Visiting Bath between June and August?

When I travel in addition to visiting the local tourist attractions I also like to experience local festivals and events. Here in Bath we are fortunate to have a number of events throughout the year, from music events to food festivals to theatre. If you are travelling to Bath between June and August check out some key events happening below - in addition to little festivals there is a good tip about visiting the Roman Baths Museum - the main attraction in Bath!

Me at the Euro 2012 Football Games in Ukraine!

Football World Cup With the Football World Cup underway ("soccer" for my American friends!) I would be amiss to not mention where you can watch the games whilst you are staying in Bath! The tournament will be taking place until 19th July. Visit Bath, the local tourist board in Bath, has compiled a good list of where you can watch these games - from places with outdoor seating to indoor seating - please click here for more information. If you would like to join England supporters for their games, the England Group matches will be taking place on 17th June, 23rd June, 27th June. Whilst I am not a big football fan, I do enjoy following the national team and in fact will be heading off to Mexico for a short break to enjoy the atmosphere during the World Cup!

Bath Rotary Festival of Motoring and Music Do you or anyone in your family enjoy looking at cars, motorbikes? This festival is taking place over the weekend of 27th and 28th June. Visitors can enjoy checking out super cars, classic cars and vintage motorcycles whilst also enjoying some live music! The event takes place on the outskirts of Bath (so not walking distance - but easily accessible via the Bath Park and Ride bus or a taxi). Check out their website for more information by clicking here.

Bath Abbey Festival In its second year, the Bath Abbey Festival is a celebration of the Abbey's music and heritage. It takes place from Friday 26th June to Sunday 28th June. Highlights include 2 concerts: Fiesta! with the Abbey choir singing favourites like Zadok the Priest and The Genius of JS Bach with the organist playing music from this famous composer. This is opportunity to enjoy music and singing in the beautiful setting of the historic Abbey. For tickets and more information please click here.

Bath Garden Theatre Festival Do you enjoy live theatre? Between 2nd July and 26th July an outdoor theatre will be entertaining people in the gardens of the Holburne Museum (now famous as Lady Danbury's house!) There are 2 shows: The Importance of Being Earnest and Sense and Sensibility. The shows typically take place in the evening although on the Saturday they do have a 1pm performance. For tickets and more information, please check out their website here. If you prefer a more traditional indoor setting for watching live theatre then you may like to check out the show schedule for the Theatre Royal in Bath - a lovely historic theatre with great performances. You can access their website here.

Bath Carnival Parade

Bath Carnival The annual Bath Carnival will be taking place on Saturday 11th July. Between 10am and 10pm there will be a free event taking place in Sydney Gardens with live music, DJs, food stalls, walkabout acts and then at 3pm the Carnival parade will be starting at the Bath Rec Ground and parading through the streets of Bath. A great spectacle to behold! You can read more on their website here.

The Great Bath under torchlight

Roman Baths Museum The Roman Baths Museum is the main attraction in Bath where you can see one of the city's hot springs and the remains of the Roman spa that was built over it. Being the main attraction it can get very busy during the day when the coaches from London and the cruise ships drop-off their guests to visit it. Between the 20th July and the 31st July the museum opens late - with the last entry at 8:45pm, allowing you to visit when most of the day-trippers have gone home! In the evening they light up the Great Bath with torchlight and they have a pop-up bar by the bath and on weekends they have a live DJ/band performing by the Great Bath. They also offer a public guided tour of the spa section at the later time of 6pm or 7pm. If you plan to visit the museum during your stay in Bath and are in Bath during these dates then I do recommend visiting the museum after 6pm for a more quieter visit :) For more information on their later opening hours please click here.

This is not a definite list of everything happening in Bath over the summer but hopefully it gives you a couple of ideas for your stay! Have a wonderful time and I look forward to meeting some of you during this time!