The Festival was set up in 1992 with help from a number of public bodies (including Wells, Mendip, Somerset Councils, and Clarks Shoes) and private individuals. It is run by a committee of about 30 volunteers and is funded by ticket sales, competition entries and our generous local sponsors. The first Festival ran for a weekend, In 2002 we expanded to run for a week, and we now operate over nine days, from Friday till the following Saturday. We now hold the Festival in a marquee in Wells Bishop’s Palace.
Our main object is to promote the enjoyment and the excitement of books and reading through running an annual Festival in Wells every October. We bring leading local, national, and international writers to Wells to entertain, challenge, and inspire audiences of all ages and tastes. The Festival runs writing competitions for short stories and poetry. We have a schools programme, sending authors and performers into local schools.
