The Festivals

Taking place every Autumn, the Birmingham Literature Festival is a leading festival in the Midlands, showcasing the very best writers, speakers, thinkers, activists and artists from the UK and across the world. We programme and commission a wide range of innovative literature and literature-inspired work, creating unique opportunities for audiences to experience high quality events via our annual festival programmes and associated projects.

We work with a wide range of partners and venues, presenting live events and activities across the city, as well as in digital formats and online.

The Birnam Book Festival showcases literature from Scotland and beyond in our beautiful corner of Perthshire, nestled among hills and woodlands by the great River Tay. From William Shakespeare and John Ruskin to Beatrix Potter, this area features strongly in literary history, and also captivates contemporary authors, poets, songwriters, and artists.
Our book festival is an inclusive event for all ages, with workshops, lively discussions, inspiring authors, and great music. A warm welcome awaits you.

The Black British Book Festival (BBBF) is more than just an event—it’s a movement dedicated to uplifting and celebrating Black British literature. Since its inception, BBBF has become a powerful platform for amplifying the voices and stories of Black British authors, creating spaces where diverse narratives can flourish, and nurturing a vibrant community committed to enhancing visibility and opportunities for Black British writers.

Each year, the festival grows in both scope and impact, drawing thousands of attendees to experience the richness of Black British literature. With our dynamic line-up of events, workshops, and panel discussions, we bring together celebrated authors, emerging talent, and passionate readers, fostering connections and sparking conversations that resonate far beyond the festival itself.

A celebration of the English poet, William Blake.

A thriving and inclusive literary community that celebrates diverse voices, fostering a love of reading for all ages, and promoting social good through the power of words.  As a Community Interest Company, we are committed to reinvesting profits to enrich our community and support literacy initiatives.

We use various venues across the town to enhance the experience for authors, speakers, performers and audience.

Come and join us in the new home of crime at a festival to die for!

Bloody Barnes is the new kid on the block when it comes to crime festivals, but it brings you the best and finest writers of this most popular of genres. Welcome crime writing fans.

Bloody Scotland established itself as the leading Scottish International Crime Writing Festival in 2012 with acclaimed writers Lin Anderson and Alex Gray at the helm, then joined by Craig Robertson and Gordon Brown. Based in Stirling, Bloody Scotland has brought hundreds of crime writers new and established to the stage with always enthusiastic attendees who make the festival every bit as much as the writers do.

Our 2025 festival showcases best selling novelists and non-fiction authors from around the UK. We dive into fascinating worlds of history and politics, share stories of endurance and find solace in music and nature. True-crime rubs shoulders with thrillers and mysteries and we applaud dazzling debuts. 

We shine a light on Italian glassmaking and there’s a delicious taste of French Chocolat in the air! Something for everyone at this year’s Books by the Beach – your perfect bookshelf brought to life. So browse the programme, get your tickets from the YMCA Box Office, take your seats and enjoy the festival.

Welcome to one of the UK’s friendliest festivals!

Borders Book Festival hosts more than 100 events in June each year. With the latest fiction, current affairs, history, and politics, along with personalities from sport, music and entertainment, there is something for every age and interest. We also host a range of health and wellbeing sessions to take part in during the festival.

Our family-friendly site is free for all to explore, where you can enjoy local artisan food and drink, browse the bookshop and marketplace, and be entertained by local artists and musicians, all in the beautiful surroundings of the Scottish Borders.

Boston Book Festival was established in 2021 as a weekend event in September. It has now expanded to 2 weekend festivals a year – June with a dedicated theme (History or Crime) and September, a range of genre.

Our aim is to champion diverse authors from across the community, raise the profile of Boston nationally and create new opportunities for all ages to access and enjoy literature. 

We have heard nationally acclaimed authors such as Michael Morpurgo, Benjamin Zephaniah and Tracy Borman, we have held children’s events with internationally acclaimed authors such as Hannah Gold, had visits from the elderly residents of Care Homes and every year we provide a free event for local authors to showcase their work as well as putting on a range of other sessions.

The world’s only festival of biography and memoir, normally set in the spectacular grounds of Dumfries House, draws an enthusiastic audience attracted by its unique theme.

Inspired by the great Ayrshire biographer James Boswell of Auchinleck, at the heart of the Festival is a programme of stories taken from the inspirational lives of people past and present - told through talks, drama, art and music.

