Six Great Ways To Fill Your Mendips Weekend
Issue #35 | Friday 31 July 2026
Good morning, Mendips! It's a big weekend on the calendar — Wells Beer Festival taps up, Bishop's Palace goes back to 1940s wartime, and Paddington Farm turns into a circus for two days running. Plus four stories from across the hills and the full day-by-day rundown below.
📅 What Shall We Do For The Weekend? — six great picks, Friday to Sunday
📆 What's On This Week — across the Mendips
🏅 Wells Athlete Wins Commonwealth Silver In Glasgow
🏛️ Scaffolding Reveals Medieval Secrets At Vicars' Close
🍽️ Glastonbury's Brewers Fayre Confirms Closure Date
🍲 Shepton Community Kitchen Opens In Memory Of Craig Stevens
🌡️ Weather — Wells BA5 forecast
What Shall We Do For The Weekend?
The sun's set to hold for most of it, so here's where to be from Friday afternoon right through to Sunday.
⚔️ History Alive: Britain at War — Bishop's Palace, Wells
Saturday–Sunday, 9:30am–5:30pm, included with admission
Bishop's Palace turns back the clock this weekend as re-enactors set up camp for a full WW2 weekend — think ration-book cookery, wartime vehicles and the kind of hands-on history that keeps kids occupied for hours. It's included with your usual admission, so if you've been meaning to use that annual pass, this is the weekend to do it. → More info
⛺ New Wine 2026 — Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet
Running through to midnight Sunday
Thousands have already descended on the showground for New Wine's week-long gathering, and the site's in full swing all weekend with programmes for kids, young adults and everyone in between. You don't need to be signed up to notice the buzz around Shepton this weekend — worth knowing if you're driving through. → More info
🍺 Wells Beer Festival 2026 — The Sheep & Penguin, Wells
Friday 3–10pm, Saturday 12–10pm
Third year running for Wells' own beer fest, with more than 40 craft beers from breweries near and far, street food vans and live music both nights. £20 gets you in with a festival cup — arrive early on Saturday if you want a table. → Tickets and info
🎪 Children's World Family Festival — Paddington Farm, Glastonbury
Saturday–Sunday, 11am–5pm
Devito's Circus rolls into Paddington Farm for a proper family day out — circus shows, craft tents, a Big Fam Disco and a kids' talent show. Only 700 tickets go on sale per day, so it never feels overcrowded. £8.50 in advance, under-5s free (still need a ticket). → Tickets and info
🎸 Coda — A Tribute to Led Zeppelin — Cheese & Grain, Frome
Saturday, 7pm
Frome's Cheese & Grain has become a regular stop on our weekend radar, and this one's for the classic rock crowd — Coda bring the full Zeppelin back catalogue to the stage for a night of riffs. → Tickets and info
🌙 After Dark: A Theatrical & Circus Wonder — Paddington Farm, Glastonbury
Saturday, 7pm–11.45pm (adults only)
Once the family festival packs away for the day, Paddington Farm switches gears for grown-ups — fire performance, acrobatics and a silent disco, compered by Glastonbury Festival regular Dr Amazo, all in aid of Children's World Charity. → Tickets and info
However you spend it, get out there and enjoy the Mendips this weekend!
English Lessons from the
Uxbridge English Dictionary
O
Observatory
To watch a conservative member of parliament.
Octogon
A dead octopus.
Oddity
A peculiar song.
Onomatopoeia
Taken short when entering the house.
Oscar
Australlian motor vehicle.
🏅 Wells Athlete Wins Commonwealth Silver In Glasgow
Wells City Harrier Elise Thorner claimed a stunning silver medal in the women's 3000m steeplechase at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Wednesday, clocking a personal best of 9:05.45. She finished behind Kenya's Faith Cherotich and ahead of Peruth Chemutai — the fastest woman in the world this year — and admitted afterwards that she "wouldn't have predicted" the result.
🏛️ Scaffolding Reveals Medieval Secrets At Vicars' Close
Conservation scaffolding has begun moving down Wells' Vicars' Close — described by the Cathedral as the oldest medieval street in Europe still used for its original purpose.
Dean of Wells Toby Wright says the work is turning up "fascinating insights" into the almost 700-year-old houses, ahead of a new visitor experience due to open in 2027. The Cathedral is appealing for donations to sponsor individual roof tiles and chimneys, match-funded up to £100,000.
🍽️ Glastonbury's Brewers Fayre Confirms Closure Date
Glastonbury's Brewers Fayre will close after dinner service on Monday 7 September, as owner Whitbread axes more than 200 branded restaurant sites nationwide in a shift towards its Premier Inn hotels. The move affects around 3,800 jobs across the UK and Ireland, and Whitbread has yet to confirm what will happen to the Glastonbury site once it closes.
🍲 Shepton Community Kitchen Opens In Memory Of Craig Stevens
Craig's Kitchen has opened at Rock Farm, Shepton Mallet, completing a project the late Craig Stevens — who ran The Good Life Projects at the farm for nearly a decade — had been planning before his death.
Farm owners Gavin and Erica have opened it in his memory to serve children and vulnerable adults, with every booking including a donation to a local cause, starting with Shepton Mallet Men's Shed.
