The Bath Festival 2023

PARTNERS

Festival Partners: Supported by:

Creative Partner:

Official Ticket Agent: Official Broadcast Partner:

Official Event Listing Partner: Official Communications Partner:

Official Book Seller: Official Print Partner: Official Travel Partner: Official Hotel Partner:

The Roper Family Charitable Trust

The Coles Medlock Foundation

Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation

Joyce Fletcher Charitable Trust

THE BATH FESTIVAL 2023

OPENING UP

This year we celebrate 75 years of The Bath Festival. It’s been a rollercoaster of a ride over the last few years and we have worked really hard to make sure that Bath Festivals continues to bring events that inspire, engage and entertain the people and visitors of Bath.

Our theme for this year is Opening Up. May is the perfect time for us all to be venturing out, exploring the city and connecting with others. We are proud to share with you a carefully curated literature programme of talks, workshops, performances and walks designed to encourage you to open up to new ideas, conversations and experiences. This year, our vibrant music programme focuses on bringing you a flavour of today’s most exceptional rising young talent.

Alongside many, we are facing financial challenges, but we are all very passionate about the importance of everyone being able to enjoy the arts no matter what their financial circumstances. Therefore, in addition to our free opening night, Party in the City, we are offering a new flexible pricing model to pick the price that suits your circumstances.

As a charity, we are more grateful than ever for the generous support of our volunteers, patrons, members and partners.

Best wishes,

Ian Stockley, CEO and the festival team

See p33-36 for our handy pull-out diary in the centre for a quick view of the programme.

Look out for our tabs at the top of each page to navigate your way through the brochure.

WHO ARE BATH FESTIVALS?

INSPIRE, DISCOVER, CONNECT, CELEBRATE

Founded in 1948, Bath Festivals arts charity has a rich heritage that has evolved and changed over the years.

We now produce music and book festivals and a year-round programme of outreach and creative learning projects that inspires and connects different people and communities.

As we move forward, we are keen to collaborate with, and open up our festivals and projects to as many people as possible. We want everyone to experience and celebrate the positivity that music, literature, and performance can have on our lives!

HAPPY 75TH BIRTHDAY BATH FESTIVALS!

To celebrate our 75th anniversary we have been delving into our archives and have pulled out a selection of festival posters throughout the years that you can purchase in our festival cafe at The Guildhall during festival week.

INTRODUCING: OUR NEW FLEXIBLE PRICING

This year we have introduced a flexible pricing model on our events. As an arts charity, we want as many people as possible to enjoy the festival, so alongside our free events we are offering a sliding scale of prices to suit your personal circumstances.

PAY IT FORWARD

This option is above the recommended price and will help support the cost of a ticket for someone else.

Is this for me?

I have access to disposable income/savings, can afford to pay above the recommended price and would like to make the festival affordable for others.

STANDARD (RECOMMENDED)

This option is what we believe reflects the value of the event and helps us make sure our costs are covered.

Is this for me?

OPEN CONCESSION

This option is lower than the recommended price and is aimed at those who could use the support of a reduced ticket price to attend.

Is this for me?

I have access to some disposable income/savings and would usually select a concession rate.

I have access to disposable income/savings, and I can afford the recommended ticket price. SUPPORTED

This option is the lowest ticket option and is aimed at those who need the support of the reduced ticket price to attend.

Is this for me?

I have low, unstable, or no income/savings and cannot afford the recommended or open concession option.

A small number of the events (including walks, catered and partnered events) are excluded from the flexible pricing model and will have a single standard price.

WELCOME TO THE PROGRAMME

KATE ABBEY HEAD OF PROGRAMMING

This festival is a year in the planning, from sparking initial conversations to developing collaborations with the most inspirational new and established talent across words and music. Bath will be overflowing with people opening up and sharing their stories, experiences and wisdom. Join in with our Poetry Open Mic, get your hands on the hottest reads pre-publication at our Proof Parties, deep dive into politics, art, history, nature and science or be transported into new worlds with our fiction writers. Come andl listen, learn, walk, write and enjoy the buzz in over 50 venues across our beautiful city.

Kate’s Festival Specials

• I’m thrilled that local award-winning author Max Porter brings his latest book Shy alive with an exclusive dramatic reading and live electronic score.

• We celebrate the magic that is literary cabaret sensation Polari Salon, with founder Paul Burston who has curated a special evening celebrating LGBTQ+ words and voices with Joelle Taylor and Miss Hope Springs.

• And in a pinch-me moment I’m already looking forward to seeing ‘rock star mythologist’ Natalie Haynes bring her irresistible take on Medusa in a one-night only appearance at the iconic Roman Baths.

JAMES WATERS CLASSICAL MUSIC PROGRAMMER

This is a golden time for brilliant young classical musicians and I am delighted to be able to offer a showcase at one of the UK’s leading festivals. From BBC New Generation Artists to Young Musician finalists and from piano to cello via accordion, guitar and violin we have a remarkable lineup of soloists. Add the brilliant young ensembles in Connaught Brass, Agate String Quartet and Siglo de Oro and we have a wonderfully varied programme which affirms that the future for classical music is very bright indeed. Two orchestras light up the festival! The Bath Festival Orchestra offers a multi-faceted residency including a performance of Mozart’s timeless ‘Requiem’, and the Bath Philharmonia performs the Concert for the People of Bath – a viscerally exciting programme around the idea of flight including the talented violinist Esther Yoo and new compositions by Bath Schools’ Voices.

MEET OUR GUEST PROGRAMMERS

DR RACHEL CLARKE: HOPE IN THE DARK

In an age of anxiety, disinformation and war, where do we find the chinks of light? The reasons for hope and belief that things can be better? I am thrilled to be curating a series of events on the theme of finding hope in dark times with four exceptionally engaged and inspiring writers: Jon Snow, Henry Marsh, Charlotte Higgins and Polly Morland. We’ll be discussing courage, creativity, love and human connection in Ukraine, on hospital wards, in GP surgeries and on camera in war zones and across the world. Join us!

CATHY RENTZENBRINK: HOW TO FEEL BETTER

Life, death, love and literature. What else is there? What a privilege to curate a series of events that I hope will be stimulating, moving, hopeful and even a bit funny. I’ll be interviewing Kit de Waal, Cariad Lloyd and Katherine May, and talking about the comfort and joy of reading with Nic Bottomley at Mr B’s. My friend the singer Kate Dimbleby will join me to explore how to feel better with words and song and I will be doing my best to get everyone writing at a workshop at The American Museum. Hope to see you there.

SARAH SHAFFI LITERATURE PROGRAMMER

Fiction has the power to whisk us to new worlds, teach us and comfort us. Above all, I believe, it has the power to entertain, just like a film or a piece of music. Whether we’re laughing, crying, heartbroken or uplifted, we’re being entertained. And this year, we’ve got some of the best fiction authors – the best entertainers – as part of our programme, from romance expert Bolu Babalola in conversation with debut novelist Liv Little, to literary fiction masters Caleb Azumah Nelson and Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, to Joanne Harris, who can turn her hand to so many genres. Whoever you see, and I hope you see them all and more, I know you’ll be entertained.

COLLECTIONS

With over 130 events we know it can be overwhelming to find the events for you!

So we collate the events into 12 collections, here are just some of them – find all of them on our website thebathfestival.org.uk

CLASSICAL MUSIC RISING STARS

SHARING STORIES

P 15 RYAN CORBETT

P 14 IYAD SUGHAYER P 14 JAREN ZIEGLER

P 15 IRÈNE DUVAL MACIEJ KULAKOWSKI

P 14 TIM BEATTIE

P 57 FERN BRADY

PATERSON JOSEPH

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

LUNCHTIME LECTURES

PARTY IN THE CITY

You’re invited to join Bath’s biggest FREE party as the city centre bursts into life for one night only. Join the fun and follow the Party in the City trail from park to pub, from church to museum, to hear the best from the local creative scene.

Musicians, poets, bands and choirs will perform in over 30 venues across the city. There will be outdoor stages in Queen Square and Parade Gardens. Bring the whole family along to an evening of live music and enjoy food and drink from pop-up stalls. Help us keep it green by bringing your own reusable cups, bowls and cutlery and make use of the recycling available on site!

You will be able to find the full programme of events closer to the time online and be able to pick up a programme flyer in venues across the city.

KEEP PARTY IN THE CITY FREE

Help us to keep Party in the City

Free by looking out for donation pots and contactless donation points during the night or donate online at bathfestivals.org.uk/make-a-donation

THANK YOU

A big thanks to all the venues who take part in Party in the City and to all the musicians, singers and performers who give their time and talent.

Generously supported by

Sponsored by

PARTY YOUR WAY THROUGH THE CITY

Get on your dancing shoes and party your way through the different venues and spaces of Bath.

OUTDOOR SPACES

Parade Gardens

Queen Square

SHOPS AND MORE

Milsom Place

Chapter 22 Roots and Records

The Guildhall

CHURCHES AND CHAPELS

Bath Abbey

Walcot Methodist Chapel

St Swithin's Church

Christ Church

St Michael's Without

Bath Elim Church

RESTAURANTS AND CAFES

Muw Shed

Bath Pizza Co.

at Green Park Station

The Boston Tea Party

Forum Coffee House

GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS

44AD Arts Space

Victoria Art Gallery

BRLSI

The Holburne Museum

Museum of Bath

Architecture

Burdall’s Yard

Bath Assembly Room

No. 1 Royal Crescent

PUBS AND BARS

Assembly Inn

Komedia

Widcombe Social Club

The Grapes

St James Wine Vaults

Bath Cider House

The Cork

Bath Brew House

The Pig and Fiddle

OPENING WEEKEND EXTRAVAGANZA with Bath Festival Orchestra Residency

Experience the individuality, personality and creative free spirit of our Orchestra in Residence in beautiful and unique settings in Bath. The orchestra provides a platform for players coming out of music college, energetic and interactive, celebrating the unique voice that young talent plays in developing the performing arts. We bring you brass musicians performing at Party in the City, Mozart’s ‘Requiem’ in Bath Abbey and free open rehearsals at St Michael’s in our opening weekend extravaganza.

BLASTING BRASS AT PARTY IN THE CITY

Look out for the Bath Festival Orchestra brass players in Party in the City for an uplifting blast of pure brass magic.

Date: Friday 12 May

Price: FREE

OPEN REHEARSAL AT ST MICHAEL’S WITHOUT

A chance to get to know the BFO from the inside out. Come and meet them for a coffee and a behind-the-scenes look at how a concert is prepared.

Date: Saturday 13 May

Time: 11.30am – 1:30pm

Venue: St Michael's Without

Price: FREE

POP UP PERFORMANCES AROUND THE CITY

Watch out for small groups of BFO musicians giving impromptu performances across the city.

Date: Sunday 14 May

Price: FREE Keep an eye on The Bath Festival website for more details of these events nearer the time.

‘We are very excited about our Bath Festival residency. We hope it will give you the chance to meet up with friends, step out of the everyday and share with us the creative free spirit that is at the heart of our performances. Whether inside Bath’s buildings or outside on the streets, we look forward to meeting you.’ Orchestra Leader Maren Bosma

MOZART REQUIEM AT BATH ABBEY

A selection of music including Marianna Martinez Opening from ‘Dixit Dominus’, Bruckner Locus Iste, Hans Andre Stamm Fanfare for Organ and Two Trumpets, and Mozart Divertimento in D Major K. 136

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ed. Süssmayr Requiem

Peter Manning, conductor

Bath Festival Orchestra, leader Maren Bosma

Matilda Johnston, organ scholar

Bath Camerata, chorus master Benjamin Kirk

Nadine Benjamin, soprano

Kitty Whately, mezzo soprano

Thomas Walker, tenor

William Thomas, bass

In the first half of this concert, BBC Radio 3 presenter Sarah Mohr-Pietsch takes us under the bonnet of the BFO. We shine a spotlight on the individual components and curiosities of an orchestra with musical examples illustrating how Mozart and his contemporaries had a titanic influence on musical language and orchestration –which lasts to this day.

