THE HUB

Your festival experience starts here

Day tickets are £20, or £15 for local residents.

Ages 16 and under go free with a paying adult. Tickets for 17–18-year-olds and students with valid ID are £5.

Hub ticket holders can upgrade to any main stage talk on the day, subject to availability.

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A striped market stall and plants at the Hauser & Wirth Somerset summer fête, beneath a tall mirror-mosaic sculpture

The Hub is the beating heart of Big Brue: a lively gathering place for live music, food, workshops, performances, wellness and the exchange of ideas throughout the festival weekend.

We have invited local youth bands from the area to perform and share the stage with some surprise exciting names.

Across the weekend, the festival moves between structured discussion and informal exchange – between listening and taking part, through speech, performance and entertainment.

LIVE MUSIC AT THE HUB

Danny Goffey of Supergrass and the Big Brue team have curated a weekend of live acoustic music showcasing some of the most exciting artists from Somerset and beyond.

Confirmed acts include Louis Elliot, Rizzy and The Gents, Runaway Club, Kauani, Hunter Greensmith and The Echoing Air Ensemble. Also appearing are daytime DJ Goff, Izzie Yardley, Alan Power and Petter Ericson Stakee from Alberta Cross. On Saturday night, Love Sun Days take over the decks until 10pm.

The programme will also include community performances from local schools, and builds towards a celebratory finale with very special surprise guest appearances.

19 September

Saturday

  1. School bands
  2. School bands
  3. Izzie Yardley
  4. Hunter Greensmith
  5. Louis Elliot
  6. Brett Anderson
  7. Rizzy and The Gents
  8. Gaz Coombes + school choir

20 September

Sunday

  1. Schools perform
  2. Kauani
  3. Alberta Cross (Petter Solo)
  4. Alan Power
  5. Runaway Club

Further acts will be announced when confirmed.

SPEAKERS’ CORNER

At the centre of the Hub, Speakers’ Corner offers an informal platform for ideas, stories, debate and performance. Festival guests, our speakers, local contributors and young people from the area will take part, creating a space in which the conversation can extend beyond the festival’s main stages and new voices can be heard.

Apply to speak

Curated by Rupert Smith-Bingham.

Crowds gathered on the lawn among sculptures outside the gallery at Hauser & Wirth Somerset
Summer Fete, Hauser & Wirth Somerset, 2025. Courtesy Hauser & Wirth. Photo: Clare Walsh

WORKSHOPS AND EXPERIENCES

The Hub will host a programme of interactive sessions across the weekend, spanning theatre, communication, artificial intelligence, art, craft, scent and food growing.

Hub and All Access ticket holders can reserve workshop places at no additional cost, subject to availability. See the final timetable below and use the booking buttons to reserve your place.

See the full workshop programme

19 September · Big Brue Festival

Saturday workshops

Booking limits apply; see booking page.

Book Saturday workshops
10:00–11:00 Ages 10 and over · Maximum 15 participants

What’s Your Big Idea? A Silkscreen Workshop with Jo Norman

Join artist Jo Norman for a lively, hands-on workshop inspired by the conversations, questions and creativity of Big Brue Festival. Participants will develop their own idea into a bold silkscreen poster, experimenting with words, images and graphic composition. Suitable for ages 10 and over, with no previous experience required. Places are limited to 15 participants. This session lasts one hour.

Organiser: Jo Norman

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11:30–12:30 Suitable for adults

AI & Creativity, with Emma Bleasdale

What happens when artificial intelligence becomes part of the creative process? Led by Emma Bleasdale of Modern Way, this practical workshop invites participants to explore accessible AI tools and discover new ways to generate, develop and play with ideas. No technical expertise is required, just curiosity and a willingness to experiment. Bring a fully charged smartphone and prepare to look at creativity from a fresh perspective. Suitable for adults. This session lasts one hour.

Organiser: Emma Bleasdale, Modern Way

Book this workshop
14:30–15:30 Suitable for adults, parents, grandparents, carers and young people aged seven and over

How to Have a Jolly Good Argument, with Sophie Docker

How can we disagree without falling into judgement, blame or shame? Drawing on principles of nonviolence and conflict transformation, Sophie Docker introduces a practical framework for communicating with greater honesty, empathy and respect. This interactive session will help participants move beyond the blame game, understand what really matters and build more meaningful relationships. Suitable for adults, parents, grandparents, carers and young people aged seven and over. Families with younger children are also welcome. This session lasts one hour.

Organiser: Sophie Docker

Book this workshop
16:00–17:00 Intergenerational, bringing teenagers and parents together

Growing Up Human, with Fam Studio × Moral Imaginations

What does it mean to grow up human in the age of AI? Hosted by Fam Studio and Moral Imaginations, this intergenerational workshop brings teenagers and parents together to move beyond predictions and fears about what technology might do to us. Guided by Phoebe Tickell and Bethany Koby, participants will use imagination and conversation to explore how we want to grow, relate and thrive, and the kind of human future we want to create together. This session lasts one hour.

Organiser: Fam Studio

Book this workshop
17:30–18:30 Suitable for the whole family

Lit Service Department – Poems Made Together

Create poems collectively from conversations, observations, prompts and requests shared by the group. As the workshop unfolds, each new poem will be pinned up in the space, gradually forming a public archive of voices, encounters and unexpected acts of creativity. Suitable for the whole family, this collaborative session celebrates poetry as a living process, shaped through participation, exchange and the fragments of language we encounter in one another. This session lasts one hour.

Book this workshop

20 September · Big Brue Festival

Sunday workshops

Booking limits apply; see booking page.

