Forest of Imagination will return to Bath from 13–21 June 2026 with a free outdoor arts event at Entry Hill exploring creativity, nature and transformation through a new theme, Enter the Chrysalis.
The ten-day programme will feature large-scale installations, artist-led workshops and family-friendly activities across the former golf course overlooking the city, as organisers continue their long-term vision of creating a permanent Art and Nature Park for Bath.
Inspired by the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly, this year’s event focuses on renewal, imagination and collective creativity. Organisers say the 2026 programme represents the second chapter in a three-year story, following 2025’s ‘caterpillar’ phase and leading towards a ‘butterfly’ vision in 2027.
Families visiting Entry Hill can explore eight new installations created by artists, architects and designers, alongside free workshops for children, schools, home educators and the wider public.
Among the highlights is Perpetual Forest by sound artist and founding member of The Human League and Heaven 17, Martyn Ware. The immersive audio installation will bring together a retrospective of his 3D soundscapes within the natural landscape of Entry Hill.
Other featured works include Chrysalis Classroom by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, designed as a creative learning environment for children, and Wiggly Wobbly Jiggly, a continuously evolving pavilion led by young people and created by Morgane Shaban and Holly Le-Var.
Landscape architects Grant Associates, known for designing internationally celebrated public spaces, will present Chrysalis Grove and Pupa Shell, while artist Matthew Leece’s Imaginal Soup explores the biological process behind metamorphosis.
Free workshops running throughout the event include Becoming Creature, What Do the Trees Think, Who Lives in the Forest and From Earth to Wing: A Muddy Metamorphosis. Weekday sessions are mainly aimed at pre-booked schools and home educators, while weekends are open to all families and visitors.
Dr Penny Hay, Professor of Imagination at Bath Spa University and co-founder of Forest of Imagination, said, “Forest of Imagination invites people of all ages into a creative dialogue about the ecological emergency and imaginative responses to a sustainable future.
“At its core, Forest of Imagination creates shared spaces in which imagination is valued as a way of being, relating and connecting. Bath’s Entry Hill is becoming exactly this: a living landscape where art, ecology and community converge.”
Andrew Grant, co-founder of Forest of Imagination, added, “The old Entry Hill golf course has morphed into a wonderful and welcoming green space with huge potential to become a unique Art and Nature park to serve the wider community of the city.”
Opening Night takes place on Friday 12 June at 6pm, with schools’ days running from 16–18 June. Entry is free and no booking is required.
For more information visit Forest of Imagination
