Pick of Diary Events in Bath
Thu 1 Aug. Toppings Book shop. Tiny Tales – Picture Book Reading Group. First Thursday of the month at 9:30am. For children aged 2 to 5 years-old.
Sun 4 Aug. Summer Sunday: Recycle Repair Week. Milsom Street. Help local people and communities reduce carbon, waste and landfill to improve the environment and save money. In doing so we reduce pollution and increase the eco-environment to a more sustainable life.
Fri 9 Aug. Komedia. Poor Man’s Fringe. Pint & A Laugh, in collaboration with The Room Above, proudly presents The Poor Man’s Fringe! This unique comedy festival, now in its third year, offers a stage for comedians who can’t make it to the Edinburgh Fringe, giving them a platform to showcase their talent when most other comedy shows are on hiatus.
Sat 10 Aug. Widcombe Wobblers. Bristol ride. 10am at the tree at the western end of Widcombe Parade Daytime ride to Bristol Harbour and The Bakehouse for lunch
Sat 10 Aug. Bath Craft Fair. Weston Free Church Hall. Noon-4pm.
Tue 13 Aug. Litter Pick at Alkmaar Gardens, Orange Grove. 10am-noon.Make Bath even more beautiful in preparation for Britain in Bloom judging day.
Thu 15 Aug. Victoria Art Gallery. Art Store Tours. Join a curator and explore the wonderful paintings, drawings and sculptures in the permanent collection housed in Victoria Art Gallery’s art stores. Noon. 45 mins.
Thu 15 Aug. No 1 Royal Crescent Museum. Late Opening. On the third Thursday of the month.
Fri 16 Aug. The Forum. Hawkwind. Stories from Time and Space. For those of a certain age rock band Hawkwind summed up part of the New Age atmosphere and music of the mid 1970s.
Sun 18 Aug. Kingsmead Square. Bath Urban Treescape walk. Meet at 10.30am. Bathscape’s Urban Tree Trails, this walk explores the variety of native and exotic trees.
Thu 22 Aug. Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution. Free Walk. Booking via Eventbrite. In this walk we will explore some of these locations and compare them to how they looked in the 1850-60s. We will look at two medieval buildings before widening our walk to explore views from the city’s riverbank, canal and locks, and Widcombe Street.2pm.
Sat 7-Sun 22 Sep. Bath Walking Festival. See https://www.bathscape.co.uk/walking-festival/ for details.
Fri 13-Sun 22 Sep. Jane Austen Festival. The festival begins with a Regency Costumed Promenade, and continues with guided walks, costumed balls, theatrical performances and talks .
Fri 27 Sep-Sun 6 Oct. Bath Children’s Literature Festival 2024. Various venues and events. See their website for details.
Picks of Diary Events outside Bath
Fri 9-Sun 11 Aug. Bristol International Balloon Fiesta. Ashton Court Estate. Mass ascents, night glows plus a programme of entertainment, children’s activities, fairground rides, traders, exhibitors, and food stalls and bars allow visitors to experience the magic of ballooning. Be prepared for traffic jams as it is very popular.
Sun 18 Aug. Mid Somerset Show. Shepton Mallet. Tractors, show jumping, farm animals and much more at a traditional rural show.
Theatre Picks in Bath
American Museum
Mon 26 Aug. Beauty and the Beast. Chapter House bring the fairy tale to life in the gardens from 6.30pm. Featuring a delightful cast of specially crafted puppets, lively original songs and sparkling humour – ideal family show.
Holburne Museum
Wed 21 Aug. As You Like It. Shakespeare’s comedy outside in the garden where The Duke’s Theatre Company transport us into the Forest of Arden and much mistaken identity. 7pm.
Mission Theatre
Tue 3-Sat 7 Sep. Brief Encounter. Adapted for the stage by Emma Rice Noël Coward’s drama of unrequited love is best known for David Lean’s movie version with Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard. This adaption features songs and verse are by Noël Coward. A Next Stage production. 7.30pm.
Theatre Royal Main House
Tue 30 Jul-Sat 3 Aug. Heathers The Musical. Killer schoolgirl musical.
Tue 7-Sat 17 Aug. Sister Act. Deloris hides in a convent in this sparkling musical with Wendi Peters as the Mother Superior.
Thu 22-Sat 31 Aug. The History Boys. Alan Bennett’s drama set in 1980s Sheffield where students prepare for their A-levels helped by maverick English teacher Hector.
Ustinov Studio
Fri 2-Sat 31 Aug. The Birthday Party. Harold Pinter’s classic comedy of menace, The Birthday Party. A seemingly innocent birthday party in a rundown seaside boarding house becomes a full-on nightmare when two sinister strangers arrive unexpectedly.
Theatre Picks outside Bath
Bristol Old Vic
Wed 28 – Sat 31. Aug Anna Hibiscus Song. Adapted for the stage and directed by Mojisola Kareem | Based on the book by Atinuke and Lauren Tobia. 1 hour. Ages 3+Various times in the morning and afternoon.
Wyvern Theatre, Swindon
Sat 24 Aug. Horrible Histories: Rotten Royals. It’s history with the nasty bits left in. Family show.
Exhibition Picks in Bath
American Museum, Bath. Claverton. American Road Trip. 9 Mar-31, Dec, 2024. Images, sounds and sets allowing you to experience a trip across the USA.
Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution. ‘The World Revealed’ Exhibition. Free. It features items donated to BRLSI over the years. Until 12 October 2024.
BRLSI 16-18 Queen Square. The World Revealed Exhibition. Explores how items were collected and donated to the Institution since 1824, revealing of the shifts in understanding. Until 12 October..
