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This summer, the south-western English city of Bath will once again be the setting for the Bath Guitar Festival: a six day celebration of all styles of guitar-playing. The festival incorporates a guitar summer school which draws prestigious teachers and passionate students from all over the globe.

Although the festival has something for all music fans, if you are a keen guitar player the Bath Guitar Festival offers an almost unique opportunity to improve your technique in the company of like-minded individuals, whilst enjoying performances from top international musicians. The festival is the perfect excuse to enjoy a summer holiday in Bath and take in this vibrant city amongst world-class music.

However, music is not all Bath has to offer in the summertime. This wonderful location has been popular with visitors for centuries, featuring well-preserved Roman buildings and artefacts as well as a host of other, more contemporary local attractions.

Whether you are going to take part in the summer school sessions or simply attend the festival, you will need to find affordable accommodation in Bath. The festival is held city-wide in a number of locations which are no more than a ten minute walk from one another, and with the activities and their respective venues well-documented, you should have no trouble finding your way from one event to the next.

Indeed, there are so many events, and for such a wide variety of interests that your biggest problem could be how to choose which events to attend. This year’s festival will be the twentieth to take place in Bath and is part of the International Guitar Foundation family, which includes other internationally renowned guitar festivals and summer schools throughout England. In the past, the genres performed and taught at the festival and summer school has included Classical, Jazz, Blues and Folk, and this year’s line-up will undoubtedly be equally diverse. 

Those attending in 2013 can enrol on courses in song writing, finger-picking, the colourfully entitled ‘Groove Empowerment’, Jazz, and Classical or Blues technique. They will also be able to enjoy as yet unannounced artists from all over the world. Artists in past festivals have included the eminent Classical player David Russell, guitarist and singer Badi Assad, Flamenco player Juan Martin and former musical prodigy Newton Faulkner. Additionally, there are always numerous jam sessions, providing the students with ample opportunity to practise their new techniques and for everybody else to join in, enjoy themselves and perhaps pick up a few tips while they have a good time.