Join hundreds of writers in Bournemouth for a full day of inspiration, panels, talks, free activities, and creative connection - write by the sea.

The Bournemouth Writing Festival inspires writers to write with 100 free and ticketed practical and hands-on events, poetry, workshops, talks, walks, panels, literary agents, performances, writing competitions and networking opportunities. A carefully curated selection of self-published, published and writing professionals impart their knowledge and advice to writers of all ages, backgrounds, abilities and genres, regardless of where they are on their writing journey, taking place in multiple venues across Bournemouth Town Centre.

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As part of the Bournemouth Writing Festival's manifesto, free workshops for underprivileged writers take place during the festival, including for adults with additional needs, homeless, those sidelined from society (ex-prisoners, addicts and refugees) and children in care. Competitions for schools and home-educated children as well as free workshops for children and families during the festival make sure that everyone is included and stories heard.

Bradford Literature Festival (BLF) is one of the top three largest literature festivals in the UK and Europe’s most eclectic and diverse literature festival. Renowned globally as an innovator within the culture sector, BLF forges international partnerships, curating diverse, innovative, and inclusive programmes.

At the heart of BLF is a commitment to artistic brilliance and contemporary discourse, combining renowned literary figures with up-and-coming voices to curate dynamic programmes that spark dialogue and delight audiences.

Embodying a unique perspective and a strong sense of identity, BLF mirrors the pulse of modern Britain and the global community, making it a thought-provoking destination for literary enthusiasts and cultural observers alike.

BLF’s reach extends across the UK and the world. Since our inception in 2014, we have engaged an audience of over 708,000 from 30 countries, welcoming over 155,900 audiences in 2024 alone.

The Braemar Literary Festival, curated and staged by the Fife Arms in collaboration with The Queen's Reading Room was established in 2022 and now returns for its fourth year.

Turn the page on your next big adventure and visit us in our storybook setting from 26th September to 28th September for a weekend celebrating the power and quiet beauty of the written and spoken word and the creative use of text across all artforms.

Our concept of a literary festival was to bring authors together to Bridport, at a particularly fallow time of year for the town, to talk about books and share their ideas with diverse audiences with eclectic interests. From humble beginnings the Festival has grown in stature to be recognised nationally and enjoyed both by writers and all lovers of literature from across the country. We hope there is much to inspire and enlighten in this year’s programme featuring many aspects of the Arts.

We are a community where writers from underrepresented backgrounds are the main event, and diverse audiences can see themselves reflected. A space that gathers together authors, poets, illustrators, musicians and other creatives from the UK and around the world for a book festival like no other.

Over TEN days we will be offering over 90 live events including Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce, festival favourites Liz Pichon, Rob Biddulph, The Gruffalo, and Cressida Cowell, and a series of FREE festival events for all the family.

The Brontë Women’s Writing Festival is back for its fifteenth year, celebrating women writers across fiction, non-fiction and scripts. Inspired by the Brontës’ evocative northern home, this year’s focus is on writers from and based in the North, and on stories that centre around northern landscapes and Brontë influence.

We’re delighted to be joined by internationally best-selling authors Tracy Chevalier and Holly Ringland, who’ve both found inspiration in the Brontë story. We’re also thrilled to welcome Oscar-winning writer and actress Emerald Fennell, who’ll be discussing her hotly-anticipated Wuthering Heights adaptation, coming to cinemas next year!

Buckingham Literary Festival is a boutique festival held in the beautiful market town of Buckingham. Over five days in June it showcases some 35 writers and thinkers in a diverse range of talks, discussions, spoken word, theatre, workshops and foodie events designed to inspire, inform, entertain – and provoke. Guest authors have included Antonia Fraser, Victoria Hislop, Luke Jennings, Clare Mackintosh, Roger McGough, Ben Okri, Chris Patten, Anthony Seldon, Elif Shafak and Jacqueline Wilson as well as an ever-growing number of new and emerging local writers. 

BuckLitFest is a Community Interest Company, run entirely by volunteers. It prides itself on being a warm and welcoming festival but can also deliver audiences of up to 300 per event.

There’s a burgeoning Schools Outreach programme as well as standalone events throughout the year held with partners such as Buckingham University and Stowe Arts.