Last week we finally had the chance to thank all the wonderful curators, freelancers, volunteers and partners we worked with on Curious Minds 2025! 🥳
It takes a great team to make a festival happen, and that’s certainly what we had! 💪
Thank you to everyone who came along to raise a glass with us, and to those who couldn’t make it but were there in spirit! 🥂
Until next year…
Thanks to the lovely @persephonebooks for having us ✨
We’ve been genuinely touched reading through your feedback from this year’s festival 💭✨
From “best function I ever attended” to “a fantastic evening of culture”, it’s meant a lot to hear how Curious Minds resonated with so many of you.
Thank you to everyone who came along, supported the festival, and took the time to share your thoughts. It really does shape what we do next 💛
#curiousmindsfestival #bathevents #curiousminds #whatsonbath
Looking back on a truly insightful and important conversation a few weeks ago at @houseofhismajesty hosted by @yassmin_an and @sudafest discussing Sudan, advocacy and cultural memory. 🇸🇩🎤⭐️
This event was part of Sudafest’s Sounds Like Home series. Head over to their account for the latest on upcoming events!
Social Media Assistant: @lucyangulomedia 📸
#CuriousMindsFestival #CuriousMinds #BathEvents #BathCulture #IdeasFestival #VoicesofSudan #Sudan #SoundsLikeHome
We’re delighted that Curious Minds Festival 2025 is a finalist in the Creative Bath Awards 2026 in the Event category ✨
Bringing together ideas, conversations and culture across Bath, Curious Minds is all about creating space for curiosity, connection and new perspectives, so this recognition means a great deal.
A huge thank you to all of our partners, speakers and audiences who made the 2025 festival so special 💛
#CreativeBathAwards #CuriousMindsFestival #BathCulture #CreativeBath #BathEvents
A fascinating and emotional evening with Yassmin Abdel-Magied celebrating Sudan, the power of storytelling, and shining a light on the ongoing humanitarian crisis. 🇸🇩✨
Part of the Sounds Like Home series by Sudafest, the event took place at Fairfield House — once home to Emperor Haile Selassie I and his family during their exile between 1936 and 1941. 
The evening began with delicious food from the Fairfield House kitchen before moving into a powerful discussion on Sudan and the devastating impact of the conflict since April 2023, which has displaced millions of people, often multiple times.
A key theme throughout was the loss of cultural identity through displacement, raising the question: what do we carry forward when everything else is left behind?
We heard from an incredible panel:
🎓 Naomi Pendle reflected on the meaning of “home”, the experience of rebuilding it in new places, and the urgent reality that famine in Sudan should not be considered “normal”.
📚 Tasnim Abdelmagid shared her experience of witnessing the early days of the conflict, the loss of the education centre she had just launched, and the enduring power of storytelling.
🌍 Elbashir Idris spoke about identity across borders and the frustration of Sudan being overlooked globally, reminding us: “We are not just victims.”
The evening closed with a thoughtful Q&A and a short DJ set, exploring how music continues to connect and uplift Sudanese communities. 🎵
A huge thank you to @yassmin_a , @sudafest & @houseofhismajesty for hosting such an insightful and important event, and to our brilliant speakers @elbashiridris , @tas.isam & Naomi Pendle. 🌟
Social Media Assistant: @lucyangulomedia 📸
#CuriousMindsFestival #CuriousMinds #BathEvents #BathCulture #Sudan #SoundsLikeHome #Sudafest #Storytelling #CulturalMemory
A glimpse into the world of indie publishing; where bold presses are reshaping what it means to write, share, and be heard✍️📖
Listening to the brands behind: Clive Birnie (Burning Eye Books), Jake Wild Hall (Bad Betty Press), and Aaron Kent (Broken Sleep). Each built from passion, resilience, and a real sense of family. 👥✨
They explored what it really means to be an editor: developing your own taste while making space for others, recognising poetry as a spectrum, and opening doors for those whose voices might otherwise go unheard. Not gatekeepers but “doorstops” holding space for those voices.
When asked what it means for art to take risks, it is to ride the storm. To create work that stays with someone, no matter their mood. To embrace the experimental and unconventional, and to always search for that human connection that keeps readers coming back.
There was a strong sense of community: supporting one another to and accepting its okay to be a stepping stone in someone else’s journey. 👥✨
A strong reminder that while big presses may overlook indie voices, these spaces continue to thrive, connect, and inspire.
Huge thanks to for @manganaro.creative for curiating this event and to Caleb Simon for this inspiring conversation with Clive Birnie, Jake Wild Hall and Aaron Kent✨
#bathevents #CuriousMinds #Poetry #inspiration
✨📚 An inspiring literary evening with rising star Nelio Biedermann, who joined us all the way from Germany to introduce his breathtaking debut, Lázár, beautifully translated by Jamie Bulloch.
At just 22, Nelio is already making waves across Germany and Switzerland, with a novel that has become a major bestseller and earned the prestigious German Booksellers Prize. Lázár is a sweeping, multi-generational epic inspired by family history, carrying readers from the early 20th century to the Hungarian Uprising of 1956. 
