Westbury Festival delights town with two weeks of music and arts

A packed programme of music, arts and entertainment brought the town together for this year’s two-week Westbury Festival. 

From ukulele workshops to a one-woman show about Agatha Christie, audiences enjoyed a wide range of events including live music, informative talks and stand-up comedy at venues across the town. 

On Tuesday 15th July, All Saints’ Church was filled with folk music during ‘Nobody’s Jigg’ by saxophonist John Martin and Keith Harrison-Broninski. 

Westbury councillors Carole and Gordon King were among the attendees and said, “We thank All Saints for being a brilliant setting for an interesting and unusual offering, which was unexpected fun. 

“The Westbury Festival continues to delight with yet another bang.” 

One of the most popular events this year was a tour of the Army Officer Selection Board at Leighton House by Lt Colonel (Ret’d) Andrew Field, for which extra dates were added due to demand. 

History buffs also got to fill their boots with facts during a Westbury heritage walk held by Liz Argent and Sally Hendry. 

Sally also gave a popular talk about the history of pubs and the temperance movement in Westbury. She ended the presentation with “long live the pub”, which inspired several thirsty attendees to make a pit stop on their walks home. 

Dr Dan O’Brien from Melksham said, “Sally’s talk was a fascinating journey through the history of Westbury’s pubs, as well as the stories of places familiar and lost. It was so interesting to see the rise of the temperance movement brought to life with images and artefacts.” 

One of the final events of the festival was Mrs Christie at the Dilton Marsh Memorial Hall, which starred Liz Grand and explored the life of Agatha Christie. 

Speaking after the show, former Wiltshire councillor Suzanne Wickham said, “It was a superb show, the audience was captivated from the start. A one-woman show in Dilton Marsh Memorial Hall – what a brilliant evening!” 

The Westbury Festival committee – entirely made up of volunteers who have given up their free time to bring events to the town – have now downed tools and will take a break before plans resume for the 2026 festival. 

Radek Evans said the festival was “brilliant” and that his favourite events were the lunchtime concerts at Chantry Court, while Lisa McGowan pointed to Sally Smith’s talk Magnificent Women and Flying Machines as one of her most memorable moments. 

The Westbury Festival team said, “Huge thanks to everyone who made the 2025 Westbury Festival such a success – from our fantastic sponsors like Bath Domestic Appliances and Westbury Town Council, to South West Hearing Care for being our box office, to every venue that displayed a poster, to the White Horse News for your support, and of course, to all who came along to enjoy the events. 

“Special thanks to the Wiltshire Area Board for their generous grant supporting our Afternoon Tea. But most of all, thank you to our incredible team of volunteers who worked their socks off to make it all happen. 

“We’re already planning ahead for 2026 and need more volunteers – and if you’d like to be part of the fun, get in touch at chair@westburyfestival.org.uk.” 

 

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