The Festivals

We get it. Planning a fun day out for the whole family can be expensive. But it doesn’t have to be!

The St Austell Festival of Children’s Literature offers an affordable and unforgettable experience with tickets just £1 each! Join us for a day of laughter, creativity, and adventure, right in the heart of Cornwall.

Harnessing Creativity; Inspiring Expression - Inspiring A Community of Book Lovers.

An annual September festival that aims to instil belonging and pride, and to enrich our cultural landscape.
Inspiring communities with creativity, featuring an array of outstanding authors, poets and story tellers, the author programme aims to delight audiences with delights from all genres, from historical fiction and environmentalism to Scottish fantasy and folklore.

Don’t miss the opportunity to meet the very best travel writers of the year, as part of the Stanfords Travel Writers Festival, and get a copy of their books signed as part of the Destinations Travel Show.

An outstanding children's literary festival, right at the heart of South East London. Meet leading lights from the world of children’s literature and publishing to share, create and celebrate stories in all their wonderful forms.

Culture and Community, the South Downs Way! The festival features a variety of events including art trails, children’s events, community events, literature and talks, music and dance, theatre, comedy and film, walks and tours, and more.

Stockport Noir is back! Stockport Noir aims to bring the biggest names in crime fiction to their readers. Join us for a day of insight, stories and laughter with bestsellers and rising stars in the crime fiction community.

Free author-led events and workshops for children aged 4 – 16 are part  of the StoryFest Newquay line up which aims to engage children and young  people in reading for pleasure and develop a positive, lasting  relationship with books.

The events will range from engaging storytelling sessions outdoors for  little ones, to creative workshops for teenagers. All events are free  and all children and young people attending will be gifted a free book  from the author leading the event. You just need to book a free ticket  so we know how many children are coming along and how many books to  order!

Storytale Festival is back for 2026!

Chapter 7 unfolds over the weekend of 24th & 25th October, bringing together authors, illustrators, storytellers, performers and creative practitioners for two days of inspiring events for children, families and adults.

This year’s theme, Perseverance, celebrates resilience, courage and determination through storytelling, creativity and imagination. Alongside our festival weekend, we’ll also be delivering a programme of school events across Bristol, helping even more young people discover the power of stories.

The Festival offers an opportunity for people to meet their favourite authors and celebrities and the chance to learn new skills. It has an extensive community programme, works in prisons and has one of the biggest educational and outreach programmes of any literary festival.

The Festival offers an opportunity for people to meet their favourite authors and celebrities and the chance to learn new skills. It has an extensive community programme, works in prisons and has one of the biggest educational and outreach programmes of any literary festival.

Founded in 2016 by author Jamila Gavin, Stroud Book Festival has grown from a small local event to a full, five-day Festival, staged annually each November by a team of local authors and experienced publishing and cultural professionals. We present a programme of entertaining and thought-provoking events to engage audiences of more than 4,500 in our vibrant local community and beyond.

Discover a world of amazing stories and fresh voices at the Stroud Indie Book Fair. This in-person event is perfect for book lovers looking to explore unique titles from independent authors and publishers. Chat with creatives, score signed copies, and soak up the vibrant literary vibe. Whether you're hunting for your next favorite read or just want to hang out with fellow bookworms, this fair's got you covered!

Sturminster Newton Literary Festival focuses on celebrating three writers associated with the town (Thomas Hardy, William Barnes, and Robert Young), current Dorset and Wessex writers, and aspiring writers of the future. The festival has a range of talks, workshops, guided walks, and collaborative events with local businesses to promote writing from the region.

Sutton Coldfield's first ever Literary Arts Festival is here — and it's bringing the written and spoken word to life like never before.

Over one weekend, Sutton Coldfield Town Hall will be filled with the voices of poets, authors, storytellers and creative minds — many of them right here from our local community. Whether you're a lifelong bookworm, an aspiring writer, or simply curious, there's something to spark your imagination.

Swanage Literary Festival returns this November, taking over The Mowlem’s Studio for two days.

The event features author talks and poetry workshops, with books that feature Swanage (Breaking Waves, by Emma Simpson) and Dorset (The Whalebone Theatre), Joanna Quinn and Alex Stones’ Dorset-based psychological thrillers.

The 2026 Swindon Festival of Literature will present a wide range of literature-linked events, in Swindon, and will start with the ever-popular Dawn Chorus on 4th May, and finish with the fabulous Festival Finale on 10th May.

In between, there will be a host of daily events, including fascinating author talks and presentations at the Arts Centre, at the town’s bookshops, libraries, and Lower Shaw Farm.

There are also likely to be writing workshops, poetry in a park, a fourth Flash Fiction Slam, storytelling events, a film night, and a Children & Families Activities Day on 10th May.​

​The Festival programme will be launched at 12 midday on Thursday 2nd April ‘26.

We are looking forward once again to celebrating good reading, fine writing, and free speaking, in Swindon.

Love Literature!  Love Life! ​

The British Libaray's annual encounter with strange, uncanny and chilling fiction.

Including some of our finest writers and connoisseurs of the weird gather in the Autumnal gloom for a day of conversations, readings and more.

Held at Althorp House in Northamptonshire, the home of the Spencer family, this celebrated event brings together renowned authors, historians, and thinkers for a weekend of talks and conversations.

Bringing together authors and poets, performers, scriptwriters, activists and audiences to celebrate queer lives and writing. Presented by New Writing South in partnership with Marlborough Productions.

Beyond Algorithms. Beyond Orthodoxy. Real Insight for a Just World.

The 2026 Conversation Spring Series explores social justice and how we imagine the world with curiosity, knowledge and wisdom – a humane intelligence that values insight and understanding over news and information.

The interviews take place live and online. They last an hour followed by a 30-minute public Q&A, then a book-signing and informal conversation.

Also featuring online livestreams