Rich with memory, history and timeless wisdom, it’s a novel that feels both intimate and expansive — the kind of book that lingers long after the final page.
As Patti Smith put it, “a gifted young writer walks among us.” ✨
A huge thank you to Nelio for such a special evening, and to Mr B’s Emporium of Books for hosting. 📖💛
#CuriousMinds #CuriousMindsFestival #NelioBiedermann #Lazar #MrBsEmporium Literature HistoricalFiction TranslatedFiction BookEvent BathEvents
💫✨ An evening of courage, laughter and transformation at Elim Church.
We were so lucky to spend the evening with the brilliant Helen Thorn 💛 comedian, podcaster and bestselling author, as she shared the raw and honest story behind How to Face Big Change.
Through heartbreak, upheaval and starting over, Helen reminded us that it is possible to find yourself again 💪🌈 Her journey from loss to rediscovery was full of honesty, resilience and plenty of laughter.
With heartwarming stories, hard-earned wisdom and refreshingly candid confessions, this was a celebration of women rising, rebuilding and reclaiming their joy ✨🔥
A huge thank you to Helen for such an uplifting evening, and to Mr B’s Emporium of Books for a wonderful book signing at the end 📚
#CuriousMindsFestival #CuriousMinds #HelenThorn #HowToFaceBigChange #BathEvents AuthorTalk WomenSupportingWomen Feminism MrBs
A thoughtful guide to navigating overwhelm, with award-winning writer and broadcaster Claudia Hammond in conversation with Lizzie Heffer ✨
In a world of constant pressure and perfectionism, Claudia reminded us to begin with acceptance and to let go of the idea that we have to feel okay every single day. We’re human, and that includes the harder days too 💭
Exploring themes from her book Overwhelmed, Claudia reflected on regret, the pressure of the never-ending to-do list, and the importance of being kinder to ourselves. Rather than something to conquer in a day, that list can instead be seen as a record of a full and busy life.
One of the most powerful takeaways from the evening was the simple practice of writing down three good things each day ✅📋 No matter how small, taking time to notice the positives can help reshape our mood and our outlook. Claudia shared how this very tool helped improve her own wellbeing during the pandemic.
And perhaps most importantly, not all stress is bad. Instead of always treating it as the enemy, Claudia showed us how we can reframe it as excitement — and even use it to improve our performance, whether that’s in exams, public speaking, or even karaoke 📃🎤
A huge thank you to BIRD (Bath Institute for Rheumatic Disease) for supporting this thoughtful event, and to Claudia Hammond and Lizzie Heffer for such an insightful and reassuring conversation ✨
#CuriousMinds #CuriousMindsFestival #ClaudiaHammond #Overwhelmed #WellbeingWithoutTheWooWoo MentalHealth Overwhelm SelfCompassion Psychology BathEvents BookTalk BBCRadio4
The Holburne was exploding with life this evening as EMERGE studios took over for the Holburne Up Late bringing an array of art works, installations and performances! 🎨
From mesmerising reactive visuals to striking hand-embroidered silhouettes to moving spoken word performance. It’s clear how talented these artists are! ✨
As the festival starts to draw to a close this was the perfect way to step out and be curious! 🦋
#curiousminds #holburnemuseum #bathevents #curiousmindsfestival #bathculture
📚🇺🇦Women of Ukraine: Stories of War was one of those evenings that stays with you.
In conversation, Yuliia Iliukha and Felicity Spector shared stories that moved beyond headlines into real lives, choices, and emotions shaped by war.
🌿There was honesty, but also resilience. Stories of loss, but also of love, humour, and strength. A reminder that even in the most difficult moments, culture and voice continue to endure.
“This is the least I can do to remind people what’s happening in Ukraine and to help my country.” - Yuliia Iliukha
And maybe that’s where the hope lies in listening, in understanding, and in making space for these stories to be heard. ✨
✨ More Curious Minds conversations are coming soon.
🎟️ Don’t miss the festival’s final events — book your place now.
#curiousmindsfestival #bathevents #bathculture #whatsonbath #batharts
Where do you get your news?
We’re bombarded with news, information, content and yet it can feel harder than ever to feel informed.
‘What happens when local media disappears?’ was the question posed at part of @curiousmindsfest - a discussion on local press, past present and future…
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Nearly 300 local news outlets have closed over the last two decades, just three companies now own most remaining local newspapers, and some areas of the UK are local news deserts.
Shocking, but all is not lost when it comes to independent local news and journalism!
How local news is gathered, edited and shared has transformed in the time I’ve been pitching stories to newsdesks and editors - teams have shrunk, click-bait is real and video wants to be king.
In this region, we’re fortunate to have a lively local media landscape and community of journalists and publishers committed independent journalism and investing in future talent.
The growing success of @thebristolcable offers the tantalising prospect that the future of powerful local news may just lie in the pages of a truly independent newspaper….
Thank you Anu Anand, Lynne Fernquest, Priyanka Raval and Dr Kevin Grieves
