Gemmellfest 2026: 28th February 2026.

​GemmellFest 2026: A Gathering of Legends

The inaugural GemmellFest took place on 28 February 2026, bringing together members of the David Gemmell Legends Facebook community for a day dedicated to friendship, shared memories, and celebrating the life and legacy of one of fantasy’s greatest storytellers.

What began as a simple suggestion; a casual meet-up at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, quickly gathered momentum. As interest grew, the admin team realised there was an opportunity to create something truly special. The original museum visit remained at the heart of the day, while an evening celebration at Weetwood Hall Estate transformed the gathering into the very first GemmellFest.

An Afternoon of Arms, Armour and Crossbows: The day began in the impressive atrium of the Royal Armouries, where online friends met in person for the first time and long-time friends enjoyed long-awaited reunions. Before long, conversations flowed naturally as everyone explored the museum’s remarkable collection of historic arms and armour at their own pace. One unexpected highlight was the Armouries’ “Have a Go Crossbow” experience. With plenty of enthusiasm and a little friendly competition, many attendees embraced their inner Druss or Waylander, taking aim at the targets and discovering just how difficult crossbow shooting can be.

An Evening Breaking Bread, Building Friendships: After an afternoon of exploration, everyone gathered for dinner before the evening festivities began. Many enjoyed a meal together at a local Italian restaurant, while others chose the relaxed surroundings of the Brasserie at Weetwood Hall Estate. These smaller gatherings provided the perfect opportunity to unwind, continue conversations from earlier in the day, and strengthen friendships that had, until then, existed almost entirely online. By the time everyone came together again for the evening event, it already felt less like a group of strangers meeting for the first time and more like old friends reunited.

The evening wasn’t just about celebrating David Gemmell, bringing friends together, and having a fantastic night, it was also an opportunity to give something back. Thanks to the incredible generosity of everyone who and supported the raffle, £1,202 was raised for charity. Of this, £700 was donated to Great Ormond Street Hospital, with a further £502 donated to Macmillan Cancer Support. A huge thank you to everyone who bought raffle tickets, donated prizes, or helped make the evening such a success. Your generosity helped turn a great night into something that could make a real difference to others.

GemmellFest 2026 also marked another exciting milestone: the launch of DavidGemmell.com, a new website created by fans, for fans. The site was created to celebrate the life, work and enduring legacy of David Gemmell, while providing a dedicated place for readers to discover his books, share their love of his stories, and keep his memory alive for future generations. But this isn’t intended to be a website built by a handful of people in isolation, it will be a fan-driven website, created by people who share a genuine passion for David Gemmell and his incredible body of work. A large part of the site’s future content will come directly from the fans themselves—your memories, photographs, stories, collections, knowledge and experiences. It’s the community that will help make the site what it can become. If you have something you’d like to contribute, we’d love to hear from you. With your help, we can continue to grow and improve DavidGemmell.com, creating a lasting resource for existing fans and introducing new readers to the world of David Gemmell. Whether you have a favourite David Gemmell memory, photographs from GemmellFest, stories about meeting fellow fans, or material you’d like to see featured on the site, your contribution can help make DavidGemmell.com even better. Come and join the conversation in the David Gemmell Legends Facebook group, where you can get in touch with us and share your ideas.

Join the David Gemmell Legends Facebook Group Together, we can keep the legend alive.

What was it like to be there? We’ll be gathering memories, thoughts and stories from those who joined us at GemmellFest 2026. From first meetings and old friendships to favourite moments, unexpected highlights and everything in between.