Event Title: Doors Open Weekend Aberdeen 2026 at a glance
Date: 05/09/26 – Time: 10am – 5pm
Date: 06/09/26 – Time: 12am – 4pm
Where: Bon Accord Baths – Justice Mill Lane, Aberdeen
Admission: Free (Donations welcome)
Highlights: DIVERS by Tod Hanson, live music, access to Bon Accord Baths and first draft architect plans
OTHER DATES INCLUDE:
Date: 12/09/26 – Time: 11am – 2pm
Date: 13/09/26 – Time: 11am – 2pm
Date: 19/09/26 – Time: 11am – 2pm
Date: 20/09/26 – Time: 11am – 2pm
Discover DIVERS – a spectacular new art installation filling the entire bon accord baths pool
Bon Accord Baths will open its doors for Doors Open Weekend Aberdeen 2026 on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th September – and this year there’s something particularly special waiting inside.
Visitors will be among the first to experience DIVERS, an incredible new large-scale art installation by London-based artist Tod Hanson, created specifically for the unique surroundings of Bon Accord Baths.
Alongside the new installation, Saturday will feature live performances from six local music groups, while visitors throughout the weekend can explore the Baths, meet our Trustees and find out more about our plans for the future of this much-loved Aberdeen landmark.
Created as part of an exciting programme of events and new uses for Bon Accord Baths throughout 2026, DIVERS is a temporary installation that fills the entire 40-yard swimming pool.
Tod Hanson’s work responds to place, exploring themes of industrialism and nature through architecture, diagrams, mapping and the decorative arts.
DIVERS has been created from painted rolls of wall lining paper in Tod’s small London studio, following a carefully numbered plan. The individual sections are then pieced together and taped directly onto the surfaces of the pool to reveal the finished artwork.
Remarkably, the scale and method of its creation mean that the artist himself had never seen the complete work before it was installed inside Bon Accord Baths.
The installation uses the pool’s original racing lanes to imagine a series of journeys, with patterns evolving as they travel along the length of the pool.
These journeys explore ideas around how we move through a modern world of rules and limits – how we shape and are shaped by our surroundings; how we grow, adapt, conform and rebel; and how we can come together.
The result is a striking artwork created specifically in response to the architecture and history of Bon Accord Baths.
A Unique Setting for
Art in Aberdeen
DIVERS is the second major large-scale art installation to use Bon Accord Baths as its setting during 2026.
Earlier this year, the Baths provided the backdrop for Robert Montgomery’s lightwork featuring the words of 14th-century poet Hafez Shirazi, presented as part of Nuart Aberdeen.
The arrival of DIVERS continues to demonstrate the extraordinary potential of Bon Accord Baths as a space for art, culture, performance and community events while work continues towards securing its long-term future.
Saturday 5th September
The atmosphere inside the Baths will be even more special on Saturday, with six local music groups performing throughout the day and providing a unique soundtrack for visitors exploring the building and DIVERS.
- 10.30am – Coda Pendency
- 11.00am – Con Anima
- 12.00pm – Friends of ANCHOR Choir
- 1.00pm – Rough Diamonds Acapella Quartet
- 2.00pm – Silver City Singers
- 3.00pm – One Warm Line, Sea Shanty Trio
With the acoustics and architecture of the former swimming pool providing a remarkable setting, it promises to be a very different live music experience.
of Bon Accord Baths
Doors Open Weekends is also an opportunity to find out what is happening behind the scenes at Bon Accord Baths and learn more about our ambitions for the building.
Trustees will be available throughout the weekend to talk about the project, answer questions and discuss the work being undertaken by Bon Accord Heritage to preserve, restore and ultimately reopen Bon Accord Baths for future generations.
Visitors will also have the opportunity to view our first draft architect plans and learn more about the vision for bringing this cherished Aberdeen landmark back to life.
for Doors Open Weekend
Aberdeen 2026
Whether you have memories of swimming at Bon Accord Baths, have an interest in Aberdeen’s heritage and architecture, love contemporary art or simply want to experience this remarkable building for yourself, we’d love to welcome you.
Saturday 5th September 2026 – 10am to 5pm
Sunday 6th September 2026 – 12pm to 4pm
Entry is FREE.
Donations to Save Bon Accord Baths are always greatly appreciated and help support our work to preserve the building and secure its future.
There will be further opportunities to experience DIVERS by Tod Hanson following Doors Open Weekend.
The installation will also be open to visitors from 11am–2pm on 12th, 13th, 19th and 20th September.
For any questions about the event or Bon Accord Baths, please email .
We look forward to welcoming you through the doors!