The Festivals

The Abergavenny Writing Festival is about encouraging everyone to write and express themselves.

Whether for mental health and wellbeing, as a way of making a living, to bring about change, to keep a record or simply for pleasure.

A celebration of Agatha Christie’s enduring legacy returns to Torquay this spring following the sell-out success of its inaugural event.

Saturday’s daytime programme will be based at Pengelly Hall, Torquay Museum, and will feature talks from bestselling mystery writer Tom Mead, exploring the art of locked-room mysteries, alongside appearances from Val McDermid and Abir Mukherjee. The day will also include a live recording of the popular podcast The Swinging Christies, hosted by Dr Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown, focusing on The Confessions of Agatha Christie.

Throughout the day, there will be opportunities for book signings, with titles available to purchase from The East Gate Bookshop. The programme will also feature an introduction to the new Agatha Christie Mile app, presented by the Festival’s Creative Director, Matt Newbury.

Evening events will move to the Livermead House Hotel, where guests will be welcomed with a drink before enjoying a two-course dinner accompanied by live period music from vintage vocalist Terrie-May McNulty. The evening programme includes a talk from Kelly Mullen about her novel A Murder in Eight Cocktails, followed by an interactive murder mystery led by Antony Johnston, author of Can You Solve the Murder. The evening will also feature themed cocktails and additional talks.

On Sunday 12 April, the weekend concludes with a Golden Age costumed parade, inviting participants to don their finest 1920s-inspired attire and walk the Agatha Christie Mile, following the popularity of last year’s event.

The Aldeburgh Literary Festival was started in 2002 by John and Mary James of The Aldeburgh Bookshop. It has featured an extraordinary variety of talks, from the local to the global, the serious to the hilarious, the scientific to the philosophical. 

The Festival is proud to be located in Aldeburgh at the Jubilee Hall and we are delighted that our audience fills the streets of Aldeburgh with visitors and conversation in a winter weekend. The intimate atmosphere makes it very special. We are also proud that this is a completely independent Literary Festival receiving no grants or sponsorship.

Each year, the Trust holds the Alderney Literary Festival of Historical Literature, having as its consistent theme the convergence of historical fact and literary fiction. This is a boutique literary festival, kept deliberately small to create a 'salon' feel and encourage interaction between authors and audience.

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The Festival takes place over a long weekend every March in the historic Island Hall, Alderney's seat of government, built in 1763. We keep audiences small to create an intimate and friendly feel to this 'salon' style gathering of historians, biographers, novelists, and fans of historical fiction and non-fiction. In 2017, we inaugurated a special speaker slot - the Festival's Debut Novelist - inviting a new author who we believe is one to watch for the future.

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In this Festival, history is explored through biographies, thrillers and crime stories, the fantastical and the supernatural, romance, adventure, warfare and political analysis. Our guest authors bring fresh insights into old events, reinterpret them in the light of new evidence, and make history relevant to the present time.

One of the most exciting new events of the publishing calendar, the Alternative Book Fair is a week of publishing and author events to bring the world of publishing and literature to a wider audience, especially aspiring authors, emerging writers and avid readers.  

With author panels featuring Booker Prize Longisted Natasha Brown, As Young As This Roxy Dunn, Gonzalo Garcia, Katherine Faulkner, Mel Pennant, Ronan O’Shea and many more.

All events are free, including access to the Indie Press Fair, all day, Saturday 11th, thanks to Islington Libraries, Arts Council England, Indie Novella and The Diversity in Publishing Partnership. No booking required for Indie Press Fair - please book for individual panels.

The Angus Bookfest is an annual book festival held in Angus, Scotland. It was established in 2019 and takes place each November. The festival lasts for several days and includes author talks, workshops, children's activities, bookstalls, and other literary events.

The festival aims to promote local authors, poets and the like as well as those from further afield and celebrate the written word. There is a strong educational focus, with events for schoolchildren and aspiring writers. The children's programme often features storytelling, creative writing workshops, illustration sessions, and meet-the-author events.

The Angus Bookfest is run by a team of volunteers with support from the community, local businesses and other community based groups. It has grown a lot since its start and now welcomes many visitors each year. The festival provides a celebration of books and reading for the local community and beyond.

Set in the beautiful maritime village of Appledore, in North Devon, the Appledore Book Festival is one of the most vibrant cultural Festivals in the UK, which attracts world-class authors, speakers & performers and plays host to almost 100 events over 10 days.

Help us celebrate our 20th anniversary in 2026!

Aspects festival facilitates a wide range writing events in celebration of Irish Writing. These cover many diverse genres include crime, songwriting, poetry, politics, memoir, nature writing and storytelling, featuring writers from all over Ireland as well as talented local writers.

