet, but that’s the kind of future we’re dreaming about.

Thanks for being part of it.

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