Pick of Diary Events in Bath
Mon 5 Jan. Pint & A Laugh, The Jesters 17 Alfred St. Your go-to comedy night where fresh faces and seasoned comics test out new material. The jokes might miss, but the beer never does! 7.30pm.
Wed 7 Jan. Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution.16-18 Queen Square. Renaissance series. How did Renaissance architecture reinterpret the rules and proportions of Classical architecture? Join Dr Amy Frost to find out. 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm. Pictured above.
Thu 8 Jan. Museum of Bath at Work. Talk by Bath Railway Society’s Mike Beale on Part 1 The Western Region 1956-65. A selection of black & white and colour photographs taken by Bristol based railway enthusiast the late Derek Langford. 7.30pm. All Welcome Visitors £5. Refreshments available. See www.bathrailwaysociety.co.uk
Thu 8 Jan. Komedia. Littlemen Fundraiser for International Animal Rescue. 7pm. Wiltshire-based band ‘Littlemen’ will headline a special one-night-only benefit concert at Komedia Bath, with support from The Pinkertons and Clyve – Blue Eyed UK Soul. All proceeds from the event will go to International Animal Rescue (IAR), an organisation working to protect animals from suffering and extinction across the globe.
Sun 11 Jan. BANES Women Leadership Network and Bath Women’s Fund – Women and Girls of Bath Walk. Join the Women’s Leadership Network on a Sunday to find out more about amazing women through Bath’s history who lived or worked in the city in their ‘Women and Girls of Bath’ Treasure Hunt. Meet/ park at The Holburne – Emma and Isobel will guide you on a circular route of approx 5k and will end back where you started. All funds raised from the walk go to a local charity supporting women and girls. 10am-12noon. https://www.hannah-wilson.co.uk/product/bath-womens-fund-banes-wln-women-girls-of-bath-walk-circular-route/
Sun 11 Jan. The Raven. World Literature Reading Group. Our World Literature Reading Group aims to showcase literature written outside of the anglophone world. On our journey we will make a variety of stops in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Latin America, and Oceania, tracking down the masterpieces that have otherwise been overlooked. In this seventh group, we will discuss Bhisham Sahni’s Tamas. 7pm.
Tue 13-Sat 17 Jan. Theatre Royal Bath. Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story. Featuring two terrific hours of the greatest songs ever written, including That’ll Be The Day, Oh Boy, Rave On, La Bamba, Chantilly Lace, Johnny B. Goode, Raining In My Heart, Everyday, Shout and many many more, this show is just Peggy Sue-perb! Evenings: 7:30pm. Matinees: Wednesday, Thursday & Saturday 2:30pm
Wed 14 Jan. Studio 22, 22c New Bond Street. Nihongo Hanasoukai Want to learn more about Japanese language and culture? Join the Bath Beppu Friendship Association for an evening where you can learn Japanese and find out more about what happens in our twin city. Book here: zuckermanmieko@gmail.com 6pm.
Fri 16 Jan. Widcombe Social Club. Free live music: The Strays are a 5 piece covers band that specialises in Americana music, predominantly the country/folk/blues influenced music from the deep south.
Fri 16 Jan. Bath Abbey. Interstellar: An Evening with Roger Sayer. 7:30 pm until 9:30 pm. From £5. Organist Roger Sayer, who performed on the original soundtrack of Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, returns to the score in this special live concert at Bath Abbey. Hear highlights from the film’s iconic score, alongside intergalactic favourites from A Space Odyssey and Holst’s The Planets. Sayer will take the audience on a journey through time and space, including a discussion and Q+A about his experience working with Nolan and Zimmer.
Fri 16 Jan. The Forum. David Olusoga: History’s Missing Chapters. Professor David Olusoga OBE examines some of history’s missing chapters to uncover how and why some events and some people are remembered and others forgotten. Taking examples from the world wars, the Industrial revolution and other pivotal moments in global history, David uncovers history’s missing persons. 7:30pm. Tickets: from £31.90 (inc. fees)
Sat 17 Jan. Little Theatre. Film Bath. H is for Hawk. With a Q&A afterwards. Doors 7.45pm. Local director Philippa Lowthorpe will be joining us in person, alongside Helen Macdonald, author of the bestselling memoir H Is for Hawk, for a preview screening and post-film conversation. It’s a rare chance to see one of 2026’s most anticipated British films early and to hear directly from both the filmmaker and the author behind this powerful story. tickets and more info at filmbath.org.uk/
Sun 18 Jan. Roper Theatre. Family Music Making Day. From 10am. £10.84. A magical day of music making!
