BIG BRUE
Small Town, Big Ideas
Hauser & Wirth Somerset, Durslade Farm, Dropping Lane, Bruton BA10 0NL
This autumn, a brand new festival is launching in the celebrated Somerset town of Bruton. An annual destination for curious minds, Big Brue will bring together inspirational speakers and renowned voices for creative debate across the worlds of culture, domestic and global affairs, arts, literature and the environment.
Challenging orthodoxies and inspiring new perspectives for our fractured world, Big Brue will also include a community Hub with local food, drink and crafts, Speakers' Corner talks, musical interludes and talent from near and far.
SPEAKERS
Big Brue will bring together inspirational speakers and renowned voices for creative debate across the worlds of culture, domestic and global affairs, arts, literature and the environment.
Carlos Acosta
Ballet director and retired dancer
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
Author and human rights campaigner
Bob Geldof
Musician and activist
Prue Leith
Restaurateur, author and broadcaster
Don McCullin
Photographer
William Dalrymple
Historian and broadcaster
Adwoa Aboah
Actor, model and campaigner
Alice Temperley
British fashion designer
PROGRAMME
We're delighted to say the day splits are now confirmed — you can see what's happening on each day and start planning your visit. More sessions are still being confirmed.
THE HUB
Your festival experience starts here
- Hub access all day
- Speakers Corner talks & music (within the Hub)
- Gallery & Oudolf Field access
THE MARQUEE & PAVILION
- The Marquee and the Pavilion, for all talks
- Seating for main speaker events is subject to capacity. Day and weekend pass holders will be able to book or access individual talks according to availability.
THE SETTING
Where great ideas meet beautiful surroundings
Set in the grounds of Hauser & Wirth Somerset, one of the world's most celebrated galleries, Big Brue offers a weekend of inspiring conversations surrounded by stunning countryside, world-class art, and the beautiful Oudolf Field.
The festival takes place across the Marquee, the Pavilion, the Oudolf Field, and intimate spaces at Durslade Farm in the heart of Bruton — a small town with a big reputation for creativity and independent thinking.
Installation view, Niki de Saint Phalle, Le Poète et sa Muse, (1999) © Niki Charitable Art Foundation. All Rights Reserved; Jeffrey Gibson, Flags (2024) © Jeffrey Gibson, Hauser & Wirth Somerset, 2026. Courtesy Hauser & Wirth. Photo: Theo Niderost
Photos courtesy Hauser & Wirth Somerset. Event photography: Clare Walsh.
GETTING THERE
Hauser & Wirth Somerset, Durslade Farm, Dropping Lane, Bruton BA10 0NL
THE TEAM
Big Brue is brought to you by a team of passionate people who believe in the power of conversation.
Mariella Frostrup
Journalist & Broadcaster
Catherine Fairweather
Journalist & Editor
Eleanor O'Keeffe
Co-founder, 5x15
Jason McCue
Lawyer and Professor
