What happens when, so you can pick the weekend rather than take the one you are given.
Spring
The Bath Half Marathon is the spring fixture that reshapes the city for a day, usually in March. Bath Comedy Festival typically runs through April, spread across small venues, which makes it easy to drop into for an evening rather than plan around.
May usually brings The Bath Festival, a mixed music and literature programme across the city over about ten days. Spring is also simply a good time to visit: the gardens are at their best and the city is busy without being overwhelmed.
Summer
Bath Carnival is normally in July – a free street parade with a genuinely good atmosphere. Summer also brings open-air theatre and outdoor cinema in the parks, and the Royal Victoria Park is in constant use.
This is peak season. The city is at its busiest, accommodation is at its most expensive, and the large houses outside Bath book up months ahead – particularly the eleven with swimming pools, which are the first to go.
Autumn
The Jane Austen Festival is usually in September and is the most distinctive thing in Bath’s calendar. Autumn also brings food and drink events, and the city is noticeably calmer than in August while the weather often holds.
For a group weekend, September and October are arguably the best value in the year: the city is still fully open, prices have eased, and the countryside around Bath is at its best.
Winter
Bath Christmas Market dominates from late November to mid-December and is the busiest fortnight of the year. January and February are the quietest months, which some people consider the city’s best-kept secret – the Roman Baths and Thermae Bath Spa are both better in cold weather, and you can get a table anywhere.
Winter is when a house with a hot tub stops being a luxury and starts being the reason the weekend works.
Busiest
Christmas market weekends, the Half, and August. Book everything far ahead or avoid.
Best value
January, February, and midweek dates almost any time outside December.
Best weather odds
May, June and September – and September usually has the fewest crowds of the three.
Coming as a group?
Bath fills up fast around its big events. The houses nearby sleep fourteen to thirty-six, and every one has a hot tub.