Mon 19 Jan. Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution.16-18 Queen Square. This talk explores one of Chaucer’s most provocative and enduring characters: the Wife of Bath. It begins by examining her Prologue, the longest in The Canterbury Tales, where she asserts her authority through lived experience rather than religious or scholarly texts. With five marriages behind her, she challenges medieval norms around female sexuality, marriage, and biblical interpretation, using wit and rhetorical flair to defend her choices. 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm.
Fri 23 Jan. Widcombe Social Club. Free live music: Dudlow Slim are a unique fusion of blues, jazz, rock ‘n’ roll and New Orleans boogie has rocked the people of Bristol and Bath for nearly two decades now. Imagine if Dr. John, The Meters, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, and The Band, and Slash got together to make a record and you might be getting close… Tickets and info on the website.
Sat 24 Jan. Rondo Theatre. Comedy: Chloe Petts: Big Naturals. 7:30pm • Admission £17.50. Following three sell-out shows, Chloe Petts (Live at the Apollo, Have I Got News for You) returns with a brand-new tour, and she’s delving where she’s never delved before: this is a show about sex. The problem is that she blushes every time she says that word. Expect routines about Page 3, lad culture and most importantly, big, fat naturals.
Mon 26 Jan. Electric Comedy Club. The Electric Comedy Club is Komedia Bath’s all new monthly showcase of the finest up-and-coming comedy talent the UK has to offer – the last Monday of every month! 8pm.
Tue 27 Jan. Guildhall. Holocaust Memorial Day. The free public event, organised by Bath & North East Somerset Council in partnership with Bath Interfaith Group, takes place at 5.45pm and will express this year’s theme, ’Bridging Generations’. Highlights of the programme include: Pupils from St Gregory’s School and Hayesfield School sharing their thoughts after taking part in the Learning from Auschwitz programme, after being introduced by local Jewish faith leader Iris Segall and reflections from Christina Hilsenrath, chair of the Friends of the Bath Jewish Burial Ground, who will introduce Sasha Porter, a refugee from the former Yugoslavia who will present her project ’Ceramic Flowers for Remembrance and Hope’, inspired by the Srebrenica flower, a symbol of remembrance for the victims of the Srebrenica genocide Attendance is free, but places are limited, and booking is essential. Tickets are available via Eventbrite.
Wed 28 Jan. Ustinov. Author talk: China Running Dog with Mark Kitto. 2pm. Actor, author and Mandarin speaker Mark Kitto talks about his latest novel, the story of two young Brits struggling to live and survive in Shanghai at the start of the 21st century. Mark Kitto is also performing Chinese Boxing in the Ustinov Studio – half price tickets when booking both shows, call the Box Office for details
Wed 28 Jan. Burdall’s Yard. Stained Glass Workshop. The Introduction to Stained Glass Workshop. 10am-4pm. Come and spend a day creating your own stained glass piece with artist Emy Mills. During this introduction to stained glass workshop, you will select from a variety of contemporary designs. You will then learn everything involved in the copper foiling stained glass process, from cutting the glass, to grinding, foiling and finally soldering it all together. By the end of the day, your one-of-a-kind piece will be ready to take home and display in your window! No experience is necessary. 18+ only and not suitable for pregnant women.
Wed 28 Jan. Widcombe Social Club. Talk by Justin Webb. 7:30pm. Doors and the bar will be open from 7pm. Due to the level of demand, tickets will be open to WA members only until 1st January. Justin has had an illustrious career in broadcasting both at home and internationally. Currently he hosts the BBC’s Today programme and co-hosts a popular American podcast.
Thu 29 Jan. Rondo Theatre. Alfie Moore: Warm-up Radio Show. 8pm. Admission: £16 • Comedy. Cop-turned-comedian Alfie returns with a brand-new show ahead of recording his BBC Radio 4 comedy It’s a Fair Cop. The audience are sworn in as cops before Alfie shares a real-life scenario from his own casebook. He playfully challenges them to say what they would’ve done – with often unexpected and entertaining results.
Fri 30 Jan. Live Jazz at Walcot House. 7:30pm-11pm. Enjoy Live Jazz on the last Friday of every month at Bread & Jam, downstairs at Walcot House.
Sat 31 Jan. Chapel Arts. Connolly Hayes Band. Connolly Hayes – the electrifying UK Blues Awards 2025 nominees for UK Band of the Year and Album of the Year – are turning heads internationally with their unforgettable fusion of blues, rock, and soul. This powerhouse group features five long-time friends Jess Hayes, Frankie Connolly, Beau Barnard, Joe Mac, and Andy Wilder. 8-1030pm (Doors: 7:30pm).
