By Harry Mottram. March 12, 2025
Pick of Diary Events in Bath
Sat 15 Mar. Sounds of Our City. Roper Theatre, Haysfield School. CitySound Voices and guests celebrate over 300 years of music making in Bath. ‘Strong links’ covers a variety of circumstances, from Bathonians born and bred such as Thomas Linley the Younger (Arise ye Spirits of the Storm) and Thomas Haynes Bayly (Long Long Ago) to later arrivals like astronomer/musician William Herschel (We Sing of Love) and rock/jazz musician Van Morrison (Moondance), both of whom lived and worked here for 20 or so years. George Frederic Handel (Ombra Mai Fu) and Joseph Haydn (Awake the Harp) were occasional visitors, while the only connection Eddie Cochran (Summertime Blues, to be sung by talented duo MGB) was that he died in Saint Martin’s Hospital following a car crash in 1960. The repertoire will also include two works especially composed for the event by Bath residents: David Garcia – to be played by the Bath Strings Academy – and Matt Finch, the Musical Director of CitySound Voices. Piano accompaniment will be by the brilliant Peter French. Also performing will be The Saxations, a group of gifted young musicians from West of England Music and Arts. The evening will be hosted by the well-known Bath journalist and broadcaster Richard Wyatt. £15 Full price / £10 Students, 7.30pm.
Sun 16 Mar. Bath Half Marathon. Entries for 2026 will open in March 2025 as entries this year are sold out. It is possible to watch the race from along the route beginning at 10.20am. There are some recommended viewing and entertainment points: 1. Start – Royal Avenue; 2. Playground, Royal Victoria Park; 3. Chelsea Road (Oldfield Park); 4. Weston Lock Retail Park; 5. Great Pulteney Street; 6. Churchill Bridge; 7. Green Park Station; 8. Finish – Royal Avenue.
Sun 16 Mar. Widcombe Social Club. Film: Afire. Christian Petzold, Germany, 2023, 102m, 12A, subtitles. In partnership with the Bath German Society. Christian Petzold’s tenth feature, the second in a proposed quartet of films about the classical elements, is a marvellous character study. Four twenty-somethings while away the days at a Baltic coast retreat, seemingly oblivious to encroaching forest wildfires. Blocked writer Leon (Thomas Schubert) is here to work on his sophomore novel but finds it just as impossible to engage with the carefree antics of his companions – even despite the attentions of the beguiling Nadja (Paula Beer). Fires rage without, fires rage within. 6.30pm. £9/£7.
Thu 20 Mar-Tue 1 Apr. Bath Clean Up. Bath BID are recruiting volunteers to be part of a Big Bath Spring Clean from 20th March – 1st April in an environmentally friendly way, with support from the Bath BID Rangers. The clean ups are: Southgate Street and Pidgeon Park on 24th March at 11am-2pm; Kingsmead Square and Saw Close on 25th March at 11am-2pm; James Street West on 30th March at 11am-2pm; Broad Quay on 31st March at 11am-2pm; Queen Square on 1st April at 11am-2pm. To take part see welcometobath.co.uk
Thu 20 Mar Argyle String Orchestra. Spring Concert St Luke’s Church, Hatfield Road, Wellsway, Bath.. Celebrating dances and soundscapes across time. The concert culminates in Ottorino Respighi’s Ancient Airs and Dances Suite Three, which explores the drama and beauty of renaissance Italy with a modern twist. Alongside works by Henry Purcell, Wolfgang Mozart and Johannes Brahms, the orchestra will also perform a new work by Ayanna Witter-Johnson. Seating is unreserved. Tickets £10 on the door or £9 in advance at Ticket Source. 7.30pm.
Tue 25 Mar. Bath’s Hidden Histories Walking Tour: stories of death and crime within the city. Part of the Curious Minds Festival 5pm. Meet outside Bath Abbey. Join Dr Molly Conisbee (University of Bath) for a free and fascinating walking tour exploring some of Bath’s lesser known hidden histories. Recounting instances of illness, death, crime and more, this walk will take you to some of the best known city landmarks while also shedding some light on the less ‘glossy’ history of the city. Learn about the history of Bog Island, the consequences of being poor in the nineteenth century, and some of Bath’s most notorious murder cases. Brought to you by the Centre for Death and Society, University of Bath as part of the centre’s 20th anniversary year of celebration. You are also most welcome to join the walk’s creators for a free talk directly afterwards (7-8pm) held at Widcombe Social Club (full details can be found in the festival programme, sign up separately for the talk).
Fri 28 Mar. Holburne Museum. Creative Curiosity: A Celebration of Emerging Artists in Bath 5pm. £7. For one night only, the museum will play host to a vibrant showcase including new paintings, photographs and sculptures. Alongside the visual art, enjoy a compelling programme of spoken word poetry, music and short theatre pieces. Curated by Emerge, the creative graduate studio at Bath Spa University, and set against the historic backdrop of the Holburne’s collection, this is an opportunity to explore and celebrate the bold, curious spirit of Bath’s creative community. Entry to the Museum FREE with a reduced entry fee for ICONIC: Portraiture from Francis Bacon to Andy Warhol. Cafe open throughout the evening with full bar and snacks available.
