Wells Palace garden fete returns for summer day out

By Laura Linham 6th May 2026

Local News by Laura Linham 6th May 2026

A traditional summer fete is returning to The Bishop's Palace in Wells on Saturday, 6 June 2026.

The Garden Fete will take place across the Palace's 14 acres of RHS partner gardens, with live music, artisan stalls, family activities, traditional games and a craft and produce competition.

The event will be set against the backdrop of the 800-year-old medieval Palace.

Organisers say the day is designed as a classic English summer day out for visitors of all ages.

The Craft and Produce Competition is being held in partnership with Wells Tuesday WI.

There will be six classes to enter: cakes, preserves, art, flower arrangement, handicraft and a children's category.

A Best in Show prize will also be awarded.

The competition is open to all, with each entrant receiving 50% off their Palace admission ticket for the event.

Families can also expect a petting farm from Puxton Park, with miniature ponies, giant rabbits, guinea pigs and, weather permitting, reptiles.

A dog show with Pawsability and bushcraft activities are also planned, with further details to follow.

Entertainment will include the Big Bloomers Walkabout Show, featuring gardener Hugh Bushey Babcock and his walking, talking psychic plant.

Angie Mack will also bring her hula hoop show to the fete, with interactive displays and a 15-hoop finale.

Both shows will run three times during the day.

More than 50 artisan stalls will be set up in the Palace and on the croquet lawn, featuring local crafts, gifts and Somerset produce.

Visitors will also be able to meet the Palace gardening team and learn more about how the gardens are created and maintained.

Live music will come from Saxkatz, a North Somerset saxophone quartet playing popular classics and jazz standards throughout the day.

Seasonal refreshments will be available from the Bishop's Table café and visiting stallholders.

Admission is free for Friends of the Palace. Standard tickets are £16 for adults, £8 for children aged five to 17, and £42 for a family ticket covering two adults and two children.