Welcome to
our Festival
Save the Date
16-24 October 2026
Set up in 1992 to celebrate the written word
Wells Festival of Literature
Celebrating its 34th Year in 2026
Wells Festival of Literature is a registered charity entirely run by a committee of volunteers, funded by ticket sales, competition entries and generous local sponsors and Friends.
IN 2025
VISITORS A YEAR
Education projects
Fleur Hitchcock visits Longvernal Primary
Dicheat School Book Club meet to discuss The Somerset Tsunami by Emma Carroll
St John’s enjoy a visit from Tracey Corderoy
Wookey Sch reading their new books
Waterstones visit by Bishop Henderson Sch
Emily Lloyd-Gale at St John’s
Following a visit from A.F. Harrold:
“It was an enriching session that enhanced our pupils’ appreciation and understanding of poetry. Huge thanks to the Education Team at The Wells Festival of Literature for organising and funding this visit!”
Fairlands Middle School – Cheddar
News
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Welcome to Wells – wherever you are
The Festival gets off to a tremendous start this Friday when we welcome the arrival of Our Friends in Beijing, brought to Wells by that veteran China reporter John Simpson. Or could it be Jon Swift? Find out when the Festival opens at 6pm on Friday. If you don’t have a ticket yet, register for live-streaming before…
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Talking about the Arctic… from the Arctic!
Jemma Wadham, scheduled to appear in Wells on the Cedars Hall stage on Saturday 23 October at 2pm, will now be speaking to us direct from where she is currently working – at the frontline of the climate crisis. In a development that perfectly illustrates the nature of the ground-breaking glaciology Jemma is undertaking in the…
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New event follows a royal couple in exile
In a change to the published programme, we are delighted to introduce bestselling author Andrew Lownie as he explores the lives of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor in the long years after the abdication. Much has been written about the crisis surrounding Edward VIII’S 1936 abdication itself, but far less is known about the…
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Event Cancellation
We very much regret that Emma Dabiri, who was scheduled to discuss What White People Can Do Next with Sarah LeFanu, has had to pull out of the Festival. This event was due to take place on Saturday 16 October at 12.15 pm. Anyone who has bought a ticket will be contacted by Cedars Hall box office and…