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
-
A taste of things to come
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…
-
Topics for conversation
Recent announcements about some of this year’s Festival events will certainly provide plenty to get people talking. First on the horizon is the opportunity to listen in on someone else’s conversation – a chat between the legendary war reporter Kate Adie CBE and the Festival’s own distinguished patron, Lord Waldegrave. This fascinating exchange will take…
-
Last call for our competitions
A few weeks ago it was reported that Nicola Clifford, a former winner of the Short Story Competition, had gone on to snap up a three-novel publishing deal (a spine-chilling murder mystery series set in Wales). The most recent triumph has gone to a poet. Last year’s Open Poetry winner, Maggie Wadey has been Highly…
-
‘We’re going to need a bigger stage’
The final event of the 2021 Festival will probably see more characters on the Cedars Hall stage than have ever gathered there together before, including a journalist, comedian, MP, radio presenter, university chancellor, actor, entertainer, Oldie of the year, poet, podcaster, bear collector, royal biographer… and more, all rolled into one self-confessed ‘oddball’. Gyles Brandreth will close…