Sat 29 Mar. Movie at The Museum of East Asian Art. Part of the Curious Minds Festival is the screening of the 1949 film – of Yasujirō Ozu’s Late Spring (pictured). 2pm. £12 Full price | £10 Concessions (exc. fees). Following the woes of marriage and re-marriage, Late Spring belongs to the genre of Shōshimin-eiga (lower middle-class films), a genre Ozu pioneered. It is a stunning depiction of post-war realism and the first of the director’s ‘Noriko trilogy’.
Sun 30 Mar. Clocks go forward an hour. British Summer Time.
Sun 30 Mar. Mothering Sunday. Not to be confused with Mother’s Day on Sunday May 11 which means mums get two days dedicated to them. Mothering Sunday dates to the early Medieval era and was a Christian festival of the mother church that evolved to celebrate mothers and is the fourth Sunday of Lent when fasting could be broken with simnel cakes and other goodies. The one in May is derived from the USA Civil War which was a peace movement celebrating mothers. It has become as big as Mothering Sunday (also known now as Mothers’ Day) and is a boon to card manufacturers, florists, chocolate makers and pubs and restaurants. Fathers’ Day is on Sunday 15 June this year.
Tue 1 Apr. All Fools’ Day. A chance to carry out the odd good humoured prank like suggesting online that Bristol be renamed West Bath or that Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham have agree to play for Bath City during the summer friendlies.
Wed 2 Apr. Talk at The Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution (BRLSI) on Weir’d Bath: Power from the River Avon. 7.30pm. Tony Coverdale on how the development of Bath’s weirs has helped the city’s fortunes over the years. Pulteney Weir is an iconic structure, but why have it in the heart of Bath? What was its purpose? Together with the two weirs at Twerton, it was key to Bath’s fortunes. The weirs were built to help provide power to flour and textile mills when the world relied on renewable energy – but they blocked the river. How then could the Avon be made safe for boats to travel from Bath to Bristol and beyond? Come along to hear the fascinating story of Bath’s weirs and how they and the Avon have been adapted to meet the needs of more recent times. Tony Coverdale is a Chartered Engineer with a passion for history, particularly the application of science in engineering. He is a STEM Ambassador, aiming to introduce engineering to new audiences, and was involved with the Saltford Brass Mill Project between 2007 and 2023. As a retired Royal Navy engineering officer, he continues to provide consultancy services on the management of safety in hazardous industries and his voluntary work is currently focused on the conservation of St Thomas a Becket’s Church, Widcombe.
Thu 3 Apr. Museum of Bath at Work. Talk on Building a New Steam Locomotive in the 21st Century. Neil Taylor of the Bath Railway Society gives an insight into the BR standard locomotives which were seen as the pinnacle of steam engines. 7.30pm. All welcome. Visitors £5. Refreshments available.
Thu 3 Apr. Moorland Library open from 3-5pm. The community run library is now open on Thursday afternoons on a trial basis until 26th September. Other times are Tuesday 10am-4pm, Saturday 10am-1pm. The library is run by volunteers while the books are from the main library service in Bath. New volunteers are always needed visit the website for details at https://www.moorlandroadcommunitylibrary.com/
Tue 1-Sat 19 Apr. Bath Comedy Festival. There are numerous events at different venues beginning with Togas to Go at the Roman Baths – a Roman comedy – with a new act competition during the fortnight – with the Rondo Theatre, The Ring O Bells, Komedia, the Pizza Company upstairs, Nowhere Tavern, The Grapes, Chapter 22, Burdall’s Yard, the Guildhall and The Bell Courtyard amongst the venues with the final of the new act competition wrapping it up on Mon 21 April at the Old Theatre Royal. Details of all the acts that includes that famous TV Fox Basil Brush at https://www.bathcomedy.com/whats-on
Fri 4 Apr/ Rondo Theatre. Rock the Tots: Transport. Musical comedy show for small children. 11am. Created by Steph & Craig Mitchell. Beep beep! Rock The Tots returns, and this month’s theme is all about modes of transport. We will have all your fave vehicles in there, probably even a few you’ve forgotten about! Tunes will include Kylie, Blur and Fleetwood Mac – to name but a few! Live guitar, singing, props and puppets, funny memes and – of course – great tunes that you know and love. Sessions are approximately 1 hour long, without an interval. Suitable for children aged 0-6, and their adults. Under 1s go free! Please note that space is limited so, if you can, ditch the buggy and bring a sling instead.
Fri 4 Apr. Widcombe Social Club. Chris Wood in concert. Upstairs in the Wharf room AOTA presents England’s passionate, compassionate, fierce, acute, witty, uncompromising and influential singer of traditional songs and composer of songs in the tradition – there’s no-one quite like Chris Wood. 7pm.
Mon 7-Sat 12 Apr. Jane Austen 250th Celebrations. Guided tours of places associated with author based at the Gainsborough Bath Spa Hotel.
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Harry Mottram is a freelance journalist. Follow him on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Telegram, TikTok and Email:harryfmottram@gmail.com
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