Wells Sunday market pilot heads into autumn

By Laura Linham 24th Aug 2026

Local News by Laura Linham 1 minutes ago

Wells' experiment with Sunday markets will continue into the autumn, with the next event set to take over the city centre in September.

The next Wells Sunday Market will be held on Sunday, 13 September, following earlier pilot events in June, July and August. It will be followed by another Sunday market on 8 November, before the programme finishes with a special two-day Christmas Market on 12 and 13 December.

Wells City Council launched the Sunday markets earlier this year as a trial alongside the city's long-established Wednesday and Saturday markets.

The idea is to bring a different mix of traders, themes, activities and attractions into the centre while creating more opportunities for independent businesses.

The pilot began on 14 June, with further markets held on 12 July and 9 August. The September event will therefore mark the start of the second half of the programme, with three dates remaining before the end of the year.

The regular Wells market has roots stretching back almost 900 years and normally fills Market Place on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The Sunday pilot represents a relatively rare change to that pattern, adding a separate programme rather than replacing the traditional twice-weekly market.

When announcing the plans, the council said it hoped successful Sunday events could eventually lead to more Sunday and special markets being held in future years.

The biggest test is likely to come in December, when the pilot culminates in a two-day Christmas Market spread across the city centre. The council says that event will feature additional stalls, festive displays and family activities.

For traders, Wells City Council says it is keen to attract businesses offering something different to its markets. Its current trader information says pitches are available in 3m by 3m blocks, with applications assessed partly to maintain a balanced range of products.

Anyone interested in trading can find more information through Wells City Council's market pages.

For shoppers, there is rather less paperwork involved. The next date to remember is Sunday, 13 September — and if the first half of the pilot passed you by, there are still three chances left to see what Wells looks like with an extra market day in the diary.