All week (31 Jul–4 Aug)
Glastonbury Goddess Conference 2026 — Glastonbury Town Hall & venues across Avalon. The 31st annual gathering closes this Sunday, 2 August. goddessconference.com
Mythical Creatures Trail — Wells Cathedral. Family trail through the Cathedral, daily through to 1 September, included with admission. wellscathedral.org.uk
School Summer Holidays at The Bishop's Palace — Wells. Activities and trails running right through to 2 September. bishopspalace.org.uk
Summer Fun on the Farm — Somerset Rural Life Museum, Glastonbury. Drop-in crafts, galleries and visiting animals, Tuesday–Sunday. swheritage.org.uk
Wookey Uncovered — Wookey Hole Caves. Family heritage tours through the caves and Victorian papermill, running all summer. wookey.co.uk
Friday 31 Jul
Wells Beer Festival 2026 — 3–10pm, The Sheep & Penguin, Wells. £20 (festival cup included) — see Weekend Planner above.
New Wine 2026 — Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet. Six-day Christian festival in full swing — see Weekend Planner above.
Bishop's Palace Summer Late Openings — 6–8pm (last entry 7:30pm), Bishop's Palace, Wells. Bring a picnic and enjoy the gardens after hours — final Friday date before 7 August. £8.75 adult / £4.40 child. bishopspalace.org.uk
Soulfired Lates — 4:30–8pm, Rock Farm, Shepton Mallet. Wood-fired barrel sauna, cold plunge and pizza in the orchard — the final Friday of this summer's run. £14 (£11 members). soulfiredsauna.co.uk
£10 Mystery Box Launch — 5pm, Wells. Local mystery box launch event. Facebook event
Hands-on Archaeology: Finds from the Abbot's Kitchen — 11am–3pm, Glastonbury Abbey. Drop-in family activity for the CBA Festival of Archaeology, included with admission. glastonburyabbey.com
Saturday 1 Aug
History Alive: Britain at War — 9:30am–5:30pm, Bishop's Palace, Wells. WW2 re-enactment weekend, included with admission — see Weekend Planner above.
New Wine 2026 — Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet — see Weekend Planner above.
Wells Beer Festival 2026 — 12–10pm, The Sheep & Penguin, Wells. Final day of the festival — see Weekend Planner above.
Children's World Family Festival — 11am–5pm, Paddington Farm, Glastonbury — see Weekend Planner above.
Coda — A Tribute to Led Zeppelin — 7pm, Cheese & Grain, Frome — see Weekend Planner above.
After Dark: A Theatrical & Circus Wonder — 7pm–11:45pm, Paddington Farm, Glastonbury (adults only) — see Weekend Planner above.
Sacred Shadows — Somerset Chamber Choir — 7pm, Wells Cathedral. 'Sacred Shadows, Eternal Light — A Leipzig Soundscape', with The Echoing Air vocal ensemble and Bath Philharmonia. ticketsource.com
Rodney Branigan: Solitary Ensemble — 8pm, The King Arthur, Glastonbury. Texas-born, UK-based Americana one-man-band show. glastonbury.uk
Hands-on Archaeology: Finds from the Abbot's Kitchen — 11am–3pm, Glastonbury Abbey. Second and final day, included with admission. glastonburyabbey.com
Sunday 2 Aug
History Alive: Britain at War — 9:30am–5:30pm, Bishop's Palace, Wells. Final day of the WW2 weekend — see Weekend Planner above.
New Wine 2026 — Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet. Final day, running through to midnight — see Weekend Planner above.
Children's World Family Festival — 11am–5pm, Paddington Farm, Glastonbury. Final day — see Weekend Planner above.
Glastonbury Goddess Conference 2026 — Glastonbury Town Hall & venues across Avalon. Final day of the 31st annual gathering.
Summer Sundays at Wells & Mendip Museum — 10am–4pm, 8 Cathedral Green, Wells. Jurassic sea monsters, a WWI trench and the Witch of Wookey. Adult £6, family ticket £12. wellsmuseum.org.uk
Family Drumming in The Caves — 4pm, Wookey Hole Caves. Family drumming session inside the caves. Facebook event
RAF Association Mid-Somerset Branch Summer Barbecue — guests from noon, BBQ 1–4pm, Cider Barn, Ad Astra Cider Farm, Stone Allerton. Community social barbecue. more info
Monday 3 Aug
Summer Stay and Make — 11am–1pm, Yeast Scrapstore, Unit 7 Dyehouse Lane, Glastonbury. Drop-in art and craft session with recycled materials, ages 3–12. Donations from £5 per family.
Tuesday 4 Aug
Craft a Wooden Spoon Character — 11am–1pm, Abbey Museum, Glastonbury Abbey. Family craft session, included with admission. glastonburyabbey.com
🗓️ Coming Up
Wells Pride 2026 — Sadler Street, Wells. Saturday 8 August. Wells' own Pride celebration returns to the city centre.
Hiroshima Day Commemorative Lantern Float — Bishop's Palace Moat, Wells. Thursday 6 August, gather 8:30pm for a launch after dusk.
Hot 8 Brass Band — Cheese & Grain, Frome. Thursday 6 August, 7pm. cheeseandgrain.com
🎬 This Week at Wells Film Centre
Spider-Man: Brand New Day [12A]
The Odyssey [15]
Moana [PG]
Minions & Monsters [U]
The Invite [15]
New title opens Wednesday 5 August — check back next week
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🌡️ Wells BA5 Weather — Week of 31 July 2026
Friday's set to be mostly sunny with plenty of warmth (high 21°C), and Saturday starts sunny too before cloud builds in the afternoon, staying dry throughout. Sunday turns warmer still (25°C) with a sunny start clouding over by the afternoon, and Monday looks the most unsettled of the bunch — variable cloud with the chance of thundery showers as temperatures climb to a muggy 27°C, easing back to drizzle by Tuesday.
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