Sat 7 Feb. Bath Bach Choir Choral Workshop at St Mary’s Church, Bathwick. 9.30am-4.30pm. Join Bath Bach Choir to explore one of Bach’s famous cantatas in a day of music making led by musical director Benedict Collins Rice. All are welcome. Register at bathbachchoir.org.uk
Tue 24 Feb. Bath Abbey. United 4 Peace. A Ukrainian concert fundraiser by the Friends of Oleksandriya – Bath’s Ukrainian sister city. 7:30pm. The programme includes an original String Nonet by violinist Illia Bondarenko and audiovisual work “A Woman’s War” by composer Kornélia Nemcová and artist Natália Štojková. Illia Bondarenko and Kerenza Peacock will unite for the concert. Together with seven instrumentalists including violist Steven Doman, cellist Wallis Power, double bassist Roger McCann they will perform Bondarenko’s original String Nonet. Join us to discover Bondarenko’s beautiful instrumental composition and a new version of “A Woman’s War”, uniting with vocal trio The Ruffians, Bath’s Argyle String Orchestra, and a host of volunteer vocalists in the stunning setting of Bath Abbey. More at www.friendsofo.co.uk and tickets at https://bathboxoffice.org.uk/
Pick of Diary Events outside Bath
Sat 3-Sun 4 Jan. The Cheese & Grain, Market Yard, Frome, BA11 1 BE. Model Railway Exhibition. From 10am. Adults £6, Accompanied Children Free. The Wessex Association of Model Railway Clubs features layouts, traders, and enthusiasts and will showcase a wide variety of scales, eras, and modelling styles—from the steam age through to the modern main line. Alongside the exhibits, a selection of specialist traders will be on hand offering everything from kits and components to scenic materials and ready-to-run models. Whether you’re a seasoned modeller, a collector, or simply a railway enthusiast, there’s plenty to enjoy for all ages.
Sun 18 Jan. Street in Somerset. Wassail at Shoemakers Museum BA16 0BQ. A free event from 2-4.30pm for Shoemakers Museum Pass holders. With song, music, theatre and a dash of Somerset mischief, we will chase away the bad spirits and bless the trees in our historic walled orchard.
Sat 25 Jan. Bristol. Ice Hockey. The Bristol Snowdogs U19 Vs Solent at Planet Ice Bristol. Experience the speed, skill and intensity of youth ice hockey as the Bristol Snowdogs U19s take to the ice at Planet Ice Bristol.
Theatre Picks in Bath
Egg Theatre
Wed 20 Nov-Sun 11 Jan. Snow Mice. Join our three intrepid adventurers on a chilly, mousey expedition to the top of the hill.
28 Nov-4 Jan. Aurora. Created by award-winning Filskit Theatre, this brand-new Winter show is a sensory delight for children aged 6 months to 3 years.
Sat 24 Jan. Jack & the Beanstalk (Sort Of). Kid Carpet is back. Kid Carpet hates panto. The Noisy Animals absolutely love it. So guess what they’re doing? Yep. A panto. Now there’s a beanstalk in the middle of everything and nobody’s quite sure what’s going on. Featuring Bear, Gorilla, Badger and Hedgehog (with possible appearances from Hedgehog’s golden eggs), this is Jack & the Beanstalk like it’s been thrown in a blender with a drum machine and dodgy celebrity lookalikes. Part air guitar workshop, part magical mess, this lo-fi, hi-tech, big-beat bonkers show is stuffed with songs, silliness and surprise grannies.
Mission Theatre
Tue 20-Sat 24 Jan. Shakespeare in Love. It’s 1593, it’s Elizabethan London and aspiring playwright William Shakespeare has writer’s block. His latest play, Romeo and Ethel the Pirate’s Daughter, does not seem to be going anywhere and contemporary friend and dramatist Kit Marlowe is writing the plays that the audience want to see. Hounded by theatre impresario, Philip Henslowe, who needs a new play to clear his debts, not to mention Queen Elizabeth I who wants a comedy with a dog in it – Will is despairing. Then he meets his muse. 7:30pm. Matinee Saturday 24th January 2pm.