After the interval the orchestra is joined by renowned local choir Bath Camerata for a performance of Mozart’s wonderful unfinished ‘Requiem’ with an array of exceptional soloists and unforgettable tunes.

Date: Saturday 13 May

Time: 7.30pm – 9.30pm

Venue: Bath Abbey

Price: £5 – £35*

Event code: A18

Sponsored by Generously supported by

Charles Lewington

Edward Horesh

William Thomas Kitty Whately Nadine Benjamin

Thomas Walker

CLASSICAL MUSIC RISING STARS

These five concerts showcase some of the most exciting classical talents of today who are on the launch pad to top class careers. The instrumentalists and the programmes are widely varied, and we are sure that the charisma of these performers will add sparkle to your festival days.

IYAD SUGHAYER, PIANO

Aram Khachaturian Poem (1927)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Sonata in G, K.283

Jean Sibelius Pieces, Op.24 Nos.1-5

Robert Schumann Faschingsschwank aus Wien, Op.26

Jordanian-Palestinian concert pianist Iyad Sughayer has performed numerous recitals and concertos across the United Kingdom, Europe and the Middle East. His programme contrasts sparking Mozart and Schumann with more introverted works by Khachaturian and Sibelius.

TIM BEATTIE, GUITAR

Spanish Guitar Music by Albeniz, Rodrigo, Torroba, Falla and Tarrega

Charismatic Canadian guitarist Tim Beattie performs melodically driven works that celebrate and expand upon the rich tradition of Spanish guitar music. Some of the most beloved scores of Spanish guitar literature from Baroque to modern.

JAREN ZIEGLER, VIOLA AND LYNN ARNOLD, PIANO

Johannes Brahms Sonata in F minor, Op.120 No.1

Arvo Pärt Fratres

Frank Bridge Two Pieces for Viola and Piano

Louis Vierne Le Soir

Jaren Ziegler’s performance in the televised final of BBC Young Musician of the Year blew many listeners away. There is no doubt that this remarkable teenager will rise to the very top of his chosen profession.

Date: Monday 15 May

Time: 11am – 12pm

Venue: Guildhall Banqueting Room

Price: £10 – £25*

Event code: C2

Date: Tuesday 16 May

Time: 11am – 12pm

Venue: Guildhall Banqueting Room

Price: £10 – £25*

Event code: D3

Date: Wednesday 17 May

Time: 11am – 12pm

Venue: Guildhall Banqueting Room

Price: £10 – £25*

Event code: E2

IRÈNE DUVAL, VIOLIN AND MACIEJ KULAKOWSKI, CELLO

Johann Sebastian Bach Cello Suite No.1 in G

Béla Bartok 2 movements from Sonata for solo violin

Maurice Ravel Sonata for Violin and Cello

A rare opportunity to hear Ravel’s gorgeous duo sonata for violin and cello. Solo violin and cello masterworks offer the perfect framework to show off the talents of these remarkable musicians.

Generously supported by Joyce Fletcher Charitable Trust.

Date: Thursday 18 May

Time: 11am – 12.10pm

Venue: Guildhall Banqueting Room

Price: £10 – £25*

Event code: F2

RYAN CORBETT, ACCORDION AND EMMA BAIRD, VIOLIN

Antonio Vivaldi ‘Winter’ from the Four Seasons

Mikolag Majkusiak Sonata for Violin and Accordion

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Souvenir d’un lieu cher

Maurice Ravel Tzigane

Two young Scots show what can be done with the remarkably flexible combination of violin and classical accordion. Beginning with ‘Winter’ from The Four Seasons their programme moves through romanticism to pure fun with Ravel’s Tzigane.

Date: Friday 19 May

Time: 11am – 12pm

Venue: Guildhall Banqueting Room

Price: £10 – £25*

Event code: G2

CONNAUGHT BRASS

Jan Koetsier Kinderzirkus

George Frideric Handel

Suite from Water Music

Gabriel Fauré Pavane

Victor Ewald Quintet No. 1

Steven Verhelst Suite from Pulcinella 2.0

Felix Blumenfeld arr. Akugbo Sarabande

Victor Ewald Quintet No. 4

There is nothing more exciting than sparkling brass playing and we are delighted to welcome virtuoso trumpeter Aaron Akugbo back to Bath with his brilliant new quintet playing a widely varied programme which will show off their class to the full. Having already made their debut at the Lucerne Festival and London’s Wigmore Hall, the ensemble’s sound earned them 1st Prize in the Inaugural Philip Jones International Brass Ensemble Competition and the Royal Overseas League Mixed Ensemble Competition last year.

‘A thrilling young ensemble at the start of what is sure to be a major international career’ Great Birmingham Brass Fest

A celebration of life – In memory of Sheila McCormack and others who generously gifted Bath Festivals a lasting legacy.

Date: Saturday 13 May

Time: 2pm – 4pm

Venue: St Swithin’s Church

Price: £12.50 – £30*

Event code: A6

TOM BORROW

Claude Debussy Images, Book 1

Sergei Rachmaninov Preludes, Opp 23 and 32 (selection)

Frédéric Chopin Études, Op.25 (selection)

Robert Schumann Fantasie in C major, Op 17

Tom Borrow is one of the most exciting pianists of today. At the age of 23 he is a BBC New Generation Artist performing at leading international recital halls such as London’s Wigmore Hall and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw as well as with major orchestras and conductors around the world. This programme will demonstrate his talent to the full, ranging from the beautiful impressionistic colours of Debussy to the full blown romanticism of Schumann with a dose of virtuoso fireworks from Chopin and Rachmaninov on the way.

‘Both technically brilliant and astonishing in its musicality’ BachTrack on his debut with the Cleveland Orchestra

Generously supported by Henry and Jane Brown.

Date: Sunday 14 May

Time: 5pm – 6.30pm

Venue: St Swithin’s Church

Price: £12.50 – £30*

Event code: B7

FIND THE PRICE FOR YOU

Have you seen our new flexible pricing? Find the right price for you on our guide on page 5

SIGLO DE ORO

Patrick Allies, director

William Byrd Mass in 5 parts with music by Ferrariensis, Cadeac, de Monte, Talls and Maister Jhan

2023 marks the 400th anniversary of the death of William Byrd, one of the towering figures of English choral music. His Five Part Mass is an absolute masterpiece. In this programme its movements are interleaved by other works of ravishing renaissance polyphony. Siglo de Oro are one of the most exciting young choral groups of today specialising in this repertoire. Their recordings and performances are suffused with a driving commitment to this wonderful music.

‘Confident, sonorous and full of character’

Gramophone

Date: Tuesday 16 May

Time: 7.30pm – 9pm

Venue: St Mary’s Bathwick

Price: £12.50 – £30*

Event code: D13

QUATUOR AGATE

Luigi Boccherini String Quartet in G minor

Béla Bartók String Quartet No.6

Franz Schubert String Quartet in D minor, D.810 ‘Death and the Maiden’

Quatuor Agate are one of the best young string quartets in Europe and they offer us a programme of enormous emotional range. Schubert’s ‘Death and the Maiden’ is one of the very greatest pieces of chamber music and packs an enormous musical and emotional punch. Bartók’s last string quartet is a searing outpouring of emotion at the beginning of the Second World War. In contrast Boccherini opens the evening with a work of perfect classical poise and charm.

‘A compelling and memorable performance’

Edinburgh Music Review

Generously supported by Brian Woodford.

Date: Saturday 20 May

Time: 11am – 1pm

Venue: Guildhall Banqueting Room

Price: £12.50 – £30*

Event code: H1

CONCERT FOR THE PEOPLE OF BATH

John Adams Short Ride in a Fast Machine

Sergei Prokofiev Violin Concerto No.1 in D major The Bath Festival Schools’ Voices Commission

Jonathan Dove ‘Departure’ from the opera Flight

Sergei Prokofiev ‘Dance’ and ‘Dance of the Knights’ from Romeo & Juliet

Igor Stravinsky The Firebird Suite (1919)

Fasten your seatbelts and let us launch you into the stratosphere for some of the most exhilarating orchestral music ever written. Our annual concert dedicated to the memory of Brian and Margaret Roper encourages future generations to develop their love of classical music. This year global superstar Esther Yoo will perform one of the fastest and most fantastical violin concertos in the world. Partnering a symphonic-sized Bath Philharmonia is a choir of over 100 young people opening up their own worlds through song. To complete the evening, we present the theme tune to the BBC’s The Apprentice and the rhythmic vitality and epic power of Stravinsky’s suite from The Firebird Suite – one of the most thrilling of all ballet scores.

‘Few can match Yoo for sheer technique’

The Guardian

Date: Thursday 18 May

Time: 7.30pm – 9.30pm

Venue: Forum

Price: £5 – £30*

Event code: F12

Generously supported by the Roper Family Trust; an annual concert that encourages future generations to develop their love of classical music, dedicated to the memory of Brian and Margaret Roper.

ABOUT SCHOOLS’ VOICES

Bath Festivals’ Schools’ Voices began in 2022 as a project to bring the community together through song and develop young people’s creative expression. Working in partnership with Bath Philharmonia and local secondary schools, we enable young people to collaborate with each other to write a set of four songs. The Schools’ Voices choir will perform their songs to open the festival at Party in the City and as part of the Concert for the People of Bath.

‘(I learned) how to create such a beautiful sound using different voices’ Participant

SUPPORT US OR LOSE US

FIND OUT MORE ON P63

Generously supported by *Ticket price excludes booking fee

WALKING TOURS

A special collection of walking tours, running on each day of the festival – including two brand-new themes alongside some festival favourites

Gentle-paced walking, on pavements, with frequent stops. Suitable for wheelchair users.

BATH: A RIGHT ROYAL CITY

What has royalty done for Bath? What has Bath done for royalty? On both counts, a great deal! The coronation of Edgar, the first crowned king of all England, took place in Saxon Bath Abbey in 973 AD. Learn about this and Bath’s many other fascinating royal connections, on this walking tour with Fred Mawer Tours. Hear about kings and queens who came to Bath to bathe in the thermal waters, to witness bomb damage and mark jubilees. Visit a royal-titled theatre, street, square, crescent and park, and take in royal coats of arms and monuments.

Distance: around 1.5 miles

Price: £16*

Event code: WT1

Saturday 13 May 10am – 12pm

Sunday 14 May 5.30pm – 7.30pm

Monday 15 May 5.30pm – 7.30pm

Tuesday 16 May 10am – 12pm

Wednesday 17 May 2pm – 4pm

Thursday 18 May 5.30pm – 7.30pm

Friday 19 May 10am – 12pm

Saturday 20 May 2pm – 4pm

Sunday 21 May 5.30pm – 7.30pm

Start: Abbey Churchyard, in front of the main doors of Bath Abbey (BA1 1LY)

Finish: outside the Guildhall (BA1 5AW)

BATH ON SCREEN: THE OTHER STAR OF THE SHOW

Bath is frequently used as a backdrop for films and TV shows. This entertaining tour by Fred Mawer Tours takes in many of the filming locations and provides behind-thescenes insights. The tour covers filming in Bath for Bridgerton, including for Season 3 and spin-off series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. It also features locations used for Netflix’s recent adaptation of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, for Warner Bros’ upcoming Wonka, ITV’s Bath-based McDonald and Dodds series, plus famous older films.

Distance: around 1.5 miles

Price: £16*

Event code: WT3

Saturday 13 May 5.30pm – 7.30pm

Monday 15 May 2pm – 4pm

Wednesday 17 May 10am – 12pm

Friday 19 May 5.30pm – 7.30pm

Sunday 21 May 2pm – 4pm

Start: Outside No1 Royal Crescent (BA1 2LR)

Finish: outside the Holburne Museum (BA2 4DB)

READING BATH BETWEEN THE LINES

For centuries Bath has inspired writers. The Georgian spa was the perfect setting and its visitors provided a colourful cast of characters. This entertaining walk around literary Bath with Bath Walking Tours explores the city with authors past and present, from Austen and Dickens to crime writer Peter Lovesey, poet John Betjeman and award-winning novelist Rose Tremain. Discover Bath’s enduring appeal to writers and the places that inspired them.