Aye Write is Glasgow's book festival, run by Glasgow Life. Founded in 2005, it has presented big names and emerging talent alike, in our flagship Mitchell Library and beyond, while its off-shoot Wee Write festival has produced a fantastic education and family programme to inspire younger readers.

Our city book festivals play a key role in helping readers discover new worlds through the best of new publishing. We know of the positive impact the festivals have in helping people discover new ideas and stories through reading and the benefits this has on wellbeing. We remain committed to supporting, in any way we can, empowerment for individuals through reading.

BOOKMARK’s October Festival is an engaging mix of household names and the up-and-coming; from prize-winners entertaining newcomers; what BOOKMARK promises is a first-class experience promoting the best of the world of books from Scotland and beyond.

BOOKMARK organises not only a two-day Festival in October, but also holds local ‘Meet the Author’ events for adults and local schools. At all our meetings, for adults and children, readers meet, listen to and question writers.

The Ballyscullion Park Book Festival has become a much-anticipated, and now annual fixture in Northern Ireland’s literary calendar. Set in the beautiful surroundings of Ballyscullion Park near Bellaghy in mid-Ulster, the festival brings together readers, writers, artists and families for a weekend of culture and creativity. A key feature of the festival is the Children’s Afternoon on Sunday.

In the heart of Seamus Heaney country, the festival celebrates literature, music and art with a varied programme of up to 30 talks, readings and panel discussions across two days. Covering a wide range of genres — from crime, fiction to poetry, politics, memoirs, and storytelling to name a few — the festival features writers from across Ireland alongside talented local voices.

Complementing the literary programme, the festival features live music, an art exhibition, local food stalls and artisan crafts, making it a truly memorable occasion.

Whether you come for the books, the arts, or the setting itself, the Ballyscullion Park Book Festival offers a welcoming and inspiring weekend to be savoured by one and all.

Barnes BookFest brings writers of all genres to SW13 in London for a weekend of books and lively debate – from politics, history and new fiction to memoir, music and art. Authors join us to discuss their writing and share insights into their research and specialist subjects.

Bath Children’s Literature Festival welcomes friends old and new to its fabulous 18th year of bringing the magic of books to life for our family audience. 

Literary events on a broad range of topics featuring some of the industry’s biggest names.

Making a splash with fiction! Join us at Whitley Bay Playhouse EVERY YEAR.

In its first three years, multi-award nominated Bay Tales has become one of the biggest crime fiction events in the UK.

The all-day event features panels, author signings and plenty of surprises.

Held annually in July, BeaconLit is about more than just books. Community is at our centre, with our volunteers working throughout the year to create an event-filled day for everyone to enjoy.

We are proud of our reputation as a high quality event that attracts best sellers, exciting new authors, and a wealth of eclectic talent from the book world. From panels, interviews, poetry circles an workshops, there's something for everyone. So, if you love literature, you're sure to love BeaconLit!

All profits go to the Beacon VIllages Community Library.

Each June we invite you into our beautiful Victorian home to meet, watch and listen to storytellers; to write your own stories; to get crafty; to build, borrow or buy your summer reading list. 

The Belfast Book Festival is a Platform. Northern Ireland is bursting with storytelling talent that we bring to you via a series of conversations, workshops, residencies and Awards that seek to connect, amplify and showcase our creative communities. It is also a collaborative endeavour, as the festival continues its focus on innovation and collaboration,

Welcome to the sixth BerkoFest Book Festival, which will, again, like our previous Book Festivals, have an exciting mixture of internationally acclaimed names. Ranging from Sunday Times top-selling fiction and nonfiction writers to musicians to comedians to scientists, and sports people, many of whom have won prizes and awards in their areas of expertise.

The venue on Sunday November 2nd will be Berkhamsted Town Hall, which offers great charm with its Victorian architecture and modern accessibility and is situated on the High Street, in the middle of Berkhamsted. 

The events will be held in Great Hall and the book signings will be in the Sessions Room. As usual, there will be author talks, readings, Q&A sessions, panels, and book signings. These sessions will be hosted by Robin Ince and Nigel Barden.

Since 2014, Berwick Literary Festival has brought together writers, thinkers, and audiences – from the locality and far beyond – to explore the power of words.

Set in the heart of historic Berwick-upon-Tweed - crowned 'The happiest place to live in the UK' in 2025 by The Guardian - the festival is a place for conversation, creativity, and community.

As part of the Brighton Fringe, the Beyond the Book Festival aims to connect readers with writers, to enhance the role of reading and writing in Brighton and Hove, and to celebrate the cultural and creative city that we call home. As a team of Brighton based authors we believe in the power of books and storytelling to bring communities together, to foster connections and increase and nurture cultural growth.