What's On in Bath: the Film Festival, The Sea and Fireworks on the Rec

Bath’s autumn has three big fixed points. The Bath Film Festival runs from Friday 16 to Sunday 25 October. Jennifer Saunders opens at the Theatre Royal in Edward Bond’s The Sea on 22 October. And the Rotary Club’s fireworks on the Rec are on Saturday 7 November, with tickets already on sale.

In between come the last weekend of the Children’s Literature Festival, the final four race days of the year at Lansdown, and October half term. For B&NES schools, half term runs from Monday 26 October to Sunday 1 November. Every entry below was checked on 28 September 2026 against the organiser’s own page or ticketing record, and each one links there. For places that are open whatever the month, see things to do in Bath.

This week

• Bath Racecourse, Tuesday afternoon racing. Tuesday 29 September. Gates open at 12.02pm, the first race is at 2.02pm and the last at 6.07pm. Tickets from £26, and under-18s go free. Lansdown, BA1 9BU (Bath Racecourse).
• Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Tuesday 29 September to Saturday 3 October, evenings at 7.30pm, matinees Wednesday and Saturday at 2.30pm. Theatre Royal Bath, Main House. Tickets from £30.50. Bath Light Operatic Group marks 70 years on this stage with its biggest production yet. The BSL-interpreted performance is Thursday 1 October at 7.30pm (Theatre Royal Bath).
• Nish Kumar. Wednesday 30 September, 7.30pm, The Forum. Stand-up for ages 14 and over, with strong language (The Forum).
• John Simpson: The Leaders and Lunatics Tour. Thursday 1 October, 7.30pm, The Forum. Two halves of about 45 minutes with a 20-minute interval (The Forum).
• Bath Children’s Literature Festival, final weekend. Friday 2 to Sunday 4 October, at venues across the city centre. Friday has one evening event; Saturday and Sunday have full programmes. Two of the biggest names are on Saturday. Ridiculous Raps and Rhymes with Michael Rosen and MC Grammar is at 1.30pm at The Forum. Life Stories with Jacqueline Wilson, for ages 9 and up, is at 2pm at the Guildhall. Our festival guide has venues and booking notes (Bath Box Office).
• Bath Pumpkin Patch. Saturday 3 to Saturday 31 October, 10am to 5pm, Newbridge Road, BA2 9EU. Tickets are free; you pay for what you pick. Run by Newton Farm Shop and Cafe, and the only pumpkin patch inside the city (Eventbrite).
• Pumpkin Patch days at Avon Valley. Opens Saturday 3 October, 10am to 5pm. It runs on 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18 October, then every day from 24 to 31 October. Pixash Lane, Keynsham, BS31 1TP. (Avon Valley).
• Ancient Landscape, Modern Times: Eric Ravilious and the Artists of the Chalk Downs. Opens Saturday 3 October and runs to 10 January at the Holburne Museum, Great Pulteney Street. It brings together Ravilious, William Nicholson, Paul and John Nash, Tirzah Garwood and Peggy Angus. Included in general admission (The Holburne).
• Bath Camerata 40th Anniversary Concert: Haydn’s Creation. Saturday 3 October, 7.30pm, Bath Abbey. The choir is joined by professional soloists and an orchestra (Bath Camerata).

Next week

• Yes, Prime Minister. Tuesday 6 to Saturday 10 October at the Theatre Royal, Main House. Evenings are at 7.30pm, with matinees on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday at 2.30pm. Tickets from £30.50 for the BBC satire, updated for today’s politics (Theatre Royal Bath).
• Bath Racecourse, Thursday afternoon racing. Thursday 8 October. Gates open at 12.05pm, the first race is at 1.30pm and the last at 4.55pm. Tickets from £19, and under-18s go free (Bath Racecourse).
• The Hideout. Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October, 11.30am and 3pm, The Egg. A 45-minute show for ages 4 to 8. Tickets £11.50 to £14 including fees (Theatre Royal Bath).

