All The World's Our Playground Festival Lights Up Shepton Mallet
Issue #24 | Saturday 18 July 2026
Good morning, Mendips! Shepton Mallet's Market Place turns into a free day of circus, music and street theatre today as All The World's Our Playground Festival returns for its 7th year. Elsewhere this weekend the Godney Gathering wraps up, Bishop's Palace hosts an open-air Othello, and there's a packed run of markets, charity rides and community events across the hills.
📸 All The World's Our Playground Festival - Today's featured event
📅 What's On This Week — across the Mendips
Wells Campaigners Raise £5,600 To Fight Hillside Homes Plan
Shepton Solicitors' Wills Raise £15,000 For Charity
Wells Bikers Gear Up For 15th Tortoise And Hare Run
Book Now: Glastonbury Symposium's Ideas Festival Returns
🌡️ Weather — Wells BA5 forecast
All The World's Our Playground Festival
Shepton Mallet's Market Place transforms into a free celebration of circus, dance and street theatre today, as All The World's Our Playground Festival returns for its 7th year. Running from 11am to 4pm, the festival is programmed by local young people and brings together internationally acclaimed performers with home-grown Mendip talent.
Headlining this year is ManoAmano, an acrobatics and physical theatre company from Argentina who have performed in more than 37 countries, closing the day at 3.30pm. Audiences will also see the premiere of 'On the Shoulders', a new aerial theatre piece created during a residency at Whitstone School with Pirates of the Carabina, plus Harvey Juggling, sunRISE Dance Company, Morris dancers and live folk music.
There's a full programme of free drop-in activities too — a Sing-a-Ling music workshop, a Shepton Stories drama workshop with George Oliver, children's craft activities and a magical dance workshop with Emma-Jayne, alongside a community flashmob at 11.30am. No booking needed; simply turn up and explore the Market Place programme.
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Today’s English Lesson
From the Uxbridge English Dictionary
D
Damages
Ancient curse.
Decorum
What you do to apples before cooking them.
Defray
A partical beam weapon which causes it's targets to lose their hearing.
Delegate
An Indian Political scandal.
Delivery
Found on the side of the Royal Coach.
Denial
A river in Egypt.
All week (18–22 Jul)
Wookey Uncovered — Wookey Hole Caves, Wookey. Family-friendly guided heritage tours of the ancient caves and Victorian papermill, running all summer. wookey.co.uk
Harry Brockway: Ways With Wood Exhibition — Somerset Rural Life Museum, Glastonbury. Wood engravings, woodcuts and sculpture from the Glastonbury-based artist, open Tue–Sun 10am–5pm until 2 September. More info
Mythical Creatures Trail — Wells Cathedral. Family trail through the cathedral, included with standard admission, daily 9am–4.30pm through the summer holidays. wellscathedral.org.uk
Saturday 18 July
All The World's Our Playground Festival — Market Place, Shepton Mallet, 11am–4pm. Free. → see Featured Event above
The Godney Gathering (final day) — Godney, near Glastonbury. Somerset's home-grown music festival wraps up today. thegodneygathering.com
Rock n Ribs (day 2 of 3) — Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet. Americana festival — BBQ, monster trucks, live music and Geezer's Palace. bathandwestshowground.com
Street Creative Market — Crispin Hall, High St, Street. Over 20 stalls of local makers and producers. Free entry.
Wells Tortoise and Hare Run (day 1 of 2) — Wells Rugby Club. Wells Classic Motorcycle Club's charity ride. → see In Other News below
Glastonbury Repair Cafe — Scout Hut, Benedict St, Glastonbury, 10am–12pm. Free repairs for electricals, clothes and bikes.
