Welcome to
our Festival


16-24 October 2026

Set up in 1992 to celebrate the written word

Tickets now on sale

2026 Speakers

  • Patrick Gale

    Fiction

  • Stephen Sackur

    Current Affairs

  • Katja Hoyer

    History

  • Adrian Wooldridge

    Current Affairs

  • Louisa Young

    Literature

  • Jess Venner

    History

  • Jonathan Dimbleby

    Current Affairs

  • Martin Sixsmith

    Current Affairs

  • Martin Gayford

    Art

  • Rachel Seiffert

    Literature

  • Richard Elwes

    Science

  • Rory Cormac

    Current Affairs

  • Wells Literary Quiz

    Quiz

  • International Competitions

    International Competitons

  • Damien Lewis

    History

  • Peter Ormerod

    Music

  • Elizabeth Goldring

    Art

  • Daisy Fancourt

    Health

  • Arthur Snell

    Current Affairs

  • Sophia Smith Galer

    Language

  • Sara Wheeler

    Biography

  • Florence Hazrat

    Literature

  • Oz Clarke

    Food and Drink

  • Henry Normal

    Poetry

  • Amy Jeffs

    History

  • Gavin Francis

    Health

  • Oliver Bullough

    Current Affairs

  • Kate Williams

    History

  • Rebecca Seal

    Health

  • Dan Cruickshank

    Art

  • Andrea Wulf

    Biography

  • Ping Coombes

    Food

  • Nicholas Crane

    Travel

  • Lady Hale

    Current Affairs

  • Cathy Rentzenbrink

    Health/Centenary

  • Blake Morrison

    Memoir

  • Maggie Aderin

    Memoir

Our 2026 Sponsors

Principal Festival Sponsor

2026 Brochure

Download PDF Brochure View Digital 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.

SPENT IN 2025 ON PROJECTS IN LOCAL SCHOOLS
CHILDREN INVOLVED
IN 2025
EVENTS
HAPPY FESTIVAL
VISITORS A YEAR

News

  • High Sheriff award

    High Sheriff award

    Wells Festival of Literature has been granted the High Sheriff of Somerset award for its “great and valuable services to the community”. Janet Montgomery, who is the current High Sheriff of Somerset, presented the award to Festival chairman Richard Manning earlier this month, saying: “The Festival is a real gem of Somerset and you are…

  • authors shortlisted

    authors shortlisted

    Horatio Clare and Lyse Doucet, who both appeared at this year’s Festival, are on the Nero Book Awards 2025 Non Fiction shortlist. They join two other authors shortlisted in this category  – James Fox and Sarah Perry – and the winner will be announced on 13 January 2026. Clare, an award-winning author and journalist, uncovers…

  • Festival Success

    Festival Success

    Stimulating speakers and record ticket sales made the 2025 Festival the best year ever with several authors attracting capacity audiences. Sell-outs included novelist Sebastian Faulks and health guru Tim Spector on the opening night, a literary lunch with gardener Carol Klein, and fascinating stories of Afghanistan by war correspondent Lyse Doucet on the final day.…

  • Excitement For Year 6

    Excitement For Year 6

    Adventure mystery writer Sam Sedgman went down a storm at the Festival’s schools-only event, entertaining more than 1,000 Year 6 youngsters. Sedgman, the award-winning author of several series of books, including Adventures on Trains and Isaac Turner Investigates, delighted his young audience with weird and wonderful facts from his stories. Afterwards the children queued excitedly…

Competitions
Education
Friends
  • Nick Trend with visitor
  • Physics Students meet Frank Close