What's On in Shepton Mallet is brought to you by the Bath & West Showground — home to the biggest events in Somerset

Shepton Mallet is not easing gently into midsummer. The town's new ten-day Midsummer Festival runs from Thursday, 18 June to Sunday, 28 June, with music, art, spoken word, children's activities and outdoor events across several venues. There is also a beer and cider festival nearby, because subtlety is overrated in June.

From Thursday, 18 June, Shepton Mallet Midsummer Festival gets under way across various locations in the town and runs until Sunday, 28 June. The ten-day multi-venue music and arts festival has been organised by Let's Buy The Amulet, following last year's season of pop-up events in the Amulet. This year's programme includes free and ticketed events, with jazz, an outdoor ceilidh, punk, folk, indie music, spoken word, community art and children's activities. Arthur Brown is also due to perform at the Art Bank, with the Prison Yard Party closing the festival on Sunday, 28 June. Quiet little week, then.

From Friday, 19 June to Sunday, 21 June, the Centurion Hotel Beer and Cider Festival takes place at the Best Western Centurion Hotel. The event listing confirms beer, cider and live music across the weekend, which is pleasingly direct and not trying to reinvent the wheel.

On Saturday, 20 June, The Woodland Table hosts The Woodland Table - A Solstice Feast in private woodland near Glastonbury. The event is billed as a seven-course solstice gathering, with fire-cooked food, shared outdoor dining, music and a woodland setting. Guest chef Mike Keen will collaborate with Somerset chef Laura Rose of Blue Lias Kitchen on a menu using seasonal produce, fermentation, fire-based cooking and slow food traditions. Guests are asked to bring their own drinks, which is either wonderfully relaxed or a test of who in the group remembers the bottle opener.

Also on Saturday, 20 June, Glastonbury Repair Cafe returns to the Scout Hut on Benedict Street from 10am to noon. Volunteer repairers will be on hand to look at electrical items, computers, soft toys, sewing repairs and bicycles where possible. The café team will also provide drinks and cake while people wait, because apparently even broken toasters deserve a civilised morning out.

In Wells on Saturday, 20 June, The Bishop's Palace and Gardens hosts a Knights' Tournament with the Warwick Warriors. Visitors can watch armoured fighters clash, see squires test their archery skills and learn more about what it takes to prepare for medieval combat. The event is included with Bishop's Palace annual passes, day tickets and Friends of the Palace admission. It is probably the only acceptable setting in which shouting encouragement at people with swords counts as family entertainment.

Also in Wells on Saturday, 20 June, the Preucil School String Orchestra will perform at Wells Town Hall at 5pm. The free concert features music by Elgar, Dvořák, Bach and Joplin, performed by young musicians aged 13 to 19 from Iowa as part of their 2026 tour. A free concert in the Town Hall is not a bad way to look cultured without needing to understand every movement.

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In Shepton Mallet on Saturday, 20 June, artist Janey Hunt leads a landscape workshop with soft pastel and charcoal at Make the Sunshine Studio on the High Street. The workshop runs from 10am to 4pm, all materials are included, and the cost is £75. Booking and payment are by email, according to the event listing. Charcoal will be used artistically rather than in the "what happened to dinner?" sense.

Glastonbury's Saturday night also brings Mi Vida Loca Presents: Summer Solstice 2026 to The King Arthur from 8pm until late. The free event promises electronic music, with DJs Slim, Jac, Echo, Gretski and special guests. Donations are welcome, and the listing says the night will move from chilled sunset sounds to late-night electronic energy. Sensible shoes are not confirmed, but may be wise.

On Monday, 22 June, The University of Arkansas Children's Choir performs a lunchtime concert at Wells Cathedral at 1.05pm as part of its UK tour and the WOWFest 2026 Fringe. The programme includes popular, traditional and spiritual songs, with entry included in cathedral admission. It is a lunchtime concert, so there is still time afterwards to pretend the rest of Monday is under control.

There are also several longer-running events continuing locally. Soulfired Lates is running at Rock Farm, Windsor Hill Lane, Shepton Mallet, until Friday, 31 July, offering evening sauna sessions priced at £12.50, or £9 for members, with private hire also available. Women's Soulfired Sessions continue on the first Friday of the month until Friday, 3 July, and Make the Sunshine Studio has a run of dance, theatre and creative movement sessions for different age groups and needs.

At Somerset Rural Life Museum in Glastonbury, Harry Brockway: Ways With Wood Exhibition continues until Wednesday, 2 September. The exhibition celebrates the life and work of Glastonbury-based artist Harry Brockway, with wood engravings, woodcuts and wooden sculpture on display. Normal museum admission applies, with free entry for Museum Unlimited holders.

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