Distance: around 1.5 miles

Price: £16*

Event code: WT2

Saturday 13 May 2pm – 4pm

Sunday 14 May 10am – 12pm

Monday 15 May 10am – 12pm

Tuesday 16 May 2pm – 4pm

Wednesday 17 May 5.30pm – 7.30pm

Thursday 18 May 2pm – 4pm

Friday 19 May 2pm – 4pm

Saturday 20 May 5.30pm – 7.30pm

Sunday 21 May 10am – 12pm

Start: Outside Bath World Heritage Centre, 10 York Street (BA1 1NH)

Finish: The Royal Crescent (BA1 2LR)

BATH BLITZ: THE STORY OF DESTRUCTION AND REBUILDING

Bath suffered from devastating air raids in the Second World War. On two moonlit nights in April 1942, over 400 people lost their lives and thousands of buildings were damaged or destroyed. Join Bath Walking Tours to discover why the city was identified as a target by the Luftwaffe. See reconstructed and restored buildings, bomb craters and shrapnel damage, and learn about now-vanished churches, air raid shelters, evacuees and the aftermath.

Distance: around two miles

Price: £16*

Event code: WT4

Sunday 14 May 2pm – 4pm

Tuesday 16 May 5.30pm – 7.30pm

Thursday 18 May 10am – 12pm

Saturday 20 May 10am – 12pm

Start: Orange Grove, by the obelisk (BA1 1LP)

Finish: Bath War Memorial, entrance to Royal Victoria Park, Queen’s Parade (BA1 2NJ)

Check out the Beckford and Bath walk with Amy Frost on p24

*Ticket price excludes booking fee

MIND AND BODY UNPROCESSED

What is our food doing to our brains?

Psychologist Kimberley Wilson has worked in prisons, schools and hospitals around the country. She reveals the role food and nutrition is playing in Britain’s mental health crisis and how the most vulnerable are being systematically ignored. She talks to podcast presenter Annabel Ross about how we can eat for our body and our mind.

Date: Saturday 13 May

Time: 10.30am – 11.30am

Venue: Walcot House

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: A1

CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP HOW TO START WRITING A NOVEL WITH HARRIET EVANS

Have you always wanted to write, but never had the confidence? Or have you always meant to try but never quite got round to putting finger to keyboard? Every novel has to start somewhere, so kickstart your storytelling at this two-hour workshop led by bestselling author and former editor Harriet Evans (The Beloved Girls). It’ll be full of encouragement, practical tips and insider information. All ages, stages and confidence levels welcome.

Ticket includes tea/coffee & biscuits.

Date: Saturday 13 May

Time: 11am – 1pm

Venue: Persephone Books

Price: £15 – £40*

Event code: A2

CURRENT AFFAIRS THE LIES AMERICA TELLS

Sarah Churchwell’s brilliant and provocative book, The Wrath to Come, examines the enduringly popular story Gone with the Wind, and exposes the divisions ripping the United States apart today. Separating fact from fiction, she shows how histories of mythmaking have informed America’s racial and gender politics, the controversies over Confederate statues, the resurgence of white nationalism, the Black Lives Matter movement, the enduring power of the American Dream and the violence of Trumpism. In conversation with journalist Anu Anand

Date: Saturday 13 May

Time: 11.30am – 12.30pm

Venue: Guildhall

Banqueting Room

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: A3

FIND THE PRICE FOR YOU

Have you seen our new flexible pricing? Find the right price for you on our guide on page 5

FICTION JOANNE HARRIS

From romance to psychological thrillers, via short stories, the gothic and more, Joanne Harris is a master storyteller. Her new novel, Broken Light, sees protagonist 49-year-old Bernie’s life change when a woman is murdered in a local park. In conversation with the Guardian journalist and editor, Claire Armitstead, Joanne discusses women’s anger and power in middle age, and what led her to write a book that’s an homage to Stephen King’s iconic character Carrie.

Date: Saturday 13 May

Time: 11.30am – 12.30pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: A4

CURIOUS MINDS SHAKESPEARE: THE GREAT WHITE BARD

Is there a way forward for 21st-century Shakespeare that supports performers, students and theatre-lovers of all backgrounds to claim him as their own?

Professor Emma Smith (This is Shakespeare) chairs an event that unpacks the rich, but sometimes uncomfortable history of the bard with Professor Farah Karim-Cooper (The Great White Bard), academic and director of education at Shakespeare’s Globe, and academic Sophie Duncan (Searching for Juliet).

FICTION LIBBY PAGE AND LAUREN BRAVO

Come and celebrate all things vintage, preloved and secondhand with Libby Page and Lauren Bravo who talk to Joanna Nadin about their uplifting new books. The Vintage Shop of Second Chances is set in Libby’s hometown of Frome and features Lou, who opens a shop as she grieves for her mother. Preloved follows Gwen, a lonely 30-something who rebuilds her life by volunteering in a charity shop after she’s made redundant.

Date: Saturday 13 May

Time: 12.30pm – 1.30pm

Venue: Walcot House

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: A5

Date: Saturday 13 May

Time: 2.30pm – 3.30pm

Venue: Guildhall

Banqueting Room

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: A8

Sponsored by

*Ticket price excludes booking fee

BECKFORD, BATH AND THE PROFITS OF TRANSATLANTIC SLAVERY

When writer and collector William Beckford moved to Bath in 1822 it was a city that had already significantly benefitted from the transatlantic slave trade. Beckford added to that wealth as he commissioned buildings, furniture and objects that paid even more profits of the stolen labour of enslaved people into the city. Join Dr Amy Frost on a special Bath Festival walk in Beckford’s footsteps exploring the source of his wealth.

CURRENT AFFAIRS

Date: Saturday 13 May

Time: 2pm – 3.30pm

Start/Finish: Meet outside 20 Lansdown Crescent

Price: £12*

Event code: A7

Distance: around 1.5 miles

Gentle-paced walking, on pavements, with frequent stops Suitable for wheelchair users.

JOLYON MAUGHAM: HOW GOOD LAW CAN TOPPLE THE POWERFUL

All too often our legal system feels as if it only works for people who already have power and privilege. Jolyon Maugham KC (Bringing Down Goliath) – founder of the UK’s largest legal campaign group, the Good Law Project and outspoken barrister on social media – reveals what has driven his inspiration and purpose.

He talks to Greg Ingham about a bold new vision for how the law can work better for all of us in the fight against injustice.

Date: Saturday 13 May

Time: 2.30pm – 3.30pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: A9

FICTION

JOANNA QUINN AND KIM SHERWOOD

Join two exceptional voices in contemporary historical fiction as they talk to the Guardian journalist and editor Claire Armitstead. Joanna Quinn’s captivating debut The Whalebone Theatre was the breakout hit of last year – a beguiling story of inheritance, imagination and courage and of an irrepressible girl from a gloriously dysfunctional home who fights to carve out her own story. With extraordinary verve and chutzpah, Kim Sherwood’s A Wild and True Relation remakes the 18th-century Heroical novel and challenges women’s writing and women’s roles throughout history.

Date: Saturday 13 May

Time: 2.30pm – 3.30pm

Venue: Walcot House

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: A10

PERSEPHONE BOOKS AND DOMESTIC FEMINISM

Enjoy a cup of tea and a slice of chocolate cake upstairs at Persephone while Nicola Beauman, founder of Persephone Books, gives an informal talk about one of her favourite topics: domestic feminism in fiction. She will explore the subtle but unabashed feminism of Persephone writers such as Edith Ayrton Zangwill (The Call), Dorothy Whipple (Someone at a Distance, Greenbanks), Barbara Euphan Todd (Miss Ranskill Comes Home) and Penelope Mortimer (Daddy’s Gone A’Hunting).

Ticket includes tea/coffee & a slice of cake.

Date: Saturday 13 May

Time: 3pm – 4pm

Venue: Persephone Books

Price: £4 – £12*

Event code: A11

SHARING STORIES NAVIGATING MISCARRIAGE AND BABY LOSS

ENTERTAINMENT POP CULTURE ICONS WITH DAVID HEPWORTH AND JOHN HIGGS

The Beatles, James Bond and Abbey Road Studios are all enduring cultural icons. Music journalist David Hepworth (Abbey Road) and cultural historian John Higgs (Love and Let Die) share stories of great music, larger-than-life stars and the interwoven histories of music and film with a glorious romp through popular culture over the past 60 years.

Date: Saturday 13 May Time: 5pm – 6pm

Venue: Guildhall Banqueting Room

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: A13

Losing a baby during pregnancy is still a silenced and misunderstood subject. Author Pippa Vosper (Beyond Grief), and writer Vanessa Haye discuss their own experiences of pregnancy loss. They are joined by Kate Davies from miscarriage and baby loss charity Tommy’s, who provides in-depth insight into the ongoing clinical research carried out by the charity. Whatever your experience of womanhood or motherhood, this will be an empowering conversation that aims to inspire and connect those who have been touched by pregnancy loss.

Date: Saturday 13 May

Time: 4.30pm – 5.30pm

Venue: Walcot House

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: A12

*Ticket price excludes booking fee

FICTION SPOTLIGHT ON THE JHALAK PRIZE

Now in its eighth year, The Jhalak Prize celebrates the best books by British and British resident writers of colour each year, covering a myriad of genres. Former winner, Guy Gunaratne (Mister, Mister), will be joined by one of this year’s shortlisted authors plus former judge Sarah Shaffi to talk about the prize’s impact and celebrate the work it has championed.

Date: Saturday 13 May

Time: 5pm – 6pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: A14

FICTION 75 YEARS OF I CAPTURE THE CASTLE

It’s 75 years since Dodie Smith’s bestselling coming-of-age novel I Capture the Castle was first published. The travails of its heroine Cassandra and her eccentric family have captured the hearts of readers and writers ever since. Join two of the book’s biggest fans, Bath-based novelists Joanna Nadin (The Double Life of Daisy Hemmings) and Harriet Evans (The Beloved Girls), to discuss the novel’s lasting influence and importance. Are you a Cassandra or a Rose? Or maybe even a Topaz? Come and chat about all things Mortmain at this timely celebration of a beloved book.

Ticket includes tea/coffee and biscuits.

Date: Saturday 13 May

Time: 5pm – 6pm

Venue: Persephone Books

Price: £4 – £12*

Event code: A15

SHARING STORIES

CARIAD LLOYD TALKS TO CATHY RENTZENBRINK

Comedian and host of the award-winning podcast, Griefcast, Cariad Lloyd (You Are Not Alone) reflects on all that she has learned about the process of grieving and society’s changing attitude to death with Cathy Rentzenbrink (How To Feel Better). An event for all of us: whether you have felt lost in your own grief, would like to help someone you know through theirs, or would just like to understand death (and life) a little better.

Date: Saturday 13 May Time: 7.30pm – 8.30pm

Venue: Guildhall Banqueting Room

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: A16

FICTION BOLU BABALOLA AND LIV LITTLE

Honey & Spice was the breakout hit of last summer: a deliciously witty and relatable romcom that went straight to the top of the bestseller lists and was a Reese’s Book Club pick and BookTok favourite. Its author Bolu Babalola is having a party to celebrate the paperback release of her sensational book and you’re invited! Joining her for an evening of chat and music is the founder of gal-dem, Liv Little, author of the striking debut, Rosewater, a love story about what happens when the world is telling you that you should have it all together but the foundations you’ve built for yourself are crumbling. Chaired by Sarah Shaffi.

PERFORMANCE A ROOM OF ONE’S OWN

The award-winning Dyad Productions return with a 21st-century take on Virginia Woolf’s celebrated pre-TED talk.

