The Bath Festival, the city’s biggest and oldest arts festival, returns this May!
This year, the event will consist of two individual festivals: the Bath Music Festival and Bath Literature Festival, running alongside each other from Saturday 16 to Sunday 25 May 2025. The festival will open with the traditional 'Party in the City' on Friday 16 May, featuring live music from bands, choirs, and solo musicians at dozens of venues, all for free!
The Bath Festival History
Founded in 1948, Bath Festivals is a charity that inspires and connects different people and communities through music and book festivals and a year-round programme of outreach and creative learning projects. All the work is designed to maximise inclusion and accessibility, ignite ideas, thoughts and conversations and promote and celebrate the positive impact that music, literature, and performance have on people’s lives. Responsible for The Bath Festival in the summer and Bath Children’s Literature Festival in the autumn, all of which bring the city alive with a celebration of the arts. Building on 75 years of heritage, Bath is turning into one of the top 3 festival cities in the UK.
Bath Music Festival 2025
Immerse yourself in an extraordinary celebration of live music, featuring highly regarded performances and unforgettable experiences. From classical concerts to jazz ensembles, folk melodies to contemporary acts, the Bath Music Festival offers a diverse programme designed to inspire and delight. This year’s classical artists include: The Marian Consort, Stile Antico, Marmen Quartet, cellist Guy Johnston, guitarist Sean Shibe, tenor Ben Johnson, pianist Janeba Kanneh-Mason, Ensemble Moliere, Fibonacci String Quartet, violinist Elena Urioste, flautist Adam Walker, clarinettist Yann Ghiro, pianist Tom Poster and The Chamber Orchestra of the West.
Bath Literature Festival 2025
Join us in the beautiful city of Bath for a celebration of words, ideas, and creativity at the Bath Literature Festival. This year’s programme brings together leading literary voices and cultural thinkers. Whether you’re an avid reader, an aspiring writer, or simply seeking thought-provoking entertainment, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
Visting authors include the Booker Prize-winning Ben Okri, speaking about his new novel Madame Sosostris and the Festival for the Broken Hearted, Phillipa Forrester, speaking about Wild Woman, and much-loved actor Martin Clunes speaking in The Guildhall on his new book Meetings with Remarkable Animals.
Accessibility
We are fully committed to providing clear information about the accessibility of the venues and events and to support disabled people and those with access requirements to enjoy their time at the festival. See website for all details.