Herschel Museum of Astronomy. It is located in a town house at 19 New King Street that was formerly the home of William Herschel and his sister Caroline.
Holburne Museum. Current shows include Mr Doodle! Museum Mayhem. Primarily characterised by black ink on a white background, Mr Doodle’s graphic style conjures up a mesmerising world of quirky creatures and anthropomorphic forms, using ink pens and spray paint to weave together what he describes as “graffiti spaghetti”. Until 1 Sept; Henry Moore in Miniature from May 3 to September 8. Moore’s practice involved carving small stones or pieces of wood, casting lead, modelling in clay or, as was usual in later years.
Museum of Bath at Work. Julian Rd, Bath BA1 2RH. Enter the world of working Bath through a series of authentically reconstructed workplaces, workshops and display galleries. Exhibition: All Day Long: The Workers of Bath in Fifty Portrait Photographs.
Museum of East Asian Art. MEAA’s collections consist of some 2,000 objects. The majority of these are of Chinese origin, spanning from 5,000 BC to the present. The tea ceremonies run on Thursdays every month: 11 July.
Victoria Art Gallery. Exhibitions include Toulouse-Lautrec and the Masters of Montmartre until 29 September 2024. Discover the sights and sounds of Toulouse-Lautrec’s art work.
Widcombe Social Club: Art of Montse Asensio Exhibition. Until 18 October. The work of the Catalan artist based in Bath: ‘Collages is a direct and immediate creation technique with infinite possibilities and unexpected results.
Through abstraction the choices become endless and the path full of surprises. Not knowing where it will take me gives me the motivation and the curiosity to persist.’ See the new artwork on display during our Friday Waterside Nights.
For more information about the art email – asensiomont@gmail.com
Exhibition Picks outside Bath
Bristol Museum and Art Gallery. National Treasures: Constable in Bristol Truth to Nature. The Hay Wain by John Constable on loan from The National Gallery.
Somerset Rural Museum, Glastonbury. The Privy. Outdoor toilets were a typical feature on farms and rural homesteads, even into the early 20th century. The name ‘privy’ stems from the word ‘private’, however this privy is unusually family-friendly – it has two seats for adults and a half-sized seat for children. Plus: the painting of Thomas Southwood, by William Loder. The eccentric but kindly Thomas Southwood (1751 – 1830) owned a large estate in and around Pitminster. In 1822 he became Lord of the Manor of Taunton Deane. When he died unmarried he shocked the nation by leaving most of his estate to his servant Robert Mattock. Southwood also made generous gifts to his other servants.
Attractions in Bath
Assembly Rooms. The National Trust are working on the Georgian Experience, due to open in 2026. You can book a visit the once centre of Georgian social life – wearing period costume is optional.
Bath Abbey. Not just a place of worship with numerous events and services but also features a shop, tower tours, a discovery centre and a social history museum.
Bath City Farm. 37 acres overlooking the city on Kelston View. A working farm with café, facilities, workshops and gardens. For families and children the farm runs a number of activities including the free Tuesday session at 4pm on Tuesdays throughout the year and the Saturday Club for £10 a session at 10am for children in Bath aged 5-11. It is free to visit the animals which include pigs, sheep, hens and goats – and the cafe is a civilised spot for families.
Bath World Heritage Centre. Interactive exhibits and displays designed to reveal the history of Bath and show visitors and residents free walking trails and guides to help you explore everything Bath has to offer.
Jane Austen Centre. Gay Street. Everything you need to know about the author and her life.
Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein. Gay Street. Monsters and more.
Museum of Bath Architecture. The Bath Preservation Trust has reopened the museum at the Countess of Huntingdon’s Chapel.
No.1 Royal Crescent. Features an immersive experience, which will allow you to see life as it was lived in Georgian Bath during the late 1700s. Look beyond the Crescent’s famous Palladian façade and see what life was like for the wealthy and their servants in eighteenth-century Bath Great views from the windows.
The Roman Baths. The hot water that comes out of the ground is the reason Bath exists. A fascinating tour of the city’s history from the time of the Romans to the renewed interest by the Georgians up to today’s discoveries.
Parks in Bath
Alexandra Park. The view point is the ultimate place to look down on the city – but a lovely park with a circular walk and public toilets.
Alice Park. Eight acres of green space popular for sports teams to train. And it has public toilets.
Botanical Gardens. Landscaped gardens with unusual trees, and shrubs.
Brickfields Park. Great place to fly a kite – lots of space to run around in.
Green Park. Not the largest park near Green Park Station but mature trees and a popular place for workers in summer looking for somewhere to chill at lunch time.
Henrietta Park. Jane Austen mentioned it and lived nearby at Sydney Place.
Hedgemead Park. All the ingredients of a park; band stand, play ground, lawns and views of Bath.
Moorlands Sandpits. With its stream running through the park plus plenty of playground equipment this is a favourite place for families to chill.
Parade Gardens. Views of Pulteney Bridge and the Grand Parade. Deck chairs to hire. £1.50 or free with a Discovery Card.
Pennyquick Park. Large area of green space in the south of the city.
Prior Park Landscape Garden. If you have never been then make an effort this summer and pay the entrance fee to the National Trust and take a glorious walk around woods and shrubberies.
Queen Square. With its obelisk and sandy area for boules a park to be seen in since the road goes all the way round.
Royal Victoria Park. 57 acres of glorious parkland with huge playground wonderful walks, flower beds, a garden centre, mature trees and some of the most photographical places in the city – plus it has public toilets.
Sydney Gardens. A haunt of Jane Austen and a Georgian park that is Grade II listed.
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