Take a wry, amusing and incisive trip through the history of literature, feminism and gender. Meet Charlotte Brontë, Jane Austen, Aphra Behn and Shakespeare’s sister Judith! Travel to the far-flung future of 2028, but whatever you do, Keep Off the Grass. Rebecca Vaughan (Female Gothic, Orlando, Christmas Gothic, Dalloway, Austen’s Women, Jane Eyre: An Autobiography) performs Woolf’s 1928 exploration of the impact of poverty and sexual inequality on intellectual freedom and creativity.

Date: Saturday 13 May Time: 7.30pm – 8.30pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: A17

★★★★★ ‘Intelligently adapted, beautifully performed … entrancing’ British Theatre Guide

‘Perfection … Vaughan is simply sublime’ Huffington Post

Date: Saturday 13 May

Time: 7.30pm – 8.30pm

Venue: Ustinov Studio

Price: £8 – £20*

Event code: A19

MIND AND BODY REVOLUTIONISE YOUR SLEEP AND HEALTH

Award-winning scientist Russell Foster (Life Time) takes us on a journey through the circadian rhythms that dominate our days and lives – showing how we can all use the science of the biological clock to achieve better sleep, better health and better minds. Breaking down myths and replacing them with cutting-edge science, Foster will empower us to get back into rhythm and live healthier, sharper lives.

Date: Sunday 14 May

Time: 11am – 12pm

Venue: Guildhall Banqueting Room

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: B1

POPULAR SCIENCE PRAGYA AGARWAL

We’ve all heard that girls should be ‘sugar and spice and all things nice’, while ‘boys don’t cry’. Hysterical, Telegraph’s Big Ideas Book 2022, sees Pragya Agarwal shine an illuminating light on the hidden bias, double standards and myths that warp our judgements about the way men and women feel. She talks to the Guardian journalist and editor, Claire Armitstead, about the impact of it on her own life and considers what a future where emotions are ungendered might look like.

ART OF EXPRESSION

BATH CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS’ FAIR

Pop along to Green Park Station for the award-winning Bath Contemporary Artists’ Fair, bringing 70 artists from the city and beyond right to the heart of Bath. Discover fine art, photography, sculpture, ceramics, textiles and much more. Find out more at www.bcaf.co.uk

Date: Sunday 14 May

Time: 10am – 5pm

Venue: Green Park Station

Price: FREE

Date: Sunday 14 May

Time: 11am – 12pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: B2

BEYOND CORONATION: WHAT’S NEXT FOR OUR ROYAL FAMILY?

May 2023 heralds a remarkable historic moment for our country – our first new monarch in 70 years, yet our new king remains an enigma and everything our royal family stands for seems threatened by scandal and division. Catherine Mayer, author of the gripping landmark biography, Charles: The Heart of a King, joins Jonathan Healey, whose brilliant and bloody new history of England’s turbulent 17th century, The Blazing World, reveals many parallels with the challenges faced today. Chaired by BBC World Service journalist, Anu Anand.

Date: Sunday 14 May

Time: 1.30pm – 2.30pm

Venue: Guildhall Banqueting Room

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: B3

FICTION THE WOMEN OF SHAKESPEARE

Shakespeare’s best-known tales have long held readers fascinated. Natasha Solomons’ Fair Rosaline takes everything you thought you knew about Romeo and Juliet and turns it on its head, while Isabelle Schuler’s Lady MacBethad is the origin story of the woman who would be queen no matter what. They talk to Sarah Shaffi about their fresh takes on these fierce, forgotten female characters.

Ticket includes a bespoke sampler of Fair Rosaline, not due to be published until Summer 2023, and a chance to win some exciting Shakespeare-related prizes! Check our website for more details.

Date: Sunday 14 May

Time: 4pm – 5pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: B5

SHARING STORIES KIT DE WAAL TALKS TO CATHY RENTZENBRINK

From a mother who banned Christmas and birthdays to a father who splurged money he didn’t have on cars and fancy shoes, award-winning author Kit de Waal’s childhood in 1960s Birmingham was anything but ordinary. Caught between three worlds, Irish, Caribbean and British, she reflects on a chaotic upbringing of opposites and extremes in her new book, Without Warning and Only Sometimes, with fellow memoirist Cathy Rentzenbrink.

Date: Sunday 14 May

Time: 1.30pm – 2.30pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: B4

FICTION SPIES AMONG FRIENDS

A special festival event with a trio of espionage writers at the top of their game! Charlotte Philby (Edith and Kim) talks to James Naughtie, acclaimed BBC broadcaster, as he introduces The Spy Across the Water, the third instalment in his brilliant spy series woven around three brothers bound together forever through espionage. Joining them is the winner of the Bath Novel Award and the first female author to pick up Ian Fleming’s mantle, Kim Sherwood (Testament) – whose explosive new official 007 thriller, Double Or Nothing blows the world of James Bond wide open.

WORDS AND MUSIC HOW TO FEEL BETTER WITH WORDS AND SONG

Cathy Rentzenbrink is a writer who comes from a long line of nobodies and struggles to feel she has the right to say anything.

Kate Dimbleby is a singer who grew up in a family of famous communicators and her problem is trying to get a word in at all. Expect laughter, maybe a few tears and a lot of fun in this exploration of how finding and nurturing our own unique voice is a crucial and joyous ally in navigating life and feeling better.

Date: Sunday 14 May

Time: 4.30pm – 5.30pm

Venue: Guildhall Banqueting Room

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: B6

Date: Sunday 14 May

Time: 6.30pm – 7.30pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: B8

ART OF EXPRESSION JEREMY DELLER: ART IS MAGIC

The Turner Prize award-winning artist Jeremy Deller’s new book, Art is Magic, ties up the key works of his career alongside the art, pop music, film, politics and history that have inspired his work. He shares stories about his extraordinary career including The Battle of Orgreave, a recreation of a confrontation from the miners’ strike, Andy Warhol (who he met in 1986), rave culture and hen harriers pecking out the eyes of a Tory MP with broadcaster, writer and DJ, Zakia Sewell. 30

Date: Sunday 14 May

Time: 7pm – 8pm

Venue: Guildhall

Banqueting Room

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: B9

THE ART OF PITCHING YOUR BOOK: WITH BLAKE FRIEDMANN LITERARY AGENCY

Writing a novel? Have a great idea for a memoir, or nonfiction narrative? How can you give your book the best shot at publication with a winning pitch? Join two Blake Friedmann book agents as they take you through which elements of your story have the best pitching potential, how to pitch so your book appeals to publishers and agents, and how to define your USP as the author. A comprehensive and friendly workshop.

Your ticket includes tea/coffee & biscuits.

Date: Monday 15 May

Time: 10.30am – 12.30pm

Venue: Bath Central Library

Price: £10 – £25*

Event code: C1

ART OF EXPRESSION THE COLOURFUL WORLD OF KAFFE FASSETT

Kaffe Fassett needs no introduction, a counterculture design legend, he has dedicated the last 50 years of his life to the world of knitting, quilting and needlepoint, promoting these crafts through his own work and encouraging others to find their own creativity. He talks to editor Dennis Nothdruft (The Artist’s Eye) about his prolific career, his time spent living in Bath and his incredible use of colour. Don’t miss your chance to learn from the worldrenowned master textile designer and have your quilting conundrums answered.

Date: Monday 15 May

Time: 1.30pm – 2.30pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: C5

SHARING STORIES MANNI AND REUBEN COE TALK TO SALLY PHILLIPS

brother. do. you. love. me. is a text that Reuben Coe, struggling with the physical reality of having Down’s syndrome, sent his older brother Manni Coe, who immediately left his Spanish home, took Reuben out of care and moved them to a countryside cottage. Join the brothers in conversation with acclaimed comedian, actress and vocal disability advocate Sally Phillips, as they discuss their critically acclaimed memoir and consider how, individually and collectively, we can all take better care of each other.

Date: Monday 15 May Time: 11am – 12pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: C3

LUNCHTIME LECTURE HOW DOES CULTURE MAKE US HUMAN?

Acclaimed author and professor

Martin Puchner (Culture: A New World History) takes us on a breakneck tour showing how art forms have crisscrossed continents over centuries to produce masterpieces. From Nefertiti’s lost city and the Islamic Golden Age to 20th-century Nigerian theatre and Modernist poetry, he explores how contact between different peoples has driven artistic innovation in every era – while cultural policing and purism have more often undermined the very societies they tried to protect.

This event is part of the Lunchtime Lecture series in partnership with University of Bath.

Date: Monday 15 May Time: 1.30pm – 2.30pm

Venue: Guildhall

Banqueting Room

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: C4

NATURE ENCHANTMENT WITH KATHERINE MAY

What if there was a different way to relate to the world? One which celebrates the restorative properties of the natural world and promotes a sense of mental wellbeing and calm. Overwhelmed by the chatter on social media and the grind of the news, Wintering author Katherine May talks to Cathy Rentzenbrink about pursuing a more meaningful way of life.

PHILOSOPHY AND LIFE WITH AC GRAYLING

How should I live my life? What sort of person should I be? What shall I aim for? These ‘Socratic’ questions have long fascinated acclaimed philosopher AC Grayling (Philosophy and Life). He shares the wisdom we need to make sense of our lives by drawing on an eclectic range of thinkers and authors from across eras and continents to help provide the answers.

Date: Monday 15 May

Time: 5pm – 6pm

Venue: Guildhall

Banqueting Room

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: C6

LOCAL INTEREST INTRODUCING READ EASY BATH

Did you know that 2.4 million adults in the UK can’t read? Read Easy provides free, confidential coaching for adults who struggle with their reading. Come and find out how you can volunteer in your community. Hear about the different roles available and learn what a difference being able to read makes to someone’s life.

Date: Monday 15 May

Time: 6pm – 7pm

Venue: Dorothy House Bookshop

Price: FREE (ticketed)

Event code: C8

Date: Monday 15 May

Time: 5pm – 6pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: C7

Sponsored by

EVENT CALENDAR

KEY TO EVENTS: Music   Books

SUNDAY 14 MAY

MONDAY 15 MAY

TUESDAY 16 MAY

WEDNESDAY 17 MAY

THURSDAY 18 MAY

FRIDAY 19 MAY

FRIDAY 19 MAY (CONTINUED)

SATURDAY 20 MAY

SUNDAY 21 MAY

BODY TALKING ABOUT PERIMENOPAUSE AND MENOPAUSE

Dr Louise Newson, the hugely experienced doctor who ‘kickstarted the menopause revolution’ comes to Bath to share her exclusive research and advice on how to access the help you might need. Food and health writer Sam Rice will talk to her about the science behind hormones and HRT, how the menopause can impact health, relationships and career before opening up the questions to everyone in the audience.

‘I’ve learned so much from Louise, and now you can too’ Holly

Date: Monday 15 May

Time: 7.30pm – 8.30pm

Venue: Guildhall Banqueting Room

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: C9

Willoughby

FICTION CALEB AZUMAH NELSON AND ROWAN HISAYO BUCHANAN

Caleb Azumah Nelson makes a welcome return to The Bath Festival, where he launched his debut novel Open Water, which went on to win the Costa First Novel Award. Small Worlds is his exhilarating and expansive new novel about fathers and sons, faith and friendship. He’s joined by the luminously talented Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author of The Sleep Watcher – a moving portrait of family, danger and guilt, captured through the strange summer heat of adolescence. Chaired by Sarah Shaffi.

Date: Monday 15 May

Time: 7.30pm – 8.30pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: C10

FESTIVAL SPECIAL THE COMFORT AND JOY OF BOOKS

Books have a huge power to entertain, enlighten, console and sustain. In this warm and hopeful event, bibliophiles

Nic Bottomley and Cathy Rentzenbrink will consider how and why books are so sustaining, especially in times of trouble, how our tastes change due to age and external events, and the role of the bookshop as both a pleasure garden and sanctuary. They’ll also be sharing personal recommendations and inviting audience suggestions for comforting, helpful and uplifting books.

