Summer at the Holburne
The Holburne Museum in Bath is the perfect place for a family day out this summer. With two fantastic exhibitions, free trails and activities for little ones, drop-in workshops, live theatre in the garden, a giant mural to celebrate Bath Carnival and art camps for aspiring doodlers, there’s so much to discover!
EXHIBITIONS
Mr Doodle! Museum Mayhem has taken over the historic building, with doodles filling the entrance hall, the stairs and even the ceiling! You can view Mr Doodle’s personal sketchbooks to see how his iconic ‘graffiti spaghetti’ has evolved over the years, and also keep an eye out as you explore the museum, as you’ll find a number of canvases and 3-D works hiding amongst our historic treasures. Pick up a free ‘Doodle & Draw’ trail from the front desk to ensure you spot them all!
Henry Moore in Miniature showcases over 60 of the sculptor’s models and maquettes including animals, figures sculpted from plasticine or carved from wood, and pieces made with stones and shells that Henry Moore collected on the beach, which are bound to spark some creative ideas.
GARDEN THEATRE FESTIVAL
Running from 10 – 21 July, this year’s festival will once more transform the museum’s gardens into a beautiful outdoor theatre seating 400 guests, complete with deck chairs, flags, bunting, festoon lights and a superb garden bar. Now with covered seating option, the Garden Theatre Festival is ready for a British summer of theatre whatever the weather! More details at gardentheatrefest.co.uk
DROP-IN FAMILY WORKSHOPS
Doodle Day with Bath Carnival
Saturday 13 July | 11am – 3pm | Drop-in FREE
The carnival is in town! Join us in our celebrations and help us create a doodled mural inspired by all things carnival and our current exhibition Mr Doodle: Museum Mayhem. No need to book just drop-in. Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
Mini Doodlers
Friday 9 August | 10.30am – 12.30pm | Drop-in FREE
A morning of free, playful making designed for mini doodlers to get creative. Enjoy designing and decorating beautiful doodled flowers to take home. This workshop is suitable for younger doodlers aged 2+.
A maker like Moore
Tuesday 13 August | 10.30am – 12.30pm | Drop-in FREE
Enjoy a morning of hands-on making, creating mini-sculptures inspired by our exhibition of Henry Moore. Expect a bit of mess and playful sculpture materials to inspire 3D making. No need to book, just drop-in on the day.
ART CAMPS
Holburne Art Camps provide a fabulously fun day of creativity for children, delivered by experienced artists. Each day is designed to explore new skills, art practices and exciting materials. All our activities are inspired by wonderful objects and stories from the museum collection as well as our exhibitions.
24, 25, 29, 30, 31 July + 1, 5, 6, 7, 8 August
£45 a day + booking fee
For children aged 6-11 years
PRIDE FAMILY PICNIC
Sunday 18 August | 12pm – 5pm | Drop-in FREE
Following the success of the first Holburne Pride in June, we are proud to be holding a family picnic during Bath Pride. We will be hosting local musicians to serenade you, and charities and support organisations will be on site to share their work so you can find out what they do. Pride is more than just celebrating the LGBT+ community, but an opportunity to make Bath a more welcoming city – we hope you will join us.
GARDEN CAFÉ
Our light and airy café is open daily from 10am – 4.30pm (11am on Sundays and bank holidays), serving a range of light lunches and sweet treats with plenty of outdoor seating.
We’re also situated right next to Sydney Gardens, which has a fantastic playground – perfect for running around after the museum.