Later in October

• A Man For All Seasons. Tuesday 13 to Saturday 17 October, Theatre Royal, Main House. Evenings are at 7.30pm, with matinees on Wednesday and Saturday at 2.30pm. Tickets from £44. Martin Shaw returns as Sir Thomas More in Robert Bolt’s play before its second national tour. The audio-described performance is Thursday 15 October at 7.30pm (Theatre Royal Bath).
• Bath Philharmonic Orchestra with Mariam Batsashvili. Tuesday 13 October, 7.30pm, The Forum. She plays Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 (Bath Philharmonic).
• Bath Film Festival. Friday 16 to Sunday 25 October, in cinemas and one-off venues around the city. This is the 36th festival, with new releases, UK premieres and filmmaker Q&As. More than half the programme is F-Rated (FilmBath).
• Wicker. Saturday 17 October, 12.45pm and 6pm, The Little Theatre, as part of the film festival. Olivia Colman plays an outcast fisherwoman who has a basketweaver, played by Peter Dinklage, make her a husband (FilmBath).
• Halloween at the American Museum and Gardens. Friday 16 October to Sunday 1 November, timed entry between 5.30pm and 8.30pm, at Claverton. It is a lit route with projections through the gardens and round the manor house, and the museum says it is not actor-led. More in our Halloween and half term guide (American Museum).
• Chris Ramsey: Here Man. Saturday 17 October, 7.30pm, The Forum (The Forum).
• Bath Racecourse, Monday afternoon racing. Monday 19 October. Gates open at 11.47am, the first race is at 1.47pm and the last at 4.50pm. Tickets from £19, and under-18s go free (Bath Racecourse).
• The General (1926) with live piano. Wednesday 21 October, 7pm to 9pm, the Holburne Museum. £16. Buster Keaton’s silent film, with a live piano accompaniment (The Holburne).
• The Sea. Thursday 22 October to Saturday 7 November, Theatre Royal, Main House. Evenings are at 7.30pm, with matinees on Thursday and Saturday at 2.30pm. Tickets from £49. Jennifer Saunders plays Mrs Rafi in the first major revival of Edward Bond’s play. The audio-described performance is Monday 2 November and the captioned one is Tuesday 3 November, both at 7.30pm (Theatre Royal Bath).
• Hay! Monday 26 to Wednesday 28 October, 11.30am and 3pm, The Egg. A 50-minute half-term show for ages 3 and up. £11.50 to £14 including fees (Theatre Royal Bath).
• Nell! The Musical. Tuesday 27 to Saturday 31 October, 7.30pm, The Mission Theatre. A new musical about Nell Gwyn: orange-seller, comic actress and mistress of Charles II (Mission Theatre).
• Russell Howard. Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 October, 7.30pm, The Forum (The Forum).
• Bath Racecourse Season Finale. Thursday 29 October, the last race day of 2026. Gates open at 11.12am, the first race is at 1.12pm and the last at 4.12pm. Tickets from £19, and under-18s go free (Bath Racecourse).
• The Proclaimers. Friday 30 October, 7.30pm, The Forum (The Forum).
• All The Small Things. Friday 30 October to Sunday 1 November, The Egg. Shows are at 10am and 1pm on Friday, then 11.30am and 3pm at the weekend. M6 Theatre Company, for ages 4 and up, £11.50 to £14 including fees (Theatre Royal Bath).

November

• Bath Field of Remembrance. Sunday 1 November, 1.45pm to 2.15pm, Abbey Churchyard. A short service around the wooden cross installation (B&NES Council).
• Anton Du Beke. Tuesday 3 November, 8pm, The Forum (The Forum).
• Avon Valley Firework Spectacular. Thursday 5 to Saturday 7 November, 5pm to 9pm each night, Pixash Lane, Keynsham. Arrival is in four timed intakes between 5.30pm and 6.50pm. The park aims to launch at 7pm, but the pyrotechnicians make the final call on the night (Avon Valley).
• Bath Racecourse Fireworks Night. Friday 6 November. Gates open at 5pm, there is a hot air balloon display at 6.45pm, the fireworks start at 7.30pm and the event ends at 9pm. Tickets from £8 at the second-release price. These timings replace the ones the racecourse listed earlier in September (Bath Racecourse).
• Donald. Friday 6 November to Saturday 5 December, Ustinov Studio at the Theatre Royal. Evenings are at 7.30pm, with matinees on Wednesday and Saturday at 2.30pm. Tickets £52.50, or £42.50 with discounts. It is a comedy about Donald Trump, adapted and directed by Sean Foley (Theatre Royal Bath).
• Bath Rotary Charity Fireworks Fiesta. Saturday 7 November, on the Recreation Ground, Pulteney Mews. Gates open at 4.30pm, entertainment starts at 5pm and the fireworks go up at about 6pm. The event ends at 7pm. Early bird prices are £10 for adults and £4.50 for 5 to 15s, plus a booking fee. There are no tickets on the gate, no parking on site and no dogs or sparklers. Roads in the city centre close from 4pm to 8pm (Rotary Club of Bath).
• Flotsam. Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November, 11.30am and 3pm, The Egg. A 35-minute show for ages 2 and up, followed by Meet the Instruments. £11.50 to £14 including fees (Theatre Royal Bath).
• Remembrance wreath laying, Royal Victoria Park. Sunday 8 November, 10.30am to 11.15am, at the War Memorial. The council’s summary text gives the morning service as 10.45am to 11.30am, so be there by 10.30am (B&NES Council).
• Remembrance Parade and Bath Abbey service. Sunday 8 November. The event listing times the parade through the city centre at 1.30pm to 2pm, and the Abbey service follows from 2pm to 3pm. The council’s summary gives the parade a longer 1pm to 2pm window. Both are organised by the Bath British Legion. Our Remembrance Sunday page covers road closures (B&NES Council).

Regular events

• Bath Farmers’ Market. Every Saturday, 9am to 1.30pm, Green Park Station, BA1 1JB. The next market is Saturday 3 October (Bath Farmers’ Market).
• Bath Skyline parkrun. Every Saturday at 9am. The free 5k starts in a field on Claverton Down, about 700 metres from Claverton Down Community Hall. There is limited parking at the BMI Bath Clinic (parkrun).

Send us your event

Running something in Bath, Keynsham or the Somer Valley? Email hello@bathdaily.co.uk with the date, time, venue, price and a photo. Listings are free. We add them to this page and to the diary on our What’s On section.