One Month to Go until The Bath Festival unites literature and music lovers within historic city locales

In just one month, The Bath Festival, world-renowned as an innovative and unique cultural melting pot, brings a packed programme of exciting events for music and book fans alike within a range of historic and beautiful city venues including the historic Queen Square, former Art Deco cinemas as well as the famous Roman baths. The festival also seeks to unite artists from the world of music and literature together to create a range of one-of-a-kind festival moments in a city-wide celebration of live arts events and performance, running from Friday 13 May to Saturday 21 May 2022.

For literary obsessives, this year’s programme covers a range of urgent and hard-hitting topics, ranging from international fiction and post-colonial legacies with Tanzanian-born Nobel Prize winner, Abdulrazak Gurnah, and Turkish-British novelist and activist, Elif Shafak, to a look at male power and privilege, life in Britain’s all-male boarding schools and its effect on the psyche of the men who often end up leading the country, with broadcaster Justin Webb (The Gift of a Radio) author Richard Beard (Sad Little Men) and broadcaster Mark Lawson.

In the world of music, renowned US Pianist Jeremy Denk performs one of only two UK concerts this summer as well as delving into his memoir, Every Good Boy Does Fine. From the resident festival chamber orchestra, The Bath Festival Orchestra performing beside the waters of the Roman Baths, to the band Public Service Broadcasting bringing their own brand of original music and intriguing stage performance to The Forum, a former Art Deco cinema, and pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason performing as part of the Rising Classical stars series in the historic Holburne Museum, there is something for everyone set against some of the city’s most iconic, and unusual, backdrops.

Audiences can also look forward to a range of one-of-a-kind festival highlights, including Voix Humaine, a 20th century opera classic, which will take place up close and personal in an apartment in Bath. Comedian Marcus Brigstocke will be dissecting the Sunday papers, joined by author and campaigner Dr Rachel Clarke, Channel 4 News journalist Symeon Brown and comedian Rachel Parris for a brunch time event. The Bath Festival opens with the traditional Party in the City on Friday 13 May, offering dozens of free live music events in city venues. This evening of free music attracts thousands of visitors who enjoy everything from choirs singing in churches, to samba on the streets, punk rock in pubs and the stars of the local music scene playing on stages in local parks.

Tickets go on general release on Friday 11 March.

For full programme details visit: thebathfestival.org.uk