Date: Monday 15 May

Time: 7.30pm – 8.30pm

Venue: Mr B’s Emporium

Price: £4 – £12*

Event code: C11

WORKSHOP WRITING SHORT-SHORT STORIES

The very short story, or ‘flash fiction’, is an exciting literary form delivering stories with an intensity and attention to detail sometimes reminiscent of poetry. And the South West is a lively international hub for the form, not least because of the prestigious Bath Flash Fiction Award. Come along to this workshop with writer and editor Michael Loveday to encounter diverse examples of short-short stories, and be guided to write at least two of your own. All welcome – from beginners to experienced writers.

Your ticket includes tea/coffee & biscuits.

Date: Tuesday 16 May

Time: 10.30am – 12.30pm

Venue: Bath Central Library

Price: £10 – £25*

Event code: D1

ART OF EXPRESSION JAMES GILLRAY: A REVOLUTION IN SATIRE

James Gillray was late-Georgian Britain’s wittiest, most inventive and celebrated graphic satirist, sending up politicians in an age – as now – where society was fast changing and truth was sometimes scarce. Historian and writer Tim Clayton’s illustrated talk reveals Gillray’s sophisticated designs, explores his friendships and collaborations and considers the tensions between artistic independence and financial necessity.

WORKSHOP WRITING A MEMOIR: WHERE DO I START?

Do you want to write about your life? This stimulating workshop, held at the beautiful American Museum, and run by acclaimed writer Cathy Rentzenbrink will give you impetus and encouragement and would be suitable either as a jumping off point or as an injection of energy into an ongoing project. All are welcome.

Your ticket includes tea/coffee & biscuits as well as access to the beautiful gardens.

Date: Tuesday 16 May

Time: 10.30am – 12.30pm

Venue: American Museum

Price: £15 – £40*

Event code: D2

Date: Tuesday 16 May

Time: 11am – 12pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: D4

WALKING TOURS

Don’t forget to check out the walking tours daily at 10am, 2pm and 5.30pm on pages 20-21

ART OF EXPRESSION 20TH-CENTURY BRITAIN AND ITS ARTISTS

Throughout the changes of the past century, art has recorded, challenged and defined our times. Art historian Michael Bird (This is Tomorrow) and chief art critic of The Times, Laura Freeman (Ways of Life) take a fresh and lively look at the lives and work of those who shaped Britain: Jim Ede and the Kettle Yard’s artists, the Whistler vs John Ruskin libel case and the Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson’s melting icebergs in London.

Date: Tuesday 16 May

Time: 1.30pm – 2.30pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: D6

LUNCHTIME LECTURE HOW UNCERTAINTY CAN POWER CHANGE

We don’t know the future; even the best forecasters expect to get things wrong. Academic and author Margaret Heffernan (Uncharted) asks why then are we so addicted to prediction and why does uncertainty rattle us so profoundly? Does technology help or hinder our understanding of what might be around the corner? And who are the kinds of people for whom NOT knowing the future is a genuine advantage?

This event is part of the Lunchtime Lecture series in partnership with University of Bath.

FESTIVAL SPECIAL SPOTLIGHT ON VERSO PUBLISHING

We live in divided and antagonistic times, with battle lines drawn over so many debates. Chaired by Leo Hollis, editorial director of leading radical publisher Verso Books, authors Robert Bevan (Monumental Lies) and Sian Norris (Bodies Under Siege) map the political trenches in this special festival event. Norris looks at how the far-right are attacking women’s reproductive rights and autonomy. Meanwhile Bevan asks how architecture and heritage is used and abused to tell stories about the past. Together they will show how ideas have been the most dangerous weapons in the culture wars.

Date: Tuesday 16 May

Time: 5pm – 6pm

Date: Tuesday 16 May

Time: 1.30pm – 2.30pm

Venue: Guildhall

Banqueting Room

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: D5

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: D8

GEOPOLITICS THE SPACE RACE WITH TIM MARSHALL

Future world power struggles will take place in space and it’s no coincidence that Russia, China and the USA are leading the way. Tim Marshall (The Future of Geography) is the UK’s most popular writer on geopolitics and will explore the new space race and what the rivalry, technology and economics will mean for us here on Earth.

Date: Tuesday 16 May

Time: 5pm – 6pm

Venue: Guildhall

Banqueting Room

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: D7

Sponsored by

BATH SPA ANTHOLOGY READINGS

A stimulating evening brought to you by the diverse and tenacious students of Bath Spa University’s Creative Writing MA, whose work is gathered together in their self-produced anthology. Enjoy readings from a cross-section of poets, novelists, memoirists and experimental writers and take the chance to talk to them about their experiences of the Bath Spa Creative Writing MA programme.

Date: Tuesday 16 May

Time: 5pm – 6.30pm

Venue: Chapter 22 Roots & Records

Price: FREE (ticketed)

Event code: D9

NEW TALENT SERPENT’S TAIL AND GRANTA PROOF PARTY

Celebrated independent publishers Serpent’s Tail and Granta are both renowned for publishing risk-taking literature that smashes the mould. Don’t miss this exclusive event with three of their biggest authors and take home a goodie bag of proof copies months ahead of publication. Join brilliant Wiltshire-based author Victoria Gosling with her second novel Bliss and Blunder, Julianne Pachico with her highly original third novel The Jungle House and AK Blakemore, winner of the 2021 Desmond Elliott prize for best debut, with her new novel The Glutton. Chaired by Hannah Westland from the Serpent’s Tail editorial team.

Ticket includes a glass of wine or soft drink and a tote bag of limited-edition proofs.

Date: Tuesday 16 May

Time: 6pm – 7pm

Venue: Francis Hotel

Price: £9 – £22*

Event code: D10

Sponsored by

Supported by

HISTORICAL FICTION THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF CHARLES IGNATIUS SANCHO WITH PATERSON JOSEPH

Meet Charles Ignatius Sancho, an 18thcentury writer, abolitionist and composer – a man born on a slave ship who escaped enslavement and became the first black Briton to vote. His extraordinary story, hidden for 300 years, is told by one of Britain’s best-loved actors, Paterson Joseph, in his captivating debut historical novel. He joins us at the festival, in conversation with Joanna Nadin, for a special event incorporating readings and conversation. This is a thrilling, throat-catching wonder of a story, one not to be missed.

Date: Tuesday 16 May

Time: 7.30pm – 8.30pm

Venue: Guildhall

Banqueting Room

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: D11

ARCHITECTURE ICONICON: CONTEMPORARY BRITISH BUILDINGS

Wimpey Homes. Millennium monuments. Wind farms. Spectacular skyscrapers. Self-confessed architecture geek John Grindrod takes us on an enthralling, witty and engaging journey around the Britain we have created since 1980: the horrors and delights, the triumphs and failures.

Date: Tuesday 16 May

Time: 7.30pm – 8.30pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: D12

POETRY POETRY READING AND OPEN MIC

A festival first! Come and hear local poets Carrie Etter, Pey Oh and Ruth Sharman read from their critically acclaimed work and, if you like, read one of your own poems as well! During the breaks there will be a chance to mingle, have a drink from the bar and chat to the poets. Attendees wanting to read should bring a single poem of no more than 40 lines and can sign up at the beginning of the event.

Date: Tuesday 16 May

Time: 7.30pm – 9.30pm

Venue: Chapter 22 Roots & Records

Price: £4 – £12*

Event code: D14

WORKSHOP HOW TO WRITE FUNNY

We all love to read a book that makes us laugh but writing a rib-cracking book is a serious business. In this workshop, Rebecca Rogers (The Purgatory Poisoning), local author and winner of the Comedy Women in Print Unpublished Comedy Novel prize, will help you to create your funny novel. From exploring the big ideas (what actually is funny?) to looking at knee-slapping dialogue and character development, you’ll come away with a suitcase full of hilarious hints and tips to add fun to your manuscript. Aimed at beginners but all are welcome. Your ticket includes tea/coffee & biscuits.

Date: Wednesday 17 May

Time: 10.30am – 12.30pm

Venue: Bath Central Library

Price: £10 – £25*

Event code: E1

FIND THE PRICE FOR YOU

Have you seen our new flexible pricing? Find the right price for you on our guide on page 5

MIND AND BODY LIVING A LONGER AND HEALTHIER LIFE

80% of why we age is within our control, so simple lifestyle changes will ensure we stay younger for longer. With 35 years’ experience at the forefront of ageing medicine, Professor Rose Anne Kenny (Age Proof) demystifies the science behind ageing and draws on her own pioneering research to give practical advice on the steps we can take to lead a long, healthy life.

Date: Wednesday 17 May

Time: 11am – 12pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: E3

LUNCHTIME LECTURE THE ART OF COLOUR

Invented by cave-dwellers and medieval conjurers, cunning conmen and savvy scientists, the colours of art tell a riveting tale all their own. Acclaimed author Kelly Grovier reveals the astonishing back stories of the pigments that define and connect the greatest works in the history of art.

This event is part of the Lunchtime Lecture series in partnership with University of Bath.

Date: Wednesday 17 May

Time: 1.30pm – 2.30pm

Venue: Guildhall

Banqueting Room

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: E4

SOCIAL HISTORY THE STORY OF THE COUNTRY HOUSE

Former editor of Country Life, author and architectural historian Clive Aslet whisks us through a fascinating account of the country houses of Britain. From their evolution in a changing political and economic landscape to their architects, builders and often eccentric occupants, he charts the changing fortunes and hidden histories of these fascinating architectural splendours.

Date: Wednesday 17 May

Time: 1.30pm – 2.30pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: E5

HISTORICAL FICTION DAN JONES: ESSEX DOGS

July 1346. Ten men land on the beaches of Normandy. They call themselves the Essex Dogs: an unruly platoon of archers and men-at-arms led by a battle-scarred captain whose best days are behind him. The fight for the throne of the largest kingdom in Western Europe has begun. Globally bestselling historian Dan Jones talks to Greg Ingham about his historical fiction debut Essex Dogs – the explosive first instalment in an epic new trilogy set during the Hundred Years’ War.

Date: Wednesday 17 May

Time: 5pm – 6pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: E7

CURRENT AFFAIRS POLITICS: A SURVIVOR’S GUIDE

We live in an age of fury and confusion. A new crisis erupts before the last one has finished: financial crisis, Brexit, pandemic, war in Ukraine, energy shortages. Prime ministers come and go but politics stays divided and toxic. Award-winning journalist Rafael Behr examines his own journey from despair to hope, with insights drawn from three decades as a political commentator. He talks to fellow journalist John Harris on how to stay engaged without getting enraged.

Date: Wednesday 17 May

Time: 5pm – 6pm

Venue: Guildhall

Banqueting Room

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: E6

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SHARING STORIES ON LOVING AND LEAVING BALLET

For centuries, being a ballerina has been synonymous with being beautiful, thin, obedient and feminine. But what does this mean in a post #MeToo, body-positive world? Weaving together her own time at America’s most elite ballet school with the lives of renowned ballerinas throughout history, Alice Robb (Don’t Think Dear) interrogates what it means to perform ballet today and whether it is time to reimagine its liberating potential. She talks to ballet enthusiast

Lottie May.

Date: Wednesday 17 May

Time: 7pm – 8pm

Venue: Mr B’s Emporium

Price: £4 – £12*

Event code: E10

NATURE UNDERCURRENT: NATASHA CARTHEW AND TANYA SHADRICK

Join acclaimed writer Natasha Carthew as she talks to Tanya Shadrick (The Cure for Sleep) about her new memoir

Undercurrent: A Cornish Memoir of Poverty, Nature and Resilience and her work as a working-class nature writer. Together they will highlight the importance of authentic voices in literature and why celebrating diversity is so important.

Date: Wednesday 17 May

Time: 7.30pm – 8.30pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: E12

HISTORY CLEVELAND POOLS: ENGAGING IN THEIR HISTORY

The newly restored Cleveland Pools, built by the Georgians, are a unique open air bathing facility that has seen 200 years of remarkable history. Learn about their rich past with the pools’ patron, Professor June Hannam, and research historian, Dr Linda Watts.

