An award-winning children's author is launching a festival's family programme at a museum in Street this month.
Jasbinder Bilan, known for her children's novels, will be at the Shoemakers Museum to start the Somerset Art Weeks Festival 2026.
This festival, beginning on Saturday, September 19, will see a range of creative activities for families and children, with the first workshop beginning at 10am.
Everyone is invited to join in the activities, which are inspired by this year's festival theme, Cultural Connections.
The idea is to help families experience Somerset's rich creative and cultural heritage.
This will be done through hands-on workshops, exhibitions, and artist-led activities happening across the county during the festival.
Families who attend the launch will not only get to meet Ms Bilan but also learn about the different family events happening over the three weekends.
The Somerset Art Weeks Family Friendly Programme includes six workshops led by Somerset Art Works.
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These workshops, along with other family activities, demonstrations, talks, and creative experiences, will be held at festival venues across Somerset.
The aim is to celebrate creativity as a shared experience, bringing together people of all ages to make, explore, and create lasting memories.
The Shoemakers Museum, which offers a look into 200 years of Somerset shoemaking and community stories from suffrage to sea monsters, is more than just about shoes.
The museum's collections have inspired a Somerset Art Works micro-commission titled 'Hybrid Selves' by Kirsten Madeira-Revell and Polly Hall, and a site-specific installation 'Step by Step' by Melanie Thompson and Helen Ottaway.
Both will be open from Saturday, September 19, with an exhibition, installation, and live performances running throughout the festival until Saturday, October 3.
Visitors can spend the opening day at the Shoemakers Museum, with the opening of two new arts festival exhibitions, performances at midday and 2pm, and a family-friendly workshop that encourages visitors to create their own mythologies and animal masks.
Additionally, there will be a food festival in the museum's grounds from midday to 7pm, offering a variety of international and artisan food.
The museum will be open from 10am to 4pm.
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