Curious Minds Festival returns to Bath this March

Curious Minds: a festival to ignite ideas is back, lighting up Bath from 10 - 31 March 2025 with an expanded programme of over 40 book talks, film screenings, live podcast shows, music, walking tours and writing workshops designed to entertain, challenge and inspire.

Curated by the Bath Arts Collective, this year’s festival continues to champion the spirit of curiosity and innovation while celebrating Bath’s unique cultural and creative scene. Tickets are on sale now.

Highlights for 2025

This year’s programme is more dynamic than ever, featuring globally recognised names and homegrown talent. Key highlights include:

• Gabriel Gatehouse, award-winning journalist, tackles the volatile state of American politics in What Next for America?
• A series of Podcast Live Shows including Three Bean Salad with comedians Mike Wozniak, Henry Paker and Ben Partridge.
• The 7 Hills Spring Sessions will be headlined by legendary folk songstress Thea Gilmore and curated by Matt Owens (Noah and the Whale) and in association with the BBC Introducing.
• Ros Atkins, BBC’s acclaimed ‘Explainer-in-Chief,’ reveals secrets to impactful communication in The Art of Explanation
• Baroness Sue Campbell discusses her groundbreaking career and leadership lessons in The Game Changer.
• FilmBath and Archaeo-Heritage Film will be hosting unique film screenings in Bath’s Museums tailored to their collections and heritage with their Movie at the Museum series.
• Elif Shafak and Alev Scott close the festival with an exclusive Curious Minds Conversation: Women, Water and Wanderlust.

Image: Ros Atkins, credit Jeff Overs 

A Platform for Important Conversations

Curious Minds Festival also addresses vital contemporary issues, from mental health to restorative justice. Notable sessions include:

• Should Prisons Be Beautiful? with criminology professor Yvonne Jewkes and philosopher Andy West
• The Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz, an extraordinary untold story presented by historian Anne Sebba
• Beckford’s Legacy - a personal discussion about belonging, slavery and their relationship with Beckford Tower between Professor Robert Beckford and Shawn Sobers
• NHS Doctor and best-selling writer Dr Rachel Clarke will explore the often taboo topic of end-of-life care and compassion for the dying
• Margaret Heffernan, renowned philosopher, explores how the arts are essential for our future in her new book Embracing Uncertainty

Image: Vanessa Kisuule

Try Something Different

From intimate writing workshops and captivating walking tours to local creative showcases, Curious Minds: a festival to ignite ideas fosters connections between Bath’s creative communities and audiences. Signature events include:

• Writing 9-5: What a Way to Make a Living!: Jennie Godfrey and Samuel Burr, who both struck gold with their debut novels, share strategies for turning writing into a sustainable career.
• Poetry Film Club: Communities  showcasing award-winning short films by local and international poets.
• Walking tours such as 50 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Bath and Bath’s Hidden Histories offer fresh perspectives on the city’s history.
• Creative Curiosity Up Late at the Holburne Museum, an exciting free showcase of emerging artists and performers curated by Bath Spa University’s EMERGE studio.
• The Anyone Can Be a Podcaster! workshop with Nigel Fryatt will guide participants through scripting, recording, and editing to create their very first 10-minute pilot episode.

Tickets are on sale from Thursday 30 January at 10am via batharts.co.uk. Explore the full programme and join us in making March the month to ignite your curiosity!

Kate Abbey, Bath Arts Collective Director, says “March is the perfect time to get out, about and curious!  It’s beyond exciting to see how this festival has grown in its second year. We’ve looked for fresh ways to engage with people across our city; showcasing incredible talent and supported by myriad partners, venues and performers.”

Curious Minds is sponsored and supported by Bath Spa University, Apex Hotels, University of Bath, Mytton Williams, Mr Bs Emporium, Komedia, Creative Bath, FilmBath, Archeo-Heritage Film, Holburne Museum, TSL Consulting and 7 Hills.

Book tickets for the Curious Minds Festival here and sign up to Bath Arts Collective’s newsletter to find out more about what’s coming up.