Bath Christmas lights plans unveiled and ‘The Snowman’ sculpture trail announced for 2026

The city’s business improvement district has launched a five-year strategy to transform the city’s Christmas lighting

New plans aimed at transforming how Bath celebrates Christmas every year have been unveiled. The Bath Business Improvement District (BID) has launched an ambitious five-year strategy to improve its festive lighting and encourage more visitors to the historic city.

Under the plans, the Bath BID will grow its collection of Christmas lights with the help of Wellington-based lighting and immersive experiences firm The Festive Lighting Company.

Working on a theme of ‘Understated Elegance’, the new lighting will bring out “the best of Bath’s stunning architecture”, according to Bath BID chief executive Allison Herbert.

She said: “We have launched a new five-year programme of Christmas lighting starting this year. Bath is famous for its fabulous world class Christmas market, and this year, we want to add more reasons to visit the city.”

Jonathan Bradford, director of the Festive Lighting Company, added: “We’re incredibly proud to be part of the team behind Bath’s Christmas lighting for the next five years. There’s nowhere quite like Bath and helping to add a touch of sparkle to the architecture is exactly the kind of work we love.”

Bath BID is also bringing a giant sculpture trail to the city for Christmas this year. The trail – named ‘Walking with the Snowman’ – will feature 12 larger-than-life representations of Raymond Briggs’ famous Snowman, with families encouraged to find all 12 across the city centre between November 19 and January 31.

The trail ties in with Victoria Art Gallery’s ‘The World of The Snowman’ exhibition, which is running from November 20 to February 28 next year.

There will also be a screening of ‘The Snowman’ accompanied by a live orchestra by the Bath Philharmonia on December 19 at The Forum Bath. And visitors will get the chance to meet the Snowman on November 19 and 21 in collaboration with Rainbow Productions.

Bath BID is encouraging businesses across the city to join the festive activities through window displays, events or their own Snowman-themed exhibitions.

A spokesperson for the BID said: “A huge thank you goes to the businesses helping bring the ‘Walking with the Snowman’ Trail to life: Bath Abbey, Victoria Art Gallery, Thermae Bath Spa, Wylde Jewellers, SouthGate Bath, The Apex City of Bath, Visit West, and the Fudge Factory.”

Nicholas Wylde, owner of Wylde Jewellers, added: “This is the third year running that we’ve been proud to sponsor a Bath BID trail, and it never gets old. Bath has given so much to us as a business, and trails like ‘Walking with the Snowman’ are a wonderful way to give something back to the city and the families who visit it.”