Book Sunday workshops
08:00–10:00

Pilgrimage with Guy Hayward and Andy Pickering

Starts at the hotel, No. 1 Bruton, 1 High Street, Bruton, Somerset BA10 0AB. Start the second day at Hotel No. 1 Bruton with croissants and coffee, then walk out into the town at a slow pilgrim pace. Local historian Andy Pickering and Guy Hayward of the British Pilgrimage Trust lead a two-hour circuit through Bruton’s layers: the medieval centre, the Lower Backway where the River Brue once drove the town’s industry, the Anglo-Saxon church, and the Dovecote on the hill, looking down on the ground where an abbey became a mansion, then a park. Starts at 1 High Street, Bruton, Somerset BA10 0AB, ends at Hauser & Wirth in time for the day’s programme. The pilgrimage lasts two hours.

Organiser: Guy Hayward

Book this workshop
10:00–11:00 Suitable for adults

Slow Scent, with Kate Neal from Commune

Explore the art of natural fragrance in this sensory workshop led by Kate Neal of Commune. Working with a selection of botanical ingredients, participants will learn the foundations of blending and discover how scent can shape mood, evoke memory and bring us into the present moment. Experiment with different notes and combinations before creating a bespoke fragrance oil to take home. Suitable for adults. This session lasts one hour.

Organiser: Kate Neal, Commune

Book this workshop
10:00–11:00 Open to families

Cut, Paste, Post: A Collage Workshop with Chris Roberts

Join Chris Roberts of Bruton Correspondence School to create an original collage on a blank postcard. Working with discarded photographs, magazines, newspapers, tickets, maps, vintage postcards and other found materials, participants will explore how everyday fragments can be cut up, rearranged and given new life. Open to families, this playful, hands-on workshop encourages experimentation, imagination and creative exchange. No previous experience is needed. This session lasts one hour.

Organiser: Chris Roberts, Bruton Correspondence School

Book this workshop
11:10–12:10 Suitable for adults, parents, grandparents, carers and young people aged seven and over

How to Have a Jolly Good Argument, with Sophie Docker

How can we disagree without falling into judgement, blame or shame? Drawing on principles of nonviolence and conflict transformation, Sophie Docker introduces a practical framework for communicating with greater honesty, empathy and respect. This interactive session will help participants move beyond the blame game, understand what really matters and build more meaningful relationships. Suitable for adults, parents, grandparents, carers and young people aged seven and over. Families with younger children are also welcome. This session lasts one hour.

Organiser: Sophie Docker

Book this workshop
11:30–12:30 Suitable for adults

No Dig with Charles Dowding

Durslade Allotments, Plot 11

Learn the foundations of no-dig growing with Charles Dowding, alongside practical guidance on creating and maintaining a weed-free growing space, starting with the soil you have. This off-site session lasts one hour.

Organiser: Charles Dowding

Book this workshop
12:20–14:30 Suitable for teenagers and adults

Bill Amberg Leather Design

Discover the craft of leatherworking with Bill Amberg, one of Britain’s leading leather designers, whose studio has championed the material for more than 40 years. Using basic hand tools and traditional techniques, participants will make a small leather card case or wallet, learning how to shape, assemble and polish its edges. A hands-on introduction to the beauty and versatility of leather, with a useful handmade object to take home. Suitable for teenagers and adults. This session lasts two hours.

Organiser: Bill Amberg

Book this workshop
13:30–14:30 Open to all levels of experience

Shared Ground: Life Drawing with Kim Booker and Helena Jacobsen

Piet Oudolf Field and Radic Pavilion

Inspired by Kim Booker’s current exhibition, Flowers Still Bloom, this session explores the human figure and its relationship with the natural world. Through expressive drawing, gesture and experimental mark-making, participants will look closely at the body, the landscape and the connections between them. Open to all levels of experience, this playful workshop celebrates observation and creativity in the striking surroundings of the Piet Oudolf Field and Radic Pavilion. This session lasts one hour.

Organiser: Kim Booker, Bo Lee Gallery

Book this workshop
14:40–15:50 Open to all participants

Interactive Improvisation and Role-Play with Rosedean

A one-hour interactive improvisation and role-play workshop open to all participants. This session lasts 70 minutes.

Organiser: Rosedean Theatre School

Book this workshop

Also taking place at the Hub

  • No Dig demonstration

    Charles Dowding introduces his renowned approach to growing, at the allotments.

  • The Big Brue Daily

    Help create the festival’s own newspaper with local artist Ryan Todd, founder of Makers Yard Studios.

FOOD AT THE HUB

Food is a central part of the Hub experience.

Across the weekend, visitors can enjoy food cooked over fire on Roth Bar’s terrace, Farm Shop’s deli offering, cheese toasties from Westcombe Dairy, fresh pizzas from Hidden Pizza, Tacos from the Prickley Pear and locally made ice cream from Brickells.

Big Brue guests can also book a table at Da Costa. Located on site, the restaurant is a culinary-nod to Northern Italy.

The Pharmacy Field Kitchen and Osip will host a shared communal lunch table. Book your place for Saturday or Sunday below.

MARKET AT THE HUB

We are delighted that local fashion designer Pearl Lowe is curating a selection of stalls for our small market area.

Hub and All Access tickets

A Hub Pass gives you access to everything taking place in the Hub. It does not include the programmed talks in the Marquee and Pavilion — for those sessions as well as the Hub, choose an All Access ticket.

Day tickets are £20, or £15 for local residents. Ages 16 and under go free with a paying adult. Tickets for 17–18-year-olds and students with valid ID are £5.

  • Hub access all day
  • Speakers’ Corner talks & music (within the Hub)
  • Gallery & Oudolf Field access
See ticket prices

JOIN US AT THE HUB

The most accessible way to experience Big Brue.

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