The Meadow

The Meadow is the festival’s cultural living room. A vibrant space where creativity unfolds in unexpected ways. Roaming performers drift through the crowd, pop up galleries showcase emerging artists, and fashion exhibitions bring style and storytelling to the open air. Literary corners invite you to pause, browse and discover new voices, while intimate talks and readings spark ideas and conversation.

As day turns to night, The Meadow transforms into a hub of late night salons, atmospheric performances and immersive experiences that reward curiosity. It’s a place to wander, explore and be surprised - a welcoming cultural heart where inspiration feels close and every visit offers something new to discover.

Your Hosts

The AUTEURS

The Auteurs curate cinematic moments in The Meadow, staging late-night shows, immersive readings and surprise collaborations. For the culture vultures, comedy lovers and creative explorers, they transform spaces perfect for discovery, conversation and striking social moments.

The hazel tree

A stage dedicated to interviews with celebrities from the world of showbiz, arts and culture becomes one of the festival’s most captivating spaces, a place where big personalities, creative minds and cultural icons share the stories behind their work. Visitors can settle in and listen as actors, musicians, writers, directors and tastemakers open up about their careers, inspirations and the moments that shaped them. Expect candid conversations, surprising insights and plenty of humour.

Take a look at just some of the sessions on offer…

Step into an Aladin’s cave of books! A place where you can browse curated shelves, discover new reads and pick up something you’ve been inspired to purchase at the festival. Throughout the day, authors drop by for relaxed meet and greets and signing sessions, giving you the chance to have a book personalised and share a moment with the person behind the story. Whether you wander in after an inspiring talk or simply feel like pausing somewhere cosy, it’s a welcoming spot to linger, explore and leave with a book that becomes part of your festival memories.

So, you’ve always wanted to be a writer? Or maybe you’re just curious to see what happens when you finally put pen to paper? Our creative writing workshops are a relaxed, welcoming space where you can play with ideas, try out fun prompts and see what stories bubble up. Whether you’ve been scribbling for years or haven’t written a thing since school, it’s all about experimenting, chatting, laughing and leaving with a spark of inspiration (and maybe the beginnings of something brilliant) to take home.

The Bookmark Bar becomes a charming little stop off in your festival day, a cosy counter where you can slow down, get creative and make something you’ll actually want to keep. Pick from a spread of stamps, colours, textures and literary inspired quotes, then design your own personalised bookmark to take home. Whether you go bold and bright or simple and elegant, it’s a fun, hands on moment that celebrates the festival’s love of books. It’s quick, playful and surprisingly satisfying. The perfect tiny souvenir for readers and daydreamers alike.

A little hideaway tucked away in The Reader’s Nook, inviting you to pause for a moment and put your thoughts on paper. Settle in and write a postcard to someone you love, a short poem sparked by the day, or a reflective note just for yourself. It’s a gentle, grounding space where you can take a breath, enjoy the simple pleasure of writing and leave with a tiny piece of festival inspiration captured in your own words.

The Reader’s Nook

The Reader’s Nook is our cosy, book loving retreat. A warm, intimate space designed for slowing down and sinking into stories. It’s the perfect backdrop for author talks, live readings and close up Q&As where you can hear writers share the ideas, inspirations and quirks behind their work. It’s the ideal pause between headline moments: a place to wander in, discover a new voice, linger over a recommendation and enjoy a quieter kind of magic before heading back into the wider festival.

What to Expect

Whether you’re demonstrating your passions or in the mood to learn, The Culture Canopy is where ideas flow freely and everyone is part of the action.

Our art gallery is a powerful, reflective space - a place where creativity, recovery and lived experience sit side by side. Here you’ll find striking work from people in recovery from addiction, artists navigating mental health challenges, and well known cultural figures who lend their voices and talent in solidarity. Every piece tells a story: of resilience, healing, humour, struggle, hope and the messy, beautiful process of rebuilding. As you wander through, you’re invited to look a little closer, linger a little longer and connect with the humanity behind each artwork. It’s not just a gallery, it’s a celebration of expression, courage and the shared threads that run through all our lives.

Our Photography Studio is a lively little corner where photography becomes something you can play with, not just pose for. Step inside and pick up quick, easy tips from friendly pros - how to frame a shot, find good light or capture a moment with personality. Then dive in: experiment with props, try out expressive poses, or create an artistic portrait that feels totally you. Whether you’re snapping a fun festival keepsake or exploring your creative side, it’s an inviting, hands on space where every click of the camera becomes part of the experience.

A lively, hands on corner where you can roll up your sleeves and dive into quick, tactile crafts guided by friendly artists. It’s all about experimenting with colour and texture, or have a go at simple textile techniques that feel surprisingly satisfying. Everything is designed to be easy, welcoming and fun, so you don’t need any experience at all.

Our painting, art and sculpture workshops bring a burst of hands on creativity to the festival. The kind of space where you can get stuck in, try something new and surprise yourself a little. From expressive brushwork and playful mixed media experiments to shaping simple sculptural forms that come to life in your hands. Whether you’re a confident creator or someone who hasn’t picked up a paintbrush in years, it’s all designed to be welcoming, easy and fun.

The Culture Canopy

The Culture Canopy invites you to step in and get involved. It’s a welcoming hub where creativity isn’t just something you watch, it’s something you join. Acting as an umbrella for cross discipline work, this is the place where makers, performers, thinkers and curious festival goers all mix together. You can try your hand at something new, share a skill you’re proud of, or simply wander through and soak up the buzz of people creating in real time.