This Weekend: Rock n Ribs, The Godney Gathering and a Candlelit Cathedral Land in the Mendips
Issue #23 | Friday 17 July 2026
Good morning, Mendips! It's shaping up to be a scorcher of a weekend — Rock n Ribs rolls into Shepton Mallet, the Godney Gathering kicks off its two-day run, and Wells Cathedral goes candlelit for a night of Westlife hits.
There's also a fresh reservoir-cleaning breakthrough from a Wells firm and a proud moment for Collett Park. Here's everything worth knowing before you head out the door.
🎉 What Shall We Do For The Weekend? - this week's weekend planner
📅 What's On This Week — across the Mendips
Wells firm's invention removes reservoir pollution
Shepton Mallet's Collett Park wins national Green Flag Award
Circus and street theatre return to Shepton Mallet for four-day festival
Frome's youngest get their own festival at Cheese & Grain
🌡️ Weather — Wells BA5 forecast
🎉 What Shall We Do For The Weekend?
It's a proper scorcher forecast for the next few days, so here's where to point yourselves from Friday afternoon through Sunday.
🤠 Rock n Ribs 2026 — Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet, Friday to Sunday
Three days of smokehouse barbecue, rock and country music, monster truck shows and USA-style vehicles land at the showground this weekend, with wrestling, line dancing, BMX stunts and eating contests thrown in for good measure. New for 2026 is Geezer's Palace, a Vegas-style entertainment tent with tribute acts, close-up magic and drag queen bingo, plus late-night campfire camping at Billy Bob's Woods. → Tickets and details
Rock & Ribs - Bath & West Showground
🎪 The Godney Gathering — Godney, Friday and Saturday
Somerset's home-grown music festival returns to the fields at Godney for its two-day run, with a line-up built on local talent and a proper festival atmosphere without the trek to a big city. It's become a summer fixture for good reason. → Tickets and lineup
🕯️ The Music of Westlife by Candlelight — Wells Cathedral, Friday, 7.30pm
West End vocalists and a live band take on Westlife's biggest hits by candlelight beneath the cathedral's soaring nave — a proper date-night option to kick the weekend off in style. → Tickets
🛍️ Street Creative Market — Crispin Hall, Street, Saturday
More than 20 stalls of handcrafted goods, original artwork and local bakes fill Crispin Hall for the second of three Street markets this year. Free entry, with tea and cake on hand. → More info
🏍️ Wells Tortoise and Hare Run — Wells Rugby Club, Saturday and Sunday
Wells Classic Motorcycle Club's 15th annual charity ride raises funds for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance and Freewheelers blood bike volunteers. Come along to see the bikes assemble and cheer the riders off. → More info
🤹 All the World's Our Playground Festival — Shepton Mallet, Saturday 18th.
Shepton’s Worldly Playground
The seventh annual festival of street theatre, circus and community fun — programmed by local young people — brings aerial circus, balloon shows, samba bands and hula hoop performances to the town centre, Art Bank, The Amulet and Create8. Free,
→ Full programme
However you spend it, get out there and enjoy the sunshine while it lasts — have a great weekend, Mendips!
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ENGLISH LESSONS
From the UxBridge English Dictionary
C
Cabinet |
All week (17–21 Jul)
Wookey Uncovered — Wookey Hole Caves, Wookey. Family-friendly guided tours of the ancient caves and Victorian papermill continue all summer. wookey.co.uk
Harry Brockway: Ways With Wood Exhibition — Somerset Rural Life Museum, Glastonbury. Wood engravings, woodcuts and sculpture from the late Glastonbury artist, open Tuesday to Sunday through 2 September. More info
Mythical Creatures Trail — Wells Cathedral, Wells. A family trail hunting dragons, griffins and other legendary beasts, included with standard admission, running daily through 1 September. wellscathedral.org.uk
Friday 17 July
Rock n Ribs 2026 — Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet. Begins today, running to Sunday — see Weekend Planner above.
The Godney Gathering — Godney. Begins today, running to Saturday — see Weekend Planner above.
The Music of Westlife by Candlelight — Wells Cathedral, 7.30pm — see Weekend Planner above.
Come and Sing with Sir John Rutter — Downside Abbey, Stratton-on-the-Fosse, registration from 6pm. Sir John Rutter directs a come-and-sing choral evening as part of the Downside Abbey Festival. £15 (£10 under-18s/students). More info
Summer Concert at St John's Church, Glastonbury — Street Sings, Wookey Choirworks and Street Men and Doulting Choir join forces for an evening of live choral music, proceeds to Sing2Breathe and other local charities. £10 on the door. More info
Dragonsfly at Ace Arts — Ace Arts, Somerton, doors 6.30pm. Celtic and world folk-fusion multi-instrumentalists. £20pp, limited tickets. More info
The Sting — Draycott Community Cinema, Draycott Memorial Hall, 8pm. Part of a Robert Redford season. Tickets
The Fall of Sir Douglas Weatherford — Strode Theatre, Street, today and tomorrow. More info
Virginia Woolf's Night & Day — Strode Theatre, Street, today to Wednesday. 12A. More info
Soulfired Lates — Rock Farm, Windsor Hill Lane, Shepton Mallet, 4.30-8pm. Wood-fired barrel sauna and cold plunge, with pizza from The Piccolo Box. £14 (£11 members). More info
Saturday 18 July
Rock n Ribs 2026 — Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet. Continues — see Weekend Planner above.