Date: Wednesday 17 May

Time: 6pm – 7pm

Venue: Dorothy House Bookshop

Price: FREE (ticketed)

Event code: E8

SHARING STORIES

MICHAEL FRAYN TALKS TO MARK LAWSON

This special festival event sees the celebrated playwright and novelist Michael Frayn (Noises Off, Copenhagen) looking back on his life from the perspective of his 90th year, thinking about a few of the people who have formed his own particular world. Some have had a profound effect; some only a passing one. Some you may know yourself; some you certainly won’t. Some he now wonders if he ever really knew himself. He talks to journalist and broadcaster Mark Lawson about Among Others, his new patchwork memoir made of a lifetime’s encounters.

Date: Wednesday 17 May

Time: 7.30pm – 8.30pm

Venue: Guildhall

Banqueting Room

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: E11

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POETRY LYRA COMES TO BATH

Bristol’s exhilarating poetry festival brings together local, national and international poets with the aim of showcasing poetry in the widest range of forms. Three of Lyra’s poets will delight and intrigue in this special Bath Festival performance: current Bristol City Poet, Kat Lyons, Caleb Parkin (Bristol City Poet 2020–22), and Malaika Kegode, 2023 Lyra Festival Poet. Hosted by the Lyra Festival directors, Lucy English and Danny Pandolfi.

Date: Wednesday 17 May

Time: 6pm – 7.30pm

Venue: Komedia

Price: FREE (ticketed)

Event code: E9

Sponsored by

POLARI SALON: PAUL BURSTON, JOELLE TAYLOR AND MISS HOPE SPRINGS

London’s award-winning literary salon comes to Bath for the very first time.

Inspired by the gay slang of the same name, Polari is a celebration of LGBTQ+ words and voices – whether written, spoken or sung. Your host, and Polari Salon founder, Paul Burston kicks off the evening with his first public reading from We Can Be Heroes, a memoir about his personal journey from prejudice to Pride – before handing over the mic for a stunning spoken word performance from TS Eliot Prize-winning poet Joelle Taylor. After the interval, sit back and enjoy the spellbinding singing sensation that is Miss Hope Springs. Expect scandalous showbiz stories interspersed with her unique blend of finger snapping pop, romantic rhumba rhythms and sassy bossa novas.

‘Lively, funny and inspiring. Paul Burston’s achievement in bringing together writers and performers who will stimulate and inspire is remarkable’ Patrick Gale

‘Off kilter Hollywood anecdotage, gorgeous songs that could be vintage standards. Miss Hope Springs is funny, bitter-sweet, totally charming and unexpectedly moving’ Mark Gatiss

‘Joelle Taylor does not mess about. Her poetry is fearless. It gets right to the point. Her poetry has purpose’ Benjamin Zephaniah

Date: Wednesday 17 May

Time: 8pm – 10pm

Venue: Komedia

Price: £9 – £22*

Event code: E13

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*Ticket price excludes booking fee

WORKSHOP THE HAPPY POEM

While classical odes were composed to celebrate athletic victories, now poets use odes to celebrate everything from a pair of hand-knitted socks to hips to the humble onion. In this two-hour session with widely published Bath-based poet Carrie Etter, you will read and discuss odes by Pablo Neruda, Kevin Young and Lucille Clifton, among others, then write one of your own on a favourite object brought to the session. All are welcome.

Your ticket includes tea/coffee & biscuits.

Date: Thursday 18 May

Time: 10.30am – 12.30pm

Venue: Bath Central Library

Price: £10 – £25*

Event code: F1

NATURAL HISTORY TAKING FLIGHT WITH LEV PARIKIAN

Lev Parikian, writer and birdwatcher, tells the exhilarating story of life on the wing, from the first fluttering insect of 300 million years ago to the awe-inspiring wonder of dragonflies. The miracle of flight has developed in hugely diverse ways, with countless approaches to gliding, diving, murmurating and migrating. Lev wants us all to look up and drink in the spectacle of these gravity-defying marvels.

Date: Thursday 18 May

Time: 11am – 12pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: F3

WALKING TOURS

Don’t forget to check out the walking tours daily at 10am, 2pm and 5.30pm on pages 20-21

LUNCHTIME LECTURE EXPOSED: THE GREEK AND ROMAN BODY

If you thought surgery, cosmetics and gym memberships were exclusively modern-day methods to improve looks then think again. Despite Greek and Roman bodies often being seen as flawless, chiselled in white marble and put on a pedestal, in fact they were as imperfect and diverse as ours today. Classicist Caroline Vout takes us on a surprising, humorous and occasionally gruesome journey to discover how the ancients used and abused their bodies.

This event is part of the Lunchtime Lecture series in partnership with University of Bath.

Date: Thursday 18 May

Time: 1.30pm – 2.30pm

Venue: Guildhall Banqueting Room

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: F4

CURRENT AFFAIRS INSIDE STORIES OF 21ST-CENTURY DIPLOMACY

So much of modern-day diplomacy still takes place behind closed doors, away from cameras and prying eyes. So what does this vital role really look like in today’s world and what does it take to do it well?

Catherine Ashton (And Then What?) and Simon McDonald (Leadership) have observed, supported and guided leaders and countries towards collaboration and stability where hope could rise and fall, often in a matter of hours. They share their incredible insights with Greg Ingham.

CURRENT AFFAIRS HENRY DIMBLEBY: RAVENOUS

We may not be aware of this – not consciously, at least – but we do not control what we eat. Every mouthful we take is informed by a vast, complex, global system, so intimately woven into everyday life that we hardly even know it’s there. Henry Dimbleby ( Ravenous ), government adviser and founder of the Leon restaurant chain, takes us behind the scenes to reveal the mechanisms that act together to shape the modern diet and therefore the world.

He explains to Greg Ingham not just why the food system is leading us into disaster, but what can be done about it.

Date: Thursday 18 May

Time: 5pm – 6pm

Venue: Guildhall

Banqueting Room

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: F6

Date: Thursday 18 May

Time: 1.30pm – 2.30pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: F5

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Have you seen our new flexible pricing? Find the right price for you on our guide on page 5

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*Ticket price excludes booking fee

SHARING STORIES

A COUNTRY DOCTOR’S STORY: POLLY MORLAND TALKS TO DR RACHEL CLARKE

Shortlisted for the 2022 Baillie Gifford Prize, A Fortunate Woman is a funny, moving and insightful look at the life and work of a country doctor. Writer and documentary maker Polly Morland talks to Dr Rachel Clarke about the importance of healing and caring at this most critical of moments for general practice and us all.

CURRENT AFFAIRS HOW TO BE A POLITICIAN WITH VINCE CABLE

What is it really like to follow a political career? From getting elected to navigating the back benches and climbing the greasy pole, former leader of the Liberal Democrats, Vince Cable reveals candid insights from his own turbulent time in Westminster, woven with some of the wittiest and most acerbic political reflections.

Date: Thursday 18 May

Time: 5pm – 6pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: F7

Date: Thursday 18 May

Time: 7.30pm – 8.30pm

Venue: Guildhall

Banqueting Room

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: F9

TALENT SPOTLIGHT ON THE RATHBONES FOLIO PRIZE

The Rathbones Folio Prize, also known as ‘The Writers’ Prize’ rewards the best book of the year, regardless of genre, according to that most stringent of criteria, peer review. Former judge, shortlistee and founding member of the Rathbones Folio Academy, Tessa Hadley, herself a multi-award-winning author, will be joined by shortlisted and prize-winning writers for an event delving into the idea of readability, the pressures on creativity and what makes a work of ‘literature’.

Please visit thebathfestival.org.uk for up-to-date information about panellists.

Date: Thursday 18 May

Time: 7.30pm – 8.30pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: F10

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FIND THE PRICE FOR YOU

Have you seen our new flexible pricing? Find the right price for you on our guide on page 5

PENGUIN MICHAEL JOSEPH PROOF PARTY

Get ahead of the game at this proof party with Penguin Michael Joseph, publisher of some of the world’s most popular authors. You’ll have the chance to meet two of their biggest 2024 stars and take home an exclusive goodie bag of proof copies months ahead of publication. Debut authors Jessica Bull, whose Miss Austen Investigates reimagines Jane Austen as an amateur sleuth, and Olivia Ford with her delicious redemptive coming-of-old-age tale Mrs Quinn’s Rise to Fame join chair Francesca Beauman.

Ticket includes a glass of wine or soft drink and a tote bag of limited-edition proofs.

Date: Thursday 18 May

Time: 6pm – 7pm

Venue: Francis Hotel

Price: £9 – £22*

Event code: F8

FESTIVAL SPECIAL MAX PORTER PRESENTS SHY

Join multi-award-winning author Max Porter as he brings his latest book alive in Bath for one night only. An unmissable audio and literary bombardment like no other.

Shy is a journey into the mind of a troubled teenager in 1995 who wanders into the night with the voices in his head and realises he isn’t alone.

This special evening starts with an exclusive dramatic reading of Shy, abridged for The Bath Festival and performed by the author with a live electronic score by Roly Porter. After the interval, writer and performer Vanessa Kisuule talks to Max about the story behind Shy before we end this amazing night with a Back to 95 Drum ’n’ Bass & Jungle set by local DJ Nicho

‘Max Porter has a way of writing unlike anyone else. I loved Shy. I finished it elated and tearful, joyful and terrified, changed by the journey. It moved me and surprised me and that is what I look for in my favourite artists’ PJ Harvey

Date: Thursday 18 May

Time: 7.30pm – 9.30pm

Venue: Komedia

Price: £9 – £22.50*

Event code: F11

WORKSHOP WRITING ABOUT PLACE

Do you have a passion for places and words? Using a combination of presentation, classroom discussion, a practical exercise and feedback on your work, this two-hour workshop with author and ‘walking writer’ Gail Simmons will introduce you to the skills and concepts needed to turn your enthusiasm into writing that brings places to life. Your ticket includes tea/coffee & biscuits.

Date: Friday 19 May

Time: 10.30am – 12.30pm

Venue: Bath Central Library

Price: £10 – £25*

Event code: G1

SHARING STORIES HOW TO DO GOOD, BETTER

Feelings of division and disconnection can keep us all awake at night. Join philanthropist Derek A. Bardowell (Giving Back) and New Citizenship Project co-founder Jon Alexander (Citizens) as they explore the purpose and effectiveness of charity and citizenship. They talk to Greg Ingham about the people and movements that are taking on challenging social issues and how we might move away from a consumer to citizen focused society.

Date: Friday 19 May

Time: 1.30pm – 2.30pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: G5

FICTION GEORGINA MOORE: THE GARNETT GIRLS

The Garnett Girls is one of the most talked about debuts for 2023; a powerful, bighearted novel exploring love, sisterhood and what it means to be home. Author Georgina Moore talks to Joanna Nadin (The Double Life of Daisy Hemmings) about her career as an award-winning book publicist, what it means to now be on ‘the other side’ as a writer herself and how this warm and tender novel came into being.

Date: Friday 19 May

Time: 11am – 12pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: G3

LUNCHTIME LECTURE OUR EVOLVING BRAIN

The human brain is an astonishing thing. No other life form on the planet has a brain like ours. Neuroscientist and author, Dr Joseph Jebelli (How the Mind Changed), takes a fascinating, in-depth look at the evolution of the human mind, from its remarkable origin through its miraculous modern form. He sets out to answer provocative questions about what the future holds for our brains – and by extension, for humanity.

This event is part of the Lunchtime Lecture series in partnership with University of Bath.

Date: Friday 19 May

Time: 1.30pm – 2.30pm

Venue: Guildhall Banqueting Room

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: G4

PARTY LIKE IT’S 1779 AT NO.1 ROYAL CRESCENT

Take those top hats out of storage and prime your petticoats: it’s time to party High Georgian-style at No.1 Royal Crescent! We’re turning the clock back to a time where the wigs were tall and the dresses wide! So slip into your dancing shoes, stick on your beauty patch and party like it’s 1779. Enjoy a performance by the Jane Austen Dancers and perhaps join in yourself, admire the dresses and

sip some Georgian punch. You’ll also be able to get a ‘behind-the-scenes’ wander around the Museum out of hours.

