Save the Date
16-24 October 2026

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…

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…

Somerset was long considered the heart of England. After all, it’s easy to feel at home here. Many of our speakers do and are: Dr Lucy Pollock who urges us actually to talk about getting older; Lucy Jago who set her first YA book at Montacute House and has now written about a scandal at…

Legendary war reporter Kate Adie CBE, in conversation with Festival Patron William Waldegrave, set the tone for this year’s Festival during a unique pre-Festival event for Friends and supporters, sponsored by Investec. Kate reported from battlefields and disaster zones all over the globe and her descriptions of what she saw were mesmerising. Her experiences at…