Wells may be England’s smallest city but its entertainment scene is excellent, ranging from fantastic theatre options right the way through to live music pubs. The local sports options are far from top-flight, but they can still make for a fun day out. Try and time your visit during the Wells Comedy Festival, and tick off as much of the rest as you can.
Entertainment in Wells
Theatre
If you want to see a show during your stay at our Wells hotel, the excellent Strode Theatre is just a fifteen-minute drive away just past Glastonbury. It’s a mixed arts venue, which means you can see theatre and dance in the modern 343-seat main auditorium, or live music, art-house cinema and live broadcasts of productions from London’s National Theatre. On top of that, there’s a gallery space with an ever-changing programme of exhibitions. The theatre itself is modern and spacious, making it a stand-out home of the arts in Somerset.
Alternatively, if you’d prefer not to leave Wells, you can pay a visit to the Wells Little Theatre on Chamberlain Street. It’s an amateur theatre which puts on up to half a dozen productions a year, with previous shows including favourites like Fiddler on the Roof, and Arthur Miller’s The Crucible.
The Little Theatre is among several venues which host the excellent Wells Comedy Festival. It’s been running since 2005 and has brought household names such as Russell Howard, Katherine Ryan, Sara Pascoe, Al Murray, James Acaster and Tim Minchin to Wells. There are three dates throughout the year, so it’s well worth checking if it’s on during your stay.
Wells City F.C.
Cedars Hall
Sport
Somerset isn’t especially well known for its sporting prowess. However, football fanatics desperate for a fix can make their way to The Athletic Ground to watch Wells City F.C. It’s the town’s local non-league football club, which dates all the way back to 1890. Tickets are cheap as chips and if you’re visiting Wells with young family then children under the age of 16 get in free. The standard isn’t exceptional, but matches are enthusiastic, and it’s worth a visit if you love the game.
Music
Few school concert halls are as spectacular as Cedars Hall. It was built in 2016 and stands as a beautiful feat of architecture, with enormous windows flooding its main recital hall – named Eavis Hall after the founder of Glastonbury Festival – with natural light. It’s capable of holding a capacity audience of 250 people and an orchestra of up to 60 performers. The acoustics are exemplary and the standard of artists it welcomes is exceptional, including the likes of Clare Teal, Mike Dawes and Mitsuko Uchida.
If you’re more interested in local live music and gig pubs, there are plenty of wonderful watering holes you can choose from in the city. Take a look at our most recommended pubs in Wells and see which ones take your fancy. You may also want to try The Full Moon on Southover. It’s a friendly pub with regular live music.