Bath will serve as the focal point for many new openings, events and exhibitions this year and for 2023. The city, renowned for its stunning architecture, Jane Austen-style gardens and homes, and Roman baths invites visitors and locals to experience Bath’s newest additions in 2022.

© Visit West

Attractions

A new exhibition space at Jane Austen Center recently opened, featuring even more costumes for visitors to try on, as well as displays of Emma Thompson’s letters to the Center and behind-the-scenes pictures from Sense and Sensibility (1995). The exhibition also includes a signed copy of Thompson’s script. Visitors will learn more about Jane Austen and can even try their own hand writing with a quill and ink or playing some traditional regency games.

Opening May 9, Bath World Heritage Center will lie in the heart of the city, offering free access to all. The center will feature an imaginative interpretation showing the beauty and special qualities of Bath, as well as any and all necessary information for visitors to explore the city.

© Visit West

On the heels of this opening comes the highly anticipated Cleveland Pools, slated to open this summer. Dating back more than 200 years, Britain’s oldest lido is currently under restoration to make the facility fit for the future. Restorations include the addition of a unique, open-air swimming pool. Heat pumps in the adjacent river will provide the energy required to heat the pool.

This autumn, the new Bath Abbey Discovery Center will open to invite guests to learn about the history and architecture of the abbey. A brand-new Song School will also go up to serve as the home for the abbey’s choirs and as a place for visiting musicians to rehearse.

Exhibitions

At Holburne Museum, through May 8, visitors can walk through an exhibition featuring 25 famous Tudor portraits. In partnership with the National Portrait Gallery, London and Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, The Tudors: Passion, Power and Politics displays portraits from five Tudor monarchs: Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I. The exhibition also includes some of the most famous images of British painting, such as the “Armada” and “Darnley” portraits of Elizabeth I.

From May 27 through Sept. 18, Holburne Museum will host a new exhibition titled Love Life: David Hockney’s Drawings. Highlighting his drawings from the late 1960s and 70s, guests will see some of Hockney’s greatest works in pencil, pen, ink and colored crayon in a new light. Wrapping up an exciting year of exhibitions at Holburne Museum, Rodin and Degas fans must visit this exhibition, running Sept. 3–Jan. 2, 2023. The exhibition focuses on the artists’ representation of the human body through dynamic and static poses.

© Visit West

Events and Festivals

Bath’s music and literature festival runs May 13–22, with the Finale weekend later in the summer. On Bank Holiday weekend in June, celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with a city parade, service at Bath Abbey and a picnic in Royal Victoria. From July 29 to Aug. 13, a brand-new open-air theater festival will take place in the gardens of Holburne Museum.

All this and more come to Bath this year and in 2023. To learn more about Bath’s new openings, exhibitions and events, visit here.