Good to hear how strong an economic difference the opening events in this year’s Bath Festival made to the city.
Things kicked off on Friday night with Party in the City which saw people of all ages enjoying free live music in dozens of venues, from churches and pubs to museums and parks.
Stages were set up in Queen Square and Parade Gardens where partygoers enjoyed the sunshine and danced into the night. Bath BID (Bath Improvement District) recorded the highest footfall of the year so far on Friday night, with a recorded footfall data of 38 percent higher than the average Friday evening, giving a boost to the local economy.
The festival’s opening weekend was a huge success, with good-natured crowds queuing to see visiting authors and musicians. Thanks to the support from Bath Festival sponsors and partners, including Bath BID, Bath and North East Somerset Council, Bath Recreation, Bath Box Office staff, the schools and businesses who offer financial and practical support for the arts charity, as well as the army of festival volunteers who make the festival such a success.
The Bath Festival continues all this week with so much more to look forward to. Bath Philharmonia will play the Concert for the People of Bath on Thursday, with a big brass sound supplied by the Band of the Royal Marines School of Music. There’s a series of intimate concerts at the Holburne from the rising stars of classical music including Jeneba Kanneh Mason and Bath Royal Literary Science Institution on Queen Square is hosting a series of fascinating talks on everything from the BBC to Britain’s place in the world.
Friday promises more fun and laughter as five funny women (Isy Suttie, Lucy Beaumont, Jessica Jones, Helen Thorn and Anna Whitehouse) take to the stage at The Forum for Women on Top. Saturday, 21 May, is a day packed with live events, including appearances by writer Elizabeth Day, comedian Phil Wang, authors Claire Fuller and Sarah Moss and US writer Torrey Peters, whose book Detransition, Baby was nominated for the 2021 Women’s Prize for Fiction, who has included Bath on her list of UK dates,
The 2022 Bath Festival will close on Saturday with some real musical gems. American pianist Jeremy Denk will be playing Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier at St Swithin’s Church in the afternoon, followed in the evening by the Consone Quartet also in St Swithin’s Church. British contemporary group, Public Service Broadcasting will be putting on one of their unique performances of film and music at the close of the festival in The Forum.
For more festival events and to buy tickets, visit: thebathfestival.org.uk
