Bath’s Business Improvement District (BID) has become a strategic corporate partner of The Bath Festival, supporting the city-wide celebration and helping develop the new flagship festival for Bath.
Taking place between May 19 and 28, the new festival – which has the tag-line 'Jump In' – intends to appeal to a wider audience, build visitor numbers and support the positioning of Bath as an accessible, contemporary, cultural destination.
The BID said these aspirations aligned with its own and echoed its purpose, which is to enable businesses in Bath to succeed.
As part of this partnership, Bath BID member businesses can get involved individually, as well as benefitting from umbrella Bath BID sponsorship, with benefits including online and offline marketing and branding, 10% discount on ticket sales for staff, hospitality opportunities and even hosting live events in Marks and Spencer and Jolly’s.
A number of Bath BID businesses are already involved, including Waterstones, Jolly’s, The Abbey Hotel, Number 15 Great Pulteney and Gainsborough Bath Spa Hotel. A discounted corporate package of £3,500 is available to all Bath BID member businesses.
Bath Festivals chief executive Ian Stockley said: “I am delighted to welcome Bath BID Businesses, their staff and customers to The Bath Festival. Together, we will widen our engagement with the city through greater diversity in programming and performance venues as we push out the boundaries of what a festival can do and move towards being at the leading edge of festivals internationally, enhancing Bath’s position as a destination city.”
The Bath Festival builds on the heritage of the Bath Literature and Bath International Music Festivals and will include more than 130 events featuring the biggest and brightest names in literature, words and music.
It gets under way with the Party in the City, Bath’s biggest night of free music and performances, on May 19. At the party last year more than 2,000 performers entertained 20,000-plus people in 30 venues across the city. This year, the festival atmosphere will continue on the streets with the introduction of festival hubs across the city throughout the 10 days
Other strategic partners of the festival include Wessex Water, Rotork, UBS with Bath Spa University as creative partner.
The 10 day programme of 130-plus events can be viewed here.
Pictured, from left: Louise Prynne, Bath BID chief executive, The Bath Festivals chief executive Ian Stockley, Tom Searle of Marks & Spencer, and Samantha Little of House of Fraser. Photo by James Cheadle