Date: Friday 19 May

Time: 5.30pm – 7pm

Venue: No.1 Royal Crescent Price: £24.50*

Event code: G8

CURRENT AFFAIRS HOW TO SURVIVE THE CLIMATE UPHEAVAL

Mass migration will remake the world in the 21st century as the quadruple threat of drought, heat, wildfires and flooding will see billions of people uprooted. Award-winning science writer and broadcaster Gaia Vince (Nomad Century) describes how migration isn’t the problem – but the solution. She talks to Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh about the economic and cultural benefits, the scale of the challenge, the grand ideas that will be needed to meet it and considers how a borderless world is not something to fear.

Date: Friday 19 May

Time: 5pm – 6pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: G7

ART OF EXPRESSION SEE WHAT YOU’RE MISSING WITH WILL GOMPERTZ

World-leading art expert Will Gompertz (See What You’re Missing) takes us into the minds of artists – from contemporary stars to old masters – to show us how to look and experience the world with their heightened powers of perception. How can Rembrandt help us see ourselves? How can David Hockney help us to see nature? And how can Frida Kahlo help us see through pain? Find out in this engaging event which will open your eyes to the beauty around us. He talks to Hannah MacInnes.

‘Will Gompertz is the best teacher you never had’ Guardian

Date: Friday 19 May

Time: 5pm – 6pm

Venue: Guildhall Banqueting Room

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: G6

Sponsored by

JON SNOW TALKS TO DR RACHEL CLARKE

Eminent broadcaster Jon Snow presented Channel 4 News for 32 years, reporting from dozens of countries on some of the most defining moments in recent history. His new book, The State of Us, takes us through his five-decade career, from being thrown out of university for protesting apartheid to interviewing every prime minister since Margaret Thatcher. He talks to Dr Rachel Clarke about the disintegration of trust in political leaders and the media and how we can all seek out the truth about our world.

Date: Friday 19 May

Time: 7.30pm – 8.30pm

Venue: Guildhall Banqueting Room

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: G9

FICTION DIANA EVANS AND AYÒBÁMI ADÉBÁYÒ

Join two of this country’s most outstanding contemporary novelists as they discuss their spellbinding new novels in which class, wealth and family collide. The follow-up to Ordinary People, Diana Evans’ A House for Alice is a compelling and tender novel, set in the shadows of Grenfell and a country in turmoil. Ayòbámi Adébáyò’s A Spell of Good Things transports us to Nigeria, and shines a light on the worlds of the haves and have-nots. They talk to Sarah Shaffi.

Date: Friday 19 May

Time: 7.30pm – 8.30pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: G10

FESTIVAL SPECIAL NATALIE HAYNES PRESENTS STONE BLIND AT THE ROMAN BATHS

Natalie Haynes, ‘rock star mythologist’, brings her irresistible take on the snakehaired gorgon in a special festival event held at Bath’s iconic venue.

Medusa is one of the most recognisable figures in Greek myth: her face has stared out at us for millennia, from Agamemnon’s shield in the Iliad to Versace’s logo now. But was she always the terrifying monster we have made her?

Join writer and broadcaster Natalie (Stone Blind) for a fast-paced tour through Medusa’s history, as she questions our perceptions of monsters and heroes and shows us how to survive contact with someone who can turn us to stone with a glance.

Please note this is a standing only event.

Date: Friday 19 May

Time: 7.30pm – 8.30pm

Venue: Roman Baths

Price: £6 – £21*

Event code: G11

Sponsored by

SHARING STORIES

UGLY: UNPICKING THE BEAUTY MYTH

Why are our lives shaped by such limited ideas about beauty? We’ve all had those moments where you look in the mirror and nothing feels OK looking back at you. We’re encouraged to obsess over our looks and go to any length to change them, but we’re also ordered to ‘just love ourselves.’ Multi-award-winning journalist and author of Ugly, Anita Bhagwandas talks to Sarah Shaffi about her own journey and uncovers where these beauty standards started, unpicks why they’ve been perpetuated and unmasks how they’re still being upheld.

LIFESTYLE DESTINATION FABULOUS

The Times fashion director, Anna Murphy, wants to turn the old rules about ageing upside-down and inside-out. She talks to Bath Life’s beauty columnist Sarah Baker about the practical (how to dress your best) and the existential (how to feel your best) and shares tips, tricks and her personal experiences. Come and celebrate making the most of life as a grown-up woman.

Date: Saturday 20 May

Time: 11am – 12pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: H2

Date: Saturday 20 May

Time: 12.30pm – 1.30pm

Venue: Walcot House

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: H3

SHARING STORIES

ESME YOUNG: BEHIND THE SEAMS

From her fashion student days in 1970s London to forming a punk fashion collective; from designing costumes for pop videos and films to her role as muchloved judge on The Great British Sewing Bee, Esme Young’s career spans a lifetime of creativity. She joins Sewing Bee’s youngest ever winner, self-taught sustainable fashion expert Serena Baker, to take us behind the scenes of a creative life lived differently.

Date: Saturday 20 May

Time: 2.30pm – 3.30pm

Venue: Guildhall

Banqueting Room

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: H4

FICTION JANICE HALLETT AND KATE HAMER

Don’t miss this special Bath Festival event with two masterful, bestselling suspense writers. Janice Hallett (The Twyford Code) – described as the modern-day Agatha Christie – makes a welcome return to the festival to talk about her stunning new mystery, The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels. She’s joined by Kate Hamer, author of the bestselling debut thriller, The Girl in the Red Coat and its unsettling new followup, The Lost Girls. They talk to Joanna Nadin.

Date: Saturday 20 May

Time: 2.30pm – 3.30pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: H5

FICTION ORE AGBAJE-WILLIAMS AND NAOISE DOLAN

Forget romance, the most meaningful, messy and emotional relationships are friendships. But what happens when friendships get complicated? And when adults can’t agree? Join Ore Agbaje-Williams, debut author of The Three Of Us, about a wife whose husband and best friend loathe each other, and Naoise Dolan (Exciting Times), whose new novel The Happy Couple follows five characters whose lives intersect in the run-up to a wedding. Chaired by Sarah Shaffi

Date: Saturday 20 May

Time: 3pm – 4pm

Venue: Walcot House

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: H6

FESTIVAL SPECIAL VIRAGO PRESS: CELEBRATING 50 YEARS

Since 1973, Virago has been championing outstanding writing by women and people of underrepresented genders, bringing their voices to the widest possible readership around the world. Join Lennie Goodings, chair of Virago Press and author of A Bite of the Apple: A Life with Books, Writers and Virago, Claire Kohda, author of Woman, Eating and contributor to the anthology Furies: Stories of the Wicked, Wild and Untamed, and Virago publisher, Sarah Savitt, as they celebrate its 50th anniversary. Together they will discuss Virago’s legacy: the writers, the Virago Modern Classics and how their books will continue to change the world over the next 50 years too.

Date: Saturday 20 May

Time: 5pm – 6pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: H8

WALKING TOURS

Don’t forget to check out the walking tours daily at 10am, 2pm and 5.30pm on pages 20-21

CURRENT AFFAIRS

GARY YOUNGE: DISPATCHES FROM THE BLACK DIASPORA

For the last three decades Gary Younge has had a ringside seat during the biggest events impacting the black diaspora. He accompanied Nelson Mandela on his first election campaign, joined revellers on the southside of Chicago during Obama’s victory, and interviewed Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Maya Angelou and Stormzy. He talks to Colin Grant (I’m Black So You Don’t Have To Be) about how much change is possible and the power of systems to thwart those aspirations.

Date: Saturday 20 May

Time: 5pm – 6pm

Venue: Guildhall Banqueting Room

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: H7

FESTIVAL SPECIAL LITWITCHURE WITH JUNO DAWSON

Festival favourites Jen Cownie and Fiona Lensvelt, who perform together as Litwitchure, return for a special ‘witch lit’ event with bestselling author Juno Dawson. Jen and Fiona read Juno’s tarot live on stage, using the cards to explore her hopes, dreams, fears and achievements – as well as the themes of her bewitching new novel The Shadow Cabinet, the second in her sensational Her Majesty’s Royal Coven trilogy. Guaranteed to be a riotous, unpredictable evening full of surprises – there’s no way of knowing what the cards will reveal!

Date: Saturday 20 May

Time: 5pm – 6pm

Venue: Walcot House

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: H9

*Ticket price excludes booking fee

Sponsored by

HOPE IN THE DARK: UKRAINE

In late 2022, neurosurgeon Henry Marsh, palliative care doctor Rachel Clarke and the Guardian’s chief culture writer Charlotte Higgins arrived in Kyiv just as a deadly missile bombardment began. They had been in Ukraine teaching end-of-life care to doctors and medical students, and taking part in a Ukrainian book festival held in defiance of Russia’s invasion. In this special festival event, they talk about that experience and reflect on courage, culture, loss and hope in the midst of war – and on the vital importance of human connection.

Date: Saturday 20 May

Time: 7.30pm – 8.30pm

Venue: Guildhall Banqueting Room

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: H10

FICTION

TAN TWAN ENG

Internationally acclaimed novelist, Tan Twan Eng, comes to Bath for a special festival event. His first novel in a decade, The House of Doors, an exquisite, transporting tale of love, betrayal and morality in 1920s Penang, follows his Booker-longlisted debut, The Gift of Rain and Booker-shortlisted The Garden of Evening Mists, which went on to win the Walter Scott and the Man Asian Prize. He is a judge for the 2023 International Man Booker Prize – the first Malaysian author to be appointed to that role. He talks to Lennie Goodings about the ‘small human events and stories’ that shape his novels.

Date: Saturday 20 May

Time: 7.30pm – 8.30pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: H11

Sponsored by

MIND

AND BODY THE KEYS TO KINDNESS WITH CLAUDIA HAMMOND

Claudia Hammond, BBC Radio 4 presenter and psychology lecturer, is on a mission to encourage us to be kind. The Keys to Kindness draws on latest research from psychology and neuroscience and the largest global survey ever undertaken into attitudes to kindness. She reflects with positive psychologist, Miriam Akhtar (The Little Book of Happiness), that empathy is a skill which can be learned and being kind to others starts with being kind to yourself.

HISTORY ON SAVAGE SHORES

In this absorbing, revisionist talk, historian Caroline Dodds Pennock turns the Western historical narrative on its head, telling the stories of the thousands of native Americans who came – as enslaved people, traders, diplomats and explorers – to European shores, a land of riches and marvels, yet perplexing for its baffling beliefs and brutal disparities of wealth and quality of life. She gives us a sweeping account of the Indigenous American presence in, and impact on, early modern Europe.

Date: Sunday 21 May

Time: 11am – 12pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: J2

Date: Sunday 21 May

Time: 11am – 12pm

Venue: Guildhall Banqueting Room

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: J1

SHARING STORIES FERN BRADY

Comedian and writer Fern Brady was told she couldn’t be autistic because she’s had loads of boyfriends and is good at eye contact. Strong Female Character is a story of how being female can get in the way of being autistic and how being autistic gets in the way of being the ‘right kind’ of woman. She talks to fellow comedian and writer Viv Groskop.

Date: Sunday 21 May Time: 1.30pm – 2.30pm

Venue: Guildhall Banqueting Room

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: J3

CLAIRE FULLER AND LUCY ATKINS

If you could revisit your earlier life, would you? The Memory of Animals is a haunting novel about freedom, captivity and the lengths we will go to in order to rescue those we love, while Windmill Hill is a gripping exploration of female friendship and confronting ghosts of the past. Join Costa Book Award winner, Claire Fuller and Sunday Times book critic Lucy Atkins as they discuss confronting memories with Lennie Goodings.