Rondo Theatre
Sat 20 Jan. Hansel and Gretel. It is 1932, stealing away from the “Hooverville” slums, Hansel and Gretel find themselves lost in the woods, while hunting for the elusive Madam Ginger and their selection of mouth-watering treats… Choreographed by Artistic Director Sarah Sigley and performed with the fantastic dancers and associate students of NWBT, let us treat you to a festive delight and tickle your balletic tastebuds! In an inventive new setting, brilliant costumes and of course unbelievable dancing, we will meet two bright, hungry siblings, a loving Mother, scheming Ice cream lady who is not as she seems, along with waltzing Stars and sweets in a kick line! 7.30pm Admission £18. Professional Theatre.
Thu 15 – Sat 17 Jan. Dick Whittington. Matinees of Sat 17 & Sun 18 at 2pm. 7.30pm. Full £15 Concs £13 • Community Theatre. Bath Drama Presents Dick Whittington by Gill Morrell. Dick and his magic cat, Tiddles, leave Bath to seek their fortune in medieval London. Everything looks rosy – a good job, new friends, the beautiful Alice – but the evil king Rat soon ruins it all! As we follow Dick on board ship, through a dramatic storm and shipwreck, and onto a pirate island, will he ever recover his fortunes and become Lord Mayor of London, as the Fairy Bowbells has predicted? A pantomime for everyone, stuffed full with comedy, songs, audience participation, high drama and terrible jokes!
Fri 30 & Sat 31 Jan. Rishikesh. 7.30pm • Full £18 Concs £15 • Professional Theatre. Presented by Boogie Nachts Theatre. A new play about the ultimate cost of making a stand. New Years Eve, 1982. Four Wiccan women from the Women’s CND Peace Camp on Greenham Common have broken into a nuclear facility and stole weapons-grade plutonium. But as they hide out in a remote farmhouse during one of the worst blizzards to ever hit England, a stranger arrives, unleashing dark forces upon them all… They hope to see one more dawn. But who will survive?
Theatre Royal Bath Main House
Thu 11 Dec-Sun 11 Jan. The Further Adventures of Peter Pan, The Return of Captain Hook. Traditional pantomime written by Bath’s panto legend Jon Monie. Inspired by J. M. Barrie’s 1904 play.
Mon 19-Sat 24 Jan. 2:22 A Ghost Story. Evenings: 7:30pm. Matinees: Wednesday & Saturday 2.30pm. The supernatural thriller is funny and adrenaline-filled where secrets emerge and ghosts may or may not appear… What do you believe? And do you dare discover the truth? Age Guidance: 12+.
Tue 27-Sat 31 Jan. The Rivals. Evenings 7.30pm. Matinees Weds, Thurs & Sat 2.30pm. The most famous play set in Bath celebrates its 250th anniversary in a sparkling revival set in the Roaring Twenties: risqué revelry, romance, and rivalry in the Assembly Rooms – a town torn between tradition and the new age.
Ustinov Studio
Tue 25 Nov-Sat 3 Jan. The Last Five Years. Matinees Weds & Sat 2.30pm (Wed 3 Dec 10.30am) nightly at 7.30pm. A funny, musical and heartfelt observation of a rollercoaster romance between two New Yorkers, a young writer and an aspiring actress. Written in 2001 by Jason Robert Brown with songs like the duet The Next Ten Minutes sung by Jamie and Cathy.
Sat 10 Jan. Haunted Shadows: The Gothic Tales of Edith Nesbit. One woman show at 7.30pm. An expert at chilling the spine and curdling the blood, Edith Nesbit relates three of her best Gothic tales while recalling her own childhood terrors.
Thu 22-Fri 23 Jan. Mettle. Solo performer Nicholas Collett tells the story of his father’s service during the Atlantic Convoys of World War Two. A true odyssey, that takes us from Sheffield to Liverpool to Nova Scotia, Boston to West Africa and home again, amidst the constant threat of U-Boat attack and treacherous weather.
Sat 24 Jan. The Parody of The Rings. At the local cinema, all hell breaks loose when the ushers misplace the DVDs of The Lord of the Rings trilogy – every single copy! With only the soundtracks left in hand, the team of hapless ushers must somehow improvise an entire three-film saga in front of a live audience.
Tue 27-Thu 29 Jan. Chinese Boxing. The year is 1912. Sir Claude MacDonald has come to Bath to give a talk to the local branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. Sir Claude was the British Minister Plenipotentiary, i.e. ambassador to Peking in 1900 during the famous Boxer Uprising and commanded the defence of the Legations (diplomatic quarter) when they were besieged by the peasant ‘Boxer’ army, supported by Imperial Chinese troops. The performance is followed by a Q&A about China and Britain today. Mark Kitto, as well as a writer and actor, is a respected China pundit.
