News

The beginning of July marks a few milestones in the run up to our 30th Anniversary Festival this October. First, the anticipation of our many competition entrants has begun to bite as our panels of readers begin the difficult task of identifying the poems, short stories and books for children which deserve to be shortlisted […]

The last festivals seem to have hurried by in a flash and here we are, before we know it, on the point of celebrating our 30th anniversary.  But before you make time for that splendid event, don’t forget the International Competitions are drawing to a close. They have been open since 1 April ( yes […]

The event is open exclusively to Friends and Sponsors of the Festival. To find out more about supporting the work of the Festival as a Friend or Sponsor, please go to the Support Us page.

The 29th Wells Festival of Literature has now ended and the team of volunteers who put it together are pausing for a well-earned rest. Described by Anil Seth, one of our most popular speakers this year, as ‘an absolute joy,’ the 29th Festival proved to be easily as enjoyable as the preceding 28. As always, […]

… it ends in November! Although the 2021 Festival officially ended on 23 October, it is still being watched online by fans from here, there and everywhere. But all good things must come to an end and our festival is no exception! From 26 November the recorded events will be taken off the website and […]

Our annual Festival of Literature has ended in Cedars Hall, but it continues in homes up and down the country – and all around the world! The brilliant events which have been keeping Wells audiences entertained, informed, amused and engaged since 15 October will remain available for everyone to enjoy until 25 November 2021. Speakers and […]

Sneaking behind the scenes of public life is one of the chief delights of attending the Wells Festival of Literature. Coming face to face with people who know what makes the country’s key figures tick is always fascinating and this year the stories they have to tell are proving more riveting than ever. Beatings in […]

We very much regret that Emma Young, who was scheduled to talk about Super Senses: The Science of Your 32 Senses and How to Use Them has had to pull out of the Festival. This event was due to take place on Sunday 17th October at 4.15pm Please call the Box Office on 01749 834483 to transfer […]

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 […]

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 […]