The Godney Gathering — Godney. Final day — see Weekend Planner above.
Street Creative Market — Crispin Hall, Street — see Weekend Planner above.
Wells Tortoise and Hare Run — Wells Rugby Club. Begins today, running to Sunday — see Weekend Planner above.
Hoppers — Draycott Community Cinema, Draycott Memorial Hall, 2pm. Family afternoon screening. Tickets
Glastonbury Repair Cafe — Scout Hut, Benedict St, Glastonbury, 10am-noon. Volunteers help fix broken electricals, clothes and bikes for free or a donation. More info
Finders Keepers — Valley Arts Centre, Chew Valley, today and tomorrow. More info
The Fall of Sir Douglas Weatherford — Strode Theatre, Street. Final day.
Virginia Woolf's Night & Day — Strode Theatre, Street. Continues.
Sunday 19 July
Rock n Ribs 2026 — Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet. Final day — see Weekend Planner above.
Wells Tortoise and Hare Run — Wells Rugby Club. Final day — see Weekend Planner above.
All the World's Our Playground Festival — Shepton Mallet town centre. Begins today — see Weekend Planner above.
Othello — Bishop's Palace, Wells. Open-air Shakespeare in the Palace grounds, a fundraiser for the Palace Trust. Adult £20 / Child £12 / Family £56. Tickets
Frome Children's Festival 2026 — Cheese & Grain, Frome, from 10am. A family festival aimed at younger children. More info
Finders Keepers — Valley Arts Centre, Chew Valley. Final day.
Virginia Woolf's Night & Day — Strode Theatre, Street. Continues.
Monday 20 July
All the World's Our Playground Festival — Shepton Mallet town centre. Continues.
Act to Adapt: Practical Action in a Changing Climate — Art Bank Café, 13 High Street, Shepton Mallet, 6.30-8.30pm. Free Somerset Wildlife Trust workshop to start building a community climate adaptation plan for the town. Register free
Scrapstore Rainbow Day — Yeast Scrapstore, Unit 7 Dyehouse Lane, Glastonbury, 3.30-5.30pm. Drop-in rainbow-themed craft session. Donations from £5 per family. More info
Mediumship Evening with Nikki Kitt — Henton Village Hall, near Wells, 7.30pm. Touring spiritualist medium. £14. Tickets
Tuesday 21 July
All the World's Our Playground Festival — Shepton Mallet town centre. Final day. Full programme
Virginia Woolf's Night & Day — Strode Theatre, Street. Final day. More info
🗓️ Coming Up
Wells Folk Night — City Arms, Wells. Wednesday 22 July, 8pm. Music, song and good company — all welcome, free entry.
Glow Worms Walk — Westbury-sub-Mendip. Thursday 23 July, 9.15pm. Wells & District Wildlife Group's evening search for glow worms. Free. wdwg.org.uk
The Big Bad Wolf — The Plandits — Bishop's Palace, Wells. Friday 24 July, 5.30pm. Outdoor theatre. Adult £16 / Child £12 / Family £50. Tickets
Burcott SkaFest 2026 — The Burcott Inn, Wookey. Friday 24 to Sunday 26 July. Weekend ska and reggae festival. Tickets
Glastonbury Symposium 2026 — Glastonbury Town Hall. Friday 24 to Sunday 26 July. Three-day 'alternative' conference in its 36th year. Tickets
Ghost Walk of Wells — Wells town centre. Sunday 26 July (also 30 July). Guided evening ghost walk. More info
Glastonbury Pride 2026 — Tor Leisure, Glastonbury. Sunday 26 July. Music, performances and a parade. More info
🎬 This Week at Wells Film Centre
Moana [PG]
Toy Story 5 [PG]
Minions & Monsters [U]
The Odyssey [15] — new from today, Friday 17 July
The Invite [15] — new from today, Friday 17 July
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📰 In Other News . . .
💧 Wells firm's invention removes reservoir pollution
Wells-based Rookwood Operations has successfully tested a phosphate-removing material with Bristol Water at Chew Valley Reservoir, tackling a pollutant that fuels algae blooms in local waterways. The trial marks a promising step for a homegrown Mendip business working on a problem affecting rivers and reservoirs across the region.
🏞️ Shepton Mallet's Collett Park wins national Green Flag Award
Collett Park has been recognised with a Green Flag Award for 2026, ranking it among the country's best-kept green spaces. The honour comes as the park gears up to mark its 120th anniversary with a day of food, music and family fun.
🎪 Frome's youngest get their own festival at Cheese & Grain
Frome Children's Festival 2026 lands at the Cheese & Grain on Sunday, with a morning of family-friendly entertainment aimed squarely at younger children. It's a lower-key alternative to some of the bigger weekend events for anyone with little ones in tow.
🌡️ Wells BA5 Weather — Week of 17 July 2026
The warm spell holds through the weekend, with sunny skies and highs of 24-28°C from Friday through Monday — ideal conditions for Rock n Ribs, the Godney Gathering or a stroll round any of the weekend's markets. Nights stay mild in the low-to-mid teens, though the fine run is expected to break into drizzle by the following weekend, so make the most of the sunshine while it lasts.
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