Fri 30 — Sat 31 Jan. Sherlock Holmes: The Death and Life. 7.30pm. Matinee Saturday 2.30pm. A fantasy based upon a fiction, finds Arthur Conan Doyle tiring of ‘his’ intolerably arrogant Sherlock Holmes, and inventing the arch villain, Moriarty, to dispose of him. A light-hearted and intriguing investigation of the consequences, when fictional characters take on lives and ambitions of their own, quite against the wishes of the author.
Theatre Picks outside Bath
Tobacco Factory, Bristol
Thu 27 Nov-Sat 17 Jan. Rapunzel: A Hairy Tale. This heartwarming production tells a story about growing up, venturing out, and discovering your own voice (with plenty of long hair).
Old Vic Theatre, Bristol
Thu 4 Dec-Sat 10 Jan. Treasure Island. Robert Louis Stevenson’s tale is brought to life as a musical by Jake Brunger and Pippa Cleary.
Wyvern Theatre, Swindon
Sat 6 Dec-Sun 4 Jan. Sleeping Beauty. Pantomime version of the fairy tale with Jenny Ryan as the Wicked Fairy Carabosse.
Exhibition Picks in Bath
American Museum, Bath. Claverton. Beyond Infinity: American Space Exploration Exhibition. Until 4 January 2026. Discover the wonders of space! This special family exhibition showcases innovation, collaboration, and the sublime magic of space that ignites awe in all of us. Features include a giant moon, real lunar rock, amazing rocket models, games, facts, out-of-this-world stories and hours of interactive play.
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 and features a permanent display of prints, objects and everyday items from the Georgian era when the Herschels lived there including telescopes. From April 5th: Capturing the Cosmos: Astrophotography by the Bath Astronomers.
Holburne Museum. At the heart of the Holburne Museum is the collection of Sir William Holburne (1793-1874), fifth baronet of Menstrie. Exhibitions: Dreams of the everyday: paintings by Winifred Nicholson & Andrew Cranston on show daily. 10am-5pm. Until 11 January. This tender exhibition explores the strong synergies between twentieth-century painter Winifred Nicholson (1893-1981) and Andrew Cranston (b.1969); The New Schroder Gallery, on show daily. 10am-5pm. Collections of Renaissance silverware, paintings, bronzes, maiolica and gems from the Schroder family collection; Illustrating Austen on show daily. 10am-5pm. Until 11 January. In the 250th anniversary year of Jane Austen’s birth, our autumn display offers audiences the chance to see the artwork behind their favourite Austen novels; Sculpting the Earth: Ceramics by Natalie Bevan, Psiche Hughes and Ann Stokes on show daily. 10am-5pm. Until 4 January. A new exhibition which brings together the ceramic works of three women artists of the 20th century: Natalie Bevan, Psiche Hughes and Ann Stokes.
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. The museum is closed from 22 Dec to 7 Feb for preparations for a new exhibition in the spring.
Victoria Art Gallery. The public art museum opened in 1900 to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. It is a Grade II listed building and houses over 1,500 objects of art including a collection of oil paintings from British artists dating from 1700 onwards as well as many paintings and illustrations depicting Bath over the centuries. BSA 120th Open Exhibition. 18 Oct to 10 Jan.
Attractions in Bath
Assembly Rooms. The National Trust property is closed until 2027. Conservation and construction work is underway to transform the building for a new Georgian visitor experience.
Bath Abbey. Not just a place of worship 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.
Bath Fashion Museum: Currently closed. To reopen in the former Post Office in 2030.
Bath Medical Museum. The Hetling Pump Room, 1 Hetling Court. Collections include records dating back to the 1740s, as well as artefacts and photographs relating to rheumatology, medicine and pharmacy. Check when it is open at https://bathmedicalmuseum.org/
Bath World Heritage Centre. Interactive exhibits and displays in York Street.
Beckford’s Tower and Museum. An architectural folly built in neo-classical style on Lansdown Hill originally funded by slaves.
Cleveland Pools. The early 19th century outdoor swimming pools closed in 2024 due to flooding which has caused damage. The Trust hope to reopen the pools in the future once the problems of flooding have been put right.
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. Fun guaranteed.
Museum of Bath Architecture. Currently closed to visitors, but open for events and private tours.
No.1 Royal Crescent. See what life was like for the wealthy and their servants in 18th century Bath.
Old Theatre. Old Orchard Street. Open on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday for Tours.
Prior Park Landscape Garden. Fabulous views plus the palladian bridge. National Trust property.
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.