Welcome to
our Festival
16-24 October 2026
Set up in 1992 to celebrate the written word
Tickets now on sale
2026 Speakers
Our 2026 Sponsors
Principal Festival Sponsor
2026 Brochure
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
Education projects
Wells Festival of Literature
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
News
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Regency romp revisited
Comedian Rachel Parris, best known for her TV appearances on The Mash Report and Late Night Mash, brings some racy romance to the Festival with a witty sequel to Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice. Her new book Introducing Mrs Collins takes up the story of Charlotte Lucas who married pompous clergyman Mr Collins, upsetting…
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Pick of popular scientists
Science writers Masud Husain and Tim Minshall, both speakers at this year’s Festival, have been picked for the shortlist of a prestigious award for popular science writing. They are among just six writers selected from 254 entries in the Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize for 2025. The shortlisted titles represent the judges’ pick of…
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Football season kicks off
As the football season kicks off this month, the Festival is delighted to host two of the sports greatest fans. Author Simon Kuper, who has attended every World Cup since 1990, will be discussing the biggest sporting competition on earth with well-known BBC Radio Somerset sports presenter Charlie Taylor. Kuper’s new book World Cup Fever is…
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Royal Revelations
Searing revelations about Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson have stirred up a storm of interest in biographer Andrew Lownie’s latest book Entitled. Royal watchers are snapping up tickets to hear the inside story from the author himself when he appears at the Festival on 23 October. Lownie spent four years interviewing hundreds of…
