What's On in Shepton Mallet is brought to you by the Bath & West Showground — home to the biggest events in Somerset — and La Bella Italian Restaurant, where every meal tastes like a holiday in Italy.

If you like your August served with cider, livestock and the occasional dramatic outburst (on stage, not in the beer tent), Shepton Mallet has you covered.

From the Mid-Somerset Show's farmyard fanfare to Heathcroppers' sharp-tongued Coward comedy, it's a week that proves rural life knows how to put on a show.

Thursday 14 August starts gently with Summer Holidays Family Crafting at The Bishop's Palace and Gardens from 11 am to 3 pm. Glue, glitter and no judgment — it's included in admission, so the only thing you'll be sticking is your fingers.

Meanwhile, the Men's Shed in Shepton Mallet is open for business (and possibly gossip) Tuesdays 9 am–12 pm, Wednesdays 9 am–12 pm and Thursdays 9 am–4 pm at Unit 8, Charlton Estate.

Friday 15 August goes from solemn to soulful: VJ Day Service of Remembrance at 11.45 am at the Cenotaph is a moment of quiet dignity, swiftly followed (for some) by the arty chaos of Connection: Live music & creative weavings at Timo's Café in Glastonbury. Entry is £5 on the door, with poetry and song served until late.

Saturday 16 August is a busy one. In Shepton, Heathcroppers bring Private Lives by Noël Coward to The Amulet for a matinee and evening show. Expect sharp one-liners, glamorous squabbles and the kind of passive aggression usually reserved for family WhatsApp groups.

Over at the Ammerdown Centre, you can either soul-search at the Quiet Day – Celebrating Difference (£70) or keep painting your way through the Watercolour Painting Retreat (from £488). Both promise fewer rows than Coward's play.

Sunday 17 August is peak Somerset. The Mid-Somerset Show returns to Cannard's Grave Road with cider championships, terrier racing, Shetland pony races and more cheese than a 90s rom-com. Entry is free on foot, £20 to park your pride and joy.

If that's not enough, the Giant Flea Market at the Bath & West Showground is peddling everything from vintage tat to genuine treasure from 9.30 am. £6 in, and yes, they mean flea in the fun way.

Also at Ammerdown, the Stained Glass Workshop – Dragonfly on Leaf will have you crafting your own shimmering insect for £110, afternoon tea included.

Running all week, Back to Life Art Exhibition at Glastonbury Galleries is open daily 11 am–5.30 pm, while the Somerset Rural Life Museum offers Tractored by Beetles and Summer Fun on the Farm Tuesday–Sunday, 10 am–5 pm. All are free with a Museum Unlimited pass — a bargain if you plan to milk every drop of summer.

Taunton's Museum of Somerset keeps the hands-on vibes going with Wow! Amazing Science Summer Holiday Fun on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. £2 for activities, free to get in, and there's a robot dog called Radar. Sold.

Wells Cathedral's free Family Holiday Activities return with "Watery Wells" on Tuesday 19 August and "Flowers and Foliage" on Wednesday 20 August, 10.30 am–3.30 pm. Pair that with The Bishop's Palace Family Trail (daily, 10 am–6 pm) and you've got a week that's as wholesome as it is tiring.

Whether your happy place is the main ring, the craft tent or a quiet pew, Somerset's about to put on a show — and it's inviting you to play your part.