Date: Sunday 21 May

Time: 1.30pm – 2.30pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: J4

NATURE RAYNOR WINN AND ISABELLA TREE

Bestselling author Raynor Winn (The Salt Path, Landlines) and passionate rewilder and award-winning writer Isabella Tree (The Book of Wilding) discuss what we can do to restore nature and in return what nature does to restore us. They talk to Caroline Sanderson about their belief in the landscape as a life support system which can be equally as healing for the individual as the whole planet.

Date: Sunday 21 May

Time: 4pm – 5pm

Venue: Guildhall Banqueting Room

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: J6

FESTIVAL SPECIAL TEA WITH MISS MARPLE

A special treat for mystery fans! Don’t miss this invitation to afternoon tea with two of the modern crime writers who have collaborated on a brand-new anthology of Marple stories. Bestselling authors

Elly Griffiths and Jean Kwok reflect with Viv Groskop on the unique challenge of treading in Christie’s footsteps, creating new adventures for her beloved amateur sleuth through their own unique perspectives –taking her on a crime-solving spree from her quiet village of St Mary Mead via a cruise ship bound for Hong Kong, to the sun-soaked Italian riviera and beyond.

Ticket includes tea or coffee with homemade scones, preserves and clotted cream.

Date: Sunday 21 May

Time: 3.30pm – 5pm

Venue: Francis Hotel

Price: £25*

Event code: J5

HOW IT FEELS TO BE FREE (PRESENTED BY ENGLISH PEN)

Freedom of expression is as vital as it is complex, but how do writers navigate this freedom? How do they act conscientiously without self-censoring? Should all subjects and narrative perspectives be available to all people? And do we as readers, critics, publishers successfully nurture an environment in which writers can be truly free? Authors Sheena Patel, Derek Owusu and Juliet Jacques join English PEN’s vice chair Aki Schilz to discuss what freedom of expression means to them and its impact on their work.

Date: Sunday 21 May

Time: 4pm – 5pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: J7

CURRENT AFFAIRS JEREMY BOWEN: THE MAKING OF THE MODERN MIDDLE EAST

Jeremy Bowen, the BBC’s international editor, has been covering the Middle East since 1989 and is uniquely placed to explain its complex past and its troubled present. Join him as he talks to BBC World Service journalist Anu Anand about his remarkable book; part sweeping history, part vivid memoir.

FESTIVAL SPECIAL AROUND THE WORLD IN 10 CATS

A tour of world literature in the company of some rather splendid felines.

Firm festival favourites Judith Robinson and Scott Pack are back with a twist on their regular and popular Around the World in 10 Books festival event, inspired by researching and writing their latest book, Literary Cats. In this engaging discussion, they recommend and enthuse about 10 works of literature from around the globe, all of which feature feline characters of note, as well as discussing some of the favourite cats mentioned in their own book.

Date: Sunday 21 May

Time: 6.30pm – 7.30pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: J9

Date: Sunday 21 May

Time: 6.30pm – 7.30pm

Venue: Guildhall Banqueting Room

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: J8

*Ticket price excludes booking fee

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND STAFF

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

John Cullum DL Chair

Suresh Ariaratnam, Denise Coughlan, Jacqui Cusack, Peter Medlock, Christopher Rogers, Alistair Singleton, Vicki Smith and Richard Turner.

Chief Executive

Ian Stockley

PROGRAMMING AND PRODUCTION

Executive Director

Kate Hall

Head of Programming and Creative Content

Kate Abbey

Classical Music Programmer

James Waters

Literature Programmer

Sarah Shaffi

Guest Literature Curators

Dr Rachel Clarke, Cathy Rentzenbrink

Creative Producer

Victoria Walters

Production Assistant

Laura Garcia Moreno

Volunteer Coordinator

Fran Carroll

CREATIVE LEARNING

Head of Creative Learning

Hazel Plowman

MARKETING

Head of Marketing and Communications

Jasmine Barker

Marketing Officer

Rosie Crocker

Public Relations

Georgette McCready

Cornershop PR

FINANCE AND DEVELOPMENT

Finance Officer

Rebecca Wheeler

Development Manager

Louisa Oldfield

THANK YOU

Our patrons are playing a vital role in helping us develop our work with young people. We want to say a huge thank you to everyone below for their support.

Paragon Patrons: The Coles-Medlock Foundation

Panda Sanctuaries

The Peter Stormonth Darling Charitable Trust

The Trevor Osborne Charitable Trust

Circus Patrons: The George Cadbury Charitable Trust

John and Yvonne Cullum

William Keeling

Elaine Marson

Mark and Lucy Millar

Richard and Maggie Turner

Crescent Patrons:

Lucy Aspin

Chris and Alison Born

Henry and Jane Brown

Deborah Clements

Gitte and Stephen Dawson

Joe and Antoinette Downey

Fenella Dyson

Georgia Fendley

Andrew Fletcher

Kenneth and Christine Fullalove

Laura Gale

Julian Gooding

Charles Grimsdale

WEBSITE AND DESIGN

Brand and Festival Design

So Design Website

Touchpoint Design

FESTIVAL TICKET AGENT

Bath Box Office

Gena Goldfield

Beverley Willbourne

Richard and Yasemin Hall

William and Wera Hobhouse

Paul and Claire Jackson

Catherine May

Chris May

Rod and Karin Morgan

Nigel and Stephanie Pollard

Bob and Diana Potter

Chris and Denise Rogers

Marcelle Speller

William and Wendy Jane Stockley

Brian Woodford

Lucy Woodroffe

Nicholas Wylde

Life Patrons:

Julie Peacock

June Price

Lady Evelyn Strasburger

Pam Twohig

Our anonymous Patrons

Funding Support:

Fiona and David Lees

Chris and Jan Shepley

Gordon Bloor

David and Karin Embleton

Carol and Rupert Baines

Bob Tyrell

Stephen Taylor

Ian Tarr

FESTIVAL BOOKSELLER

Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS

Visit thebathfestival.org.uk/ photo-credit for a full photo credit list

OUR CREATIVE LEARNING PROJECTS

As an arts charity, Bath Festivals believes that everyone has the right to access and enjoy music, books and performances. Through our all year round creative learning projects we:

• Provide access to the arts, develop skills and confidence and spark creative careers.

• Create life-enhancing experiences and opportunities for children and young people.

In 2022:

• Over 7000 children and young people took part in our events and projects.

• 78,000 people accessed our online Reading is Magic Festival.

JOIN US AT THE BATH FESTIVAL 2023 TO ENJOY:

• Schools Voices Choir: Children from 11 secondary schools, back for another year for two spine-tingling performances of their own compositions with Bath Philharmonia. See page 18 for more details

• A celebration of the Routes through Music project at Party in the City (p8-9)

We will be launching the Bath Children’s Literature Festival Schools Programme & online Reading is Magic Festival in April. Sign up to email updates via our website bathfestivals.org.uk

We would like to thank Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, Coles Medlock Foundation and Youth Music for their support.

SUPPORT US OR LOSE US

Bath Festivals is a charity that brings some of the finest musicians, speakers and writers to entertain audiences, in the beautiful venues and spaces of our world heritage city. Ticket sales only cover 45% of the costs it takes to produce The Bath Festival, so that’s why your support is so important.

JOIN. WHY BECOME A MEMBER?

We need your help and, as a charity, we are reliant on the support of our members. By becoming a member of Bath Festivals, you are joining a community of like-minded people who enjoy the arts and want to help the arts thrive in Bath. All members are entitled to special privileges.

HELP US HELP OTHERS

Every year we reach 127,000 people by making books, music and performance accessible to all. Please help us to continue changing lives through the arts.

DONATE. WHAT WILL MY MONEY DO?

£5

A £5 donation could provide one free book for a local school.

£15

A £15 donation could provide a ticket for a once in a lifetime experience.

£25

A £25 donation could provide a family with tickets to an event.

To support us please visit: bathfestivals.org.uk or scan me

HOW TO BOOK

thebathfestival.org.uk

01225 463362

BOOKING FEES: All ticket prices have a 10% booking fee and each order incurs a £1 transaction charge. Visit thebathfestival.org.uk for more information.

INTRODUCING OUR NEW FLEXIBLE PRICING

This year we have introduced a flexible pricing model on our events with a sliding scale of prices to suit your personal circumstances. You will be given different price options at point of booking.

PAY IT FORWARD

This option is above the recommended price and will help support the cost of a ticket for someone else.

Is this for me?

I have access to disposable income/savings, can afford to pay above the recommended price and would like to make the festival affordable for others.

STANDARD (RECOMMENDED)

This option is what we believe reflects the value of the event and helps us make sure our costs are covered.

Is this for me?

I have access to disposable income/savings, and I can afford the recommended ticket price.

OPEN CONCESSION

This option is lower than the recommended price and is aimed at those who could use the support of a reduced ticket price to attend.

Is this for me?

I have access to some disposable income/savings and would usually select a concession rate.

SUPPORTED

This option is the lowest ticket option and is aimed at those who need the support of the reduced ticket price to attend.

Is this for me?

I have low, unstable, or no income/savings and cannot afford the recommended or open concession option.

Your tickets are currently non-refundable, protect your order from the unexpected for just £1.50 per ticket.

Ticket refund protection from Secure My Booking allows you to recover 100% of the paid ticket price (including all ticket and order fees).

With refund protection, you can apply for a refund in the event of:

• Accident, injury, or illness, including COVID-19

• Severe weather preventing travel to the venue

• Travel delays due to breakdown or public transit failures

Plus much more!

ACCESSIBILITY

For full terms & conditions please visit securemybooking.com

For a worry-free purchase, protect your tickets today as you cannot add to your order after you have paid.

NOTE: you must purchase a ticket refund protection for EVERY paid ticket being booked, for EVERY event you book for, in order to be covered for that event. (Protection is linked via date). This fee is non-refundable.

We want everyone to feel welcome at our events. We are committed to providing clear information about the accessibility of our venues and events and to support Disabled people and those with access requirements to enjoy their time at the festival. Essential Companion complimentary tickets are available. Please see our map (P66-67) for facilities and for more information please visit thebathfestival.org.uk/your-visit/accessibility, email access@bathfestivals.org.uk or call Bath Box Office on 01225 463362.

GETTING HERE

Bath is easy to get to via train, bus, coach and bike! Park and Ride is recommended for those wishing to drive in.

For more information visit: thebathfestival.org.uk/your-visit

*Ticket price excludes booking fee

TRAVEL BY TRAIN WITH

MAP & VENUE INFORMATION

10.

11.

15.

Wheelchair accessible

Accessible toilets Hearing

Assistance dog accessible

Baby changing facilities

11

1. AMERICAN MUSEUM Claverton Down, BA2 7BD

2. BATH ABBEY BA1 1LT

3. BATH CENTRAL LIBRARY The Podium, BA1 5AN

4. CHAPTER 22 ROOTS AND RECORDS 8 Broad St, Bath BA1 5LJ

5. DOROTHY HOUSE BOOKSHOP 37 Broad St, BA1 5LP

6. FORUM AND BOX OFFICE St James Parade, BA1 1UG

7. FRANCIS HOTEL Queen Square, BA1 2HH

8. GUILDHALL High Street, BA1 5AW

9. KOMEDIA Westgate Street, BA1 1EP

loop

MR B’S EMPORIUM John Street, BA1 2JL

NO.1 ROYAL CRESCENT BA1 2LR

12. PERSEPHONE BOOKS Elgar Buildings, BA1 2EE

13. ROMAN BATHS Abbey Churchyard, BA1 1LZ

14. ST MARY’S BATHWICK Darlington Street, BA2 4EB

ST MICHAEL’S WITHOUT BA1 5LP

16. ST SWITHIN’S CHURCH 37 The Paragon, BA1 5LY

17. USTINOV STUDIO 1 Saw Close, BA1 1EY

18. WALCOT HOUSE Walcot Street, BA1 5BG