Bath is known as a festival city. The most famous of these is the Bath Music Festival when thousands of people flock to the city to hear music from around the world. This year's event takes place from Friday, May 19 until Sunday, June 4.

This year's programme will offer some of the most stellar names from the classical music repertoire but also ventures seamlessly into contemporary music and electronica, jazz, folk and world music.

Highlights from the evening programme include the Australian Chamber Orchestra with Dawn Upshaw in Bath Abbey; the Vanbrugh and Borodin Quartets; a new work by Brian Eno with Joanna MacGregor, and East Meet West music from France to India featuring Daniel Hope.

Lunchtime concerts will be held at the city's Georgian Assembly Rooms throughout the festival and will encompass folk, electronic, vocal music, and jazz, as well as Lieder and western classical music from Schubert to Schoenberg.

The bank holiday Jazz Weekend will be celebrating its 21st birthday in some style, with another world class line-up.

There will also be children's and family events across all three weekends of the festival, with free community events in Parade Gardens and across the city on the opening night, as well as a sizzling Latin Ball.

The accompanying fringe festival (Friday, May 26-Sunday, June 11) will be hosting over 150 events including theatre, comedy, music, street events, children's events, visual arts, dance, circus, fringe clubs and culminating in Walcot Independence Day, on June 11, this will replace the traditional Walcot Nation Day street party. This event is no more, but the Walcot Independence Daywill replace it on the final Sunday of the festival and will be a larger, green field event with lots of stuff for children as well as adults to do. Details were still being finalised at the time of going to press.

Most visitors still arrive in summer but there are festivals all year round. In the autumn the annual Mozartfest (November 10-18) celebrates the music of Mozart in venues such as the Abbey and the 18th-century Assembly Rooms and Guildhall. With 2006 being the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth the event will be even bigger this year with The Glyndebourne Opera performing Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutti.

Bath Literature Festival takes place in March and sees some of the world's leading writers take part in readings, signings, talks, debates and lunches. The city also plays host to the only Shakespeare festival in the UK, which is held every other year in March, and the Jane Austen festival.

Cricket fans also flock to Bath for the annual Somerset County Cricket Festival. This year it takes place from June 14-June 18 at the Recreation Ground with views of the Roman Baths and the wooded hills beyond it is an ideal location for a relaxing game of cricket.

l Tickets for most of the Bath festivals are available from the Bath Festivals Box Office (01225) 463362, or email boxoffice@bathfestivals.org.uk While there will be no Glastonbury Festival in 2006, a full weekend programme is planned for The Glastonbury Abbey Musical Extravaganza on Friday 4, Saturday 5 and Sunday 6, August 2006. Back by popular request are Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra on the Friday; The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with a special guest on the Saturday for the classical evening and The Rat Pack on the Sunday.

Just a short drive from Bath, this is a really good festival set in the ruins of the abbey.

Bring a picnic and something to sit on, dress up to the nines if you like (or wear your jeans if you prefer!) and enjoy a wonderful musical weekend.

Tickets are available from mid March at Worthy Farm (01749) 890470 and for credit/debit card bookings Glastonbury Festival Office (01458) 834596. Tickets cost £25 for one evening, £45 for two evenings and £65 for three evenings.