News

With the 2020 Festival over, and the streamed events all watched, our other book business began: the business of inspiring a love of literature in the younger generation. Funding virtual author talks in local schools has been an important feature of our work this year – but there was nothing virtual about the books we […]

Professor Helen Taylor was a speaker and an interviewer in Wells this year. She describes the experience: As I struggled into a pair of sleek satin tights on a Tuesday morning, I realised I hadn’t worn a skirt or dressed smartly for over eight months. It was a wet October day and I was off […]

Iain Dale, opening our 28th Festival on Friday 16 October, related how delighted he was to be in Wells – live. Out of some 36 or more literary festivals throughout the country this year, a mere handful were running any live events, Wells being one of the fearless few! By the time it ends on […]

We are very sad to report that, in view of the new Covid restrictions announced for London, Gina Miller has decided it would be imprudent to travel to Wells. She will now be speaking to the Festival ‘virtually’, and we are confident that her talk will be as inspirational and entertaining as originally planned for Friday […]

The countdown to the first event of the Festival has begun and with it a last-minute change to the programme which might make you shudder with fear, especially if you are a novelist! Elly Griffiths, who was due to be discussing dangerous women in crime with fellow author Lucy Atkins, will be appearing completely alone […]

Several Festival events have already sold out, but don’t despair! You haven’t missed seeing the sell-out speakers because this year we will be live-streaming every single event. Which means you can enjoy it at home at the same time as our audience in Cedars Hall. Of course you might still prefer to come to the […]

You may have been concerned that our Festival in October would be affected by the Government’s most recent announcement on social gatherings. Please be assured that this is not the case. Our plans regarding putting on our 28th Festival remain the same and we will continue to adhere to the regulations that ensure venues such […]

Tickets for our 28th Festival have been on sale for a very short time and yet events are already beginning to sell out. Luckily, there are 33 events lined up over the nine days. So you still have plenty to choose from: events of such great variety that a week in Wells will feel more […]

As August closes, our Festival programme opens: full details will be posted here on the website on Monday 31 August, and our brochure will be hitting the streets at around the same time. Friends of the Festival qualify for Priority Booking, so if you haven’t considered joining before, now is definitely a good time to […]

If you have been hankering after a taste of the High Life recently, we have some great news: it’s coming to Wells in October! Those glamorous and interesting lives that other people seem to enjoy…what are they really like behind the scenes? This year’s Festival allows us to have an intriguing peek – in a […]