Hoppers — Draycott Community Cinema — Draycott Memorial Hall, 2pm. Family afternoon screening. draycottcinema.square.site
The Fall of Sir Douglas Weatherford (final day) — Strode Theatre, Street. strodetheatre.org.uk
Virginia Woolf's Night & Day — Strode Theatre, Street. Running through the week (12A). strodetheatre.org.uk
Finders Keepers (day 1 of 2) — Valley Arts Centre, Chew Valley. valley-arts.co.uk
Sunday 19 July
Othello — Bishop's Palace, Wells. Open-air Shakespeare in the Palace grounds, in aid of the Palace Trust. Adult £20 / Child £12 / Family £56. Book here
Wells Tortoise and Hare Run (final day) — Wells Rugby Club. → see In Other News below
Rock n Ribs (final day) — Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet. bathandwestshowground.com
Frome Children's Festival — Cheese & Grain, Frome. Family festival for younger children, from 10am. cheeseandgrain.com
Finders Keepers (final day) — Valley Arts Centre, Chew Valley. valley-arts.co.uk
Virginia Woolf's Night & Day — Strode Theatre, Street. strodetheatre.org.uk
Monday 20 July
Mediumship Evening with Nikki Kitt — Henton Village Hall, 7.30pm. £14. Book here
Scrapstore Rainbow Day — Yeast Scrapstore, Glastonbury, 3.30–5.30pm. Donations from £5 per family. yeastscrapstore.co.uk
Act to Adapt: Practical Action in a Changing Climate — Art Bank Café, 13 High St, Shepton Mallet, 6.30–8.30pm. Free Somerset Wildlife Trust workshop. somersetwildlife.org
Virginia Woolf's Night & Day — Strode Theatre, Street. strodetheatre.org.uk
Tuesday 21 July
Summer Fun on the Farm — Somerset Rural Life Museum, Glastonbury. Drop-in crafts, galleries and visiting animals begin today, Tue–Sun 10am–5pm through summer. swheritage.org.uk
Virginia Woolf's Night & Day — Strode Theatre, Street. strodetheatre.org.uk
Wednesday 22 July
Summer Fun on the Farm — Somerset Rural Life Museum, Glastonbury. Continues today, 10am–5pm. swheritage.org.uk
Wells Folk Night — City Arms, Wells, 8pm. Free — music, song and good company, all welcome.
Virginia Woolf's Night & Day (final day) — Strode Theatre, Street. strodetheatre.org.uk
🗓️ Coming Up
Wells & District Wildlife Group: Glow Worms Walk — Westbury-sub-Mendip. Thursday 23 July, 9.15pm. Free. wdwg.org.uk
The Big Bad Wolf — The Plandits — Bishop's Palace, Wells. Friday 24 July, 5.30pm. Adult £16 / Child £12 / Family £50. Book here
Burcott SkaFest 2026 — The Burcott Inn, Wookey. Friday–Sunday, 24–26 July. burcottinn.co.uk
Glastonbury Symposium 2026 — Glastonbury Town Hall. Friday–Sunday, 24–26 July. → see In Other News below
Ghost Walk of Wells — Town centre, Wells. Sunday 26 July (also 30 July). wellssomerset.com
Glastonbury Pride 2026 — Tor Leisure, Glastonbury. Sunday 26 July. glastonburypride.co.uk
🎬 This Week at Wells Film Centre
The Odyssey [15] — new this week, Christopher Nolan's epic retelling of Homer
Moana [PG] — live-action
Toy Story 5 [U]
Minions & Monsters [U]
The Invite [15]
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📰 In Other News . . .
🏡 Wells Campaigners Raise £5,600 To Fight Hillside Homes Plan
A residents' campaign against plans for 73 homes off Orchard Lea in Wells has raised more than £5,600 to fund planning and landscape reports objecting to the scheme. The Save Wells Hillside group says the land forms part of a special landscape setting for the city and the Mendip Hills beyond, and is urging residents to keep submitting comments while Somerset Council considers the application.
⚖️ Shepton Solicitors' Wills Raise £15,000 For Charity
Lyons Bowe Solicitors in Shepton Mallet has topped the county's Will Aid donations, raising £15,065 after writing wills in return for charity contributions during this year's campaign. The national scheme lets solicitors waive their usual fee for a basic will, with clients invited to donate to one of nine partner charities instead.
🏍️ Wells Bikers Gear Up For 15th Tortoise And Hare Run
Wells Classic Motorcycle Club is back at Wells Rugby Club this weekend for the 15th running of its Tortoise and Hare charity ride. The two-day event raises funds for Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance and the Freewheelers blood bike volunteers, with vintage and classic machines gathering across Saturday and Sunday.
🔮 Book Now: Glastonbury Symposium's Ideas Festival Returns
Glastonbury's alternative ideas festival returns to the Town Hall from Friday 24 to Sunday 26 July for its 36th year, with around 18 speakers covering ancient mysteries, consciousness research, UFOs and earth energies under the banner 'Expand Your Horizons'. Organisers recommend booking day tickets, weekend passes or livestream access in advance, with some sessions expected to sell out.
🌡️ Wells BA5 Weather — Week of 18 July 2026
It's a warm, breezy start to the weekend with plenty of sunshine — expect highs around 27°C on Saturday, easing to a fresher, still-pleasant low-20s by Sunday afternoon. Cloud builds a little later in the weekend with an isolated shower possible, but most of us stay dry as the week settles into a fine, mild pattern.
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