Our lovely venues – and, of course, our brilliant speakers – reach the parts other literary festivals cannot reach. Bridport is blessed with some fantastic locations that make our events SING!
We’ve been celebrating our lovely venues on our social media pages this week.
Who doesn’t LOVE Bridport Electric Palace? What a superb setting for the biggest audiences of the town’s literary festival!
The Palace has been operating almost continuously since 1926 and the venue continues to provide first-class film and live entertainment for the people of Bridport, West Dorset and beyond.
One of our busiest venues is the ballroom at Bridport’s boutique The Bull Hotel. What a stunning spot!
Says the Michelin Guide: ‘The hotel’s restaurant is one of the hottest tickets in town, and it’s joined by the Bull Pizzeria, set in the inn’s old stables.’
We’re delighted to have a number of high-profile events at Bridport Arts Centre again this year. BridLit has a long association with the venue, having been spawned In 2004 by a group of literary loving locals – including Chris Huxley, the then director of the Bridport Arts Centre, and Tanya Bruce-Lockhart, the then director of the Beaminster Festival of Music and the Arts, who got together to ‘brew’ the idea of a celebration of literary voices.
The arts centre was originally a Wesleyan Methodist Chapel and School House, built in 1838.
In 2016 the arts centre underwent an extensive refurbishment project to update parts of the building to meet the expectations of contemporary audiences.
Our other venues are Sladers Yard, West Bay, where Bridlit kicks off on Sunday 3 November at 12 noon with Ciderhouse Rebellion and Jessie Summerhayes: Cider with Jessie.
On Thursday 7 November at 6.30pm you can see Lavinia Greenlaw – The Vast Extent: On Seeing and Not Seeing Further at Sladers, with an optional one-course dinner.
Sladers Yard at West Bay is a private art gallery dedicated to exhibiting and selling contemporary fine art and designer craft by leading artists, designers and makers including furniture designed and made by Petter Southall.
The Sladers Café has developed since then into a superb seafood restaurant with a full wine list, really good coffee and legendary homemade cakes.
The Sir John Colfox Academy is the venue for two talks, one: Joseph Coelho, aimed at younger people, and Daisy Dunn with The Missing Thread A New History of the Ancient World Through the Women Who Shaped It, aimed at those with a passion for classics and ancient history.
We’re proud to be associated with the town’s school.
Colfox has excellent exam results but believes education is about much more:
‘We believe every child deserves an education filled with extracurricular opportunities and cultural enrichment. Whether through sport, drama, art, music, public speaking, trips, activities, clubs – we want all our students to find their passions and pursue them.
‘Our young people are encouraged to try new things, to grow, to make mistakes. We believe these experiences shape us and build strength. We want our students to enjoy activities they never thought they would and achieve things they never thought they could!’
Our first event to sell out is at Mercato Italiano Ltd when chef Julius Roberts shares tales of farming life alongside easy, thoughtful dishes to reconnect us to the seasons.
Our much-loved Bridport Library plays host to Briony May Smith on Friday 7 November at 10am for a special schools event for a stimulating hour of stories, drawing and sharing.
The beautiful Tithe Barn on Symondsbury Estate is the location for our annual literary dinner, which is sold out.
The lovely The Lyric Theatre has a special event on Saturday 9 November when The Stray Dog Jammers present an adaptation of the post-war, avant-garde, absurdist drama, Rhino.
Angie Porter hosts an evening of open mic poetry for women on Monday 4 November at Waterstones, Bridport. This is a free event.
- For BridLit events check out our programme on the website https://www.bridlit.com/whats-on/ where you can buy tickets online or from Bridport Tourist Information Centre 01308 424901.
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