New Year is a special date
New Year is a special date at the Roman
Baths
December 10
On New Year’s Day, visitors to the Bath &
North East Somerset Council-run Roman Baths will receive
complimentary hot dates as they step out beside the Great Bath.
Hot, stuffed and peppered dates were a Roman
delicacy popular at New Year festivities. In 45 BC Julius Caesar
reformed the Roman calendar and in so doing introduced the month of
January in honour of Janus, the Roman two-faced god who looked both
backwards and forwards.
New Year’s Day also marks the start of the
Year of Museum in Bath, a Bath Tourism Plus initiative to celebrate
and promote the city’s museums.
With over £20 million investment over the past
five years museums in the city have a lot to shout about. In
addition to the completion of a major redevelopment programme at
the Roman Baths, 2011 will see the re-opening of the Holburne
Museum of Art, and the American Museum will celebrate its 50th
anniversary with a series of special exhibitions, activities and
events.
Cllr Terry Gazzard, Bath & North East
Somerset Council’s Cabinet Member for Development and Major
Projects (Conservative, Abbey) said: “Bath & North East
Somerset Council is happy to support Bath Tourism Plus’ Year of the
Museum. Bath is very lucky to have so many important museums and
places of historic interest which benefit residents as well as
attracting thousands of tourists into the city.”
Robin Bischert from Bath Tourism Plus said:
“Museums in Bath have created a series of popular events and
activities throughout the year. We can now build on this to
encourage more visitors to come to the city.”
Bath Tourism Plus has set up a special
calendar on its website where you can log on to see what is
happening and where, at any time www.visitbath.co.uk/museumevents.
The programme also forms the basis for a major publicity campaign
to attract visitors to the city.
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