The Festivals

WORDfest is an arts organisation that celebrates words, reading and writing in their many forms over a month long series of events. At the heart of our prgramme is our author panels, but there are also many workshops for you to unleash your own creativity.

This November, Folkestone is the destination for anyone who loves books, bold ideas and brilliant conversation. The wait is over - our most ambitious festival yet is here, and you’re going to want to be part of it.

With more than 50 events (up from 38 last year), the 2025 programme is live and bursting with the world’s most talked-about authors, rising stars, transformative workshops, and some jaw-dropping surprises.

Expect urgent conversations around rage, justice, masculinity and protest – but also joy, beauty, reinvention and hope. Stories that stop you in your tracks. Memoirs that crack you open. Debates that light a fire in your belly. Poetry that stirs your soul.

Cromarty Crime & Thrillers Weekend has established itself as a gem in the Scottish crime festival calendar. We are based in the beautiful Highland town of Cromarty, on the Black Isle. Our goals are to promote and embrace the arts,  education, environment, history of the Highlands, and the conservation of buildings of historical or architectural importance.

Crossing the Tees Book Festival is supported by funding from Arts Council England and brought to you by the library services for Stockton, Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, Darlington and Redcar & Cleveland.

Now running into its 9th year, the Cuckfield Bookfest is an annual celebration of literature set in the heart of Mid Sussex. A beloved tradition and a unique asset to the area, the festival brings together renowned authors, writers, and book lovers of all ages for a weekend filled with insightful discussions, engaging workshops, and opportunities to discover new literary voices.

Curiosity opens doors. It sharpens our attention, expands our empathy, strengthens our resilience and connects us to one another.

For two weeks, writers, poets, film makers, musicians, creatives, thinkers, performers and everyday question-askers gather across Bath to share stories, spark conversations and discover ideas that lift us out of our usual patterns.Some of our lineup are already making waves whilst others are rising stars, but all of them are here because they have something original to share.  This is a festival as diverse as the ideas and voices shaping it.

CYMERA is Scotland’s Festival of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Writing. Each year CYMERA brings writers, readers and publishing industry experts together in celebration of speculative fiction. At CYMERA you’ll find author panels and book signings, writing workshops, open mics, live performances, bookish quizzes, tabletop gaming spaces and so much more. 

Each year the festival is held both in Edinburgh and online, allowing genre-enthusiasts to tune in no matter where they are in the world.

A British and South Asian literature festival celebrating established and new authors.

The DESIblitz Literature Festival is a British and South Asian literature centric event which annually spotlights existing and new literary works; as well as supporting new talent to flourish through the valuable guidance of authors and publishers, hence, aiding the landscape of British literature to become more diverse and inclusive.

Sedbergh, England’s only book town, presents Death in the Dales, a fantastic crime fiction festival featuring primarily northern writers. 

Deepings Literary Festival is a 4-day event which is part of the South Kesteven District Council’s festivals and events calendar.

Our programme runs at venues throughout the Deepings, with a fabulous mix of entertaining and informative sessions.

Run by Spread the Word in collaboration with independent creative producer Tom MacAndrew, Deptford Literature Festival celebrates the diversity and creativity of Deptford and Lewisham through words, stories and performance. It is a festival with the local community and accessibility at its heart.

Our Festival programme is aimed at appealing to all ages and interests with a range of events, including some with a particular Derby resonance, with themes including railways, science, local history and architecture, cycling, walking, birding, cricket - and even real ale.

We pride ourselves on presenting a broad, diverse programme which attracts internationally renowned writers, poets, historians, politicians, broadcasters, illustrators, storytellers and musicians, whilst also providing support and opportunities for local authors and those taking their first steps towards publishing.

In addition to our two annual Festivals, our work also includes our year-round community programme with three main strands: Shared Reading, Shared Writing and our Schools programme. These enable us to share the joy of books and reading with school children, refugees and asylum speakers, disadvantaged young people, people in residential care and those accessing our city’s libraries.

Set up by writers, and with more than 40 events covering a wide range of subjects spread over an action-packed week in a glorious county town, the Dorchester Literary Festival aims to provide something for all tastes in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.  

If you're interested in  history, science, politics, memoir, health and the natural world, or cosy crime, or poetry, or  brilliant fiction, there'll be something to tempt you. Since it started 12 years ago the festival has showcased many leading writers, thinkers and high-profile celebs and has become established as an unmissable cultural beacon among the literary festivals of the south west.

The annual Dulverton Exmoor Literary Festival was founded in 2022 and has gone from strength to strength in that time, bringing a wide range of highly-acclaimed authors of all genres to share their books, their writing and their ideas with diverse and ever-increasing audiences from across the South West. The festival is held over a long weekend in a number of venues around this charming market town, which is also known as the Gateway to Exmoor.

Audiences have said how much they enjoy the fascinating thought-provoking programme each year, and feel inspired and enlightened by the author talks. 

The feedback from the 2025 festival was phenomenal, with audience members and speakers describing it as a “tour de force” and an “impressive and inspiring literary weekend - a gem in Exmoor’s crown”. With the inaugural Festival Schools Day added to the programme in 2025, the event now achieves its core aim to offer ‘an Exmoor festival for story-lovers of all ages’.

For one long buzzing autumn weekend, Durham invites you to celebrate the transformative power of words.

Get ready to be challenged, inspired, entertained, and swept away as some of the hottest names in books descend on the city.

With over 25 events across three days, delve into history, humour, poetry, and philosophy.

Ealing has a long and rich literary history. Many celebrated authors have connections to the area and to this day Ealing remains home to a large community of writers.

Ealing Book Festival grew out of a desire to establish an annual celebration of literature that enables authors - both from across the borough and elsewhere - to showcase and discuss their work, whilst allowing audiences of all ages to connect with fellow book lovers and explore Ealing’s vibrant literary scene.

Join us for Springfest this March!

The East Riding Libraries team brings you popular and new authors from near and far, for events and talks that can be thrilling, cosy, and sometimes fantastical! With loads of authors, activities, and games for you to get involved with, this is sure to be the best weekend you'll have had so far this year - we might be a bit biased though...

Events take place across East Riding Libraries and other local venues. 

A vibrant gathering of readers, writers, and thinkers of all ages, coming together to explore the transformative power of literature in the most beautiful town on the South Coast. More than just a celebration of books—it's  an immersive experience where stories come alive, ideas flourish, and communities are built.

The Edinburgh International Book Festival is a charity which exists to celebrate and share the power of writers, their ideas, and the words they craft to illuminate, challenge, and inspire.

The Edinburgh Women's Fiction Festival is a new literary festival celebrating writing for, by, and about women.

We are an inclusive event and welcome everyone who finds joy in reading women's fiction - commercial, romance, historical, literary, book club and beyond.

Our festival showcases authors of genres that are often overlooked, and our aim is to give readers the opportunity to connect with their favourite writers.