The Festivals

Hosted at the iconic Cliveden House in Berkshire. With the Festival, which gathers together writers and intellectuals from around the world for a weekend every year, the spirit of Cliveden is renewed. Renowned as a forum for lively discussion, innovative ideas, and political debate, Cliveden Literary Festival has been described as ‘a perfection of a literary festival’ by Her Majesty The Queen’

Coastal Crime is led by Festival Director Alex Stone, bestselling psychological thriller author and founder of Author Events.

With a proven track record of organising author talks, literary festivals, and book tours across the South, Alex is known for creating unforgettable bookish experiences for readers and writers alike.

Bringing that same passion and expertise to Coastal Crime, Alex ensures there’s something for everyone. Even if you’re not a crime writer, you’ll find plenty to inspire you — from the Industry Hub, offering sessions and networking opportunities for writers of all genres, to a programme designed to connect, support, and celebrate the wider writing community.

Welcome to the inaugural Cobham Literary Festival, where stories, ideas and conversations come together to inspire, entertain and connect us.

We're delighted to welcome an outstanding line-up of authors, speakers and storytellers, offering something for readers of every age and interest. From bestselling fiction and fascinating history to poetry, horticulture,

children's events and creative workshops, we hope you'll discover fresh perspectives and plenty to spark your imagination.

Whether you're joining us for a single event or spending the whole festival with us, thank you for being part of our celebration of books, creativity and community.

Enjoy the festival!

The people of Colonsay, like many communities large and small, have always shared a love of books and literature, joining in book groups and participating in fringe poetry sessions at the music festival. At a community meeting in June 2011, the idea of a book festival for the island was tentatively mooted, and ten months later, at the end of April 2012, we were welcoming our first six authors and an eager audience.

The island of Colonsay, one of the most remote and most beautiful in the Southern Hebrides, is a 2 hours, 20 minutes sail from Oban, on the west coast of Scotland. South of Mull and west of Jura and Islay, the island is about 8 miles long and 2 wide. Famous for its golden beaches, such as Kiloran and Balnahard, it is home to a wealth of bird, animal and plant life, and has a fascinating history and archaeology. Whatever your interest – walking, swimming, fishing, golf, painting or photography – you will be able to enjoy it here.

Consider the Wondrous is a book festival celebrating our relationship with nature. From geology to gut flora, honeybees to humans, writers and artists will reveal a deeper context to our lives than the media present. Our main venue is a beautiful converted chapel in the fantastic and always unexpected town of Frome in Somerset. There will be walks, workshops, exhibitions and general conviviality too!

Just an hour from Glasgow, Cove & Kilcreggan Book Festival is held on the last weekend of November over the Saturday and Sunday. Held in the magnificent Cove Burgh Hall on the Rosneath Peninsula and overlooking Loch Long. 

We have a volunteer run and managed cafe, selling excellent homemade soups, cakes and sandwiches, our library where you can buy the book and meet the author, a green room for authors and chairs and our large hall where all events take place. 

8 author events are held over the weekend. All proceeds made during the Book Festival weekend are passed to Cove Burgh Hall for the continued upkeep of this Victorian Building.  All events are filmed for viewing on YouTube after the event and all events are accessible. 

Cranbrook Literature Festival, established in 2016, is a two-day, biennial event to promote the joy of the written word to children and adults across the Weald of Kent. We are a not-for-profit organisation run totally by volunteers. Our Festival programme offers a great mix of authors and poets, both well known and up-and-coming, plus writing competitions, creative writing workshops and a well-stocked pop-up bookshop.

They also have one off author events throughout the year.

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.

Bad Apples: crime fiction’s enemies and anti-heroes

From con artists to killers, crime fiction has served up some of the very best bad apples in all of literature. Ripley, Moriarty, Lecter and many more are responsible for prompting our heroes to action, presenting puzzles, peril and confrontations aplenty.

Our 33rd Crime Fiction Weekend explores the dark core of these characters, and discusses why we love them – or love to hate them – so much.

Guest of Honour: Andrew Taylor

It is our great pleasure to welcome back Andrew Taylor who for years was at the heart of St Hilda’s Crime Fiction Weekend as a guiding light of our Committee and a superlative chair. Andrew is the winner of the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger (for lifelong excellence in the genre), the HWA Gold Crown for best historical novel of the year, and the triple winner of the CWA Historical Dagger. He has published over 45 books, including The American Boy, the Roth Trilogy (filmed for TV as Fallen Angel), and the Lydmouth detective series set in the 1950s.

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.

We’re thrilled to announce Cymera Loves Romantasy, the first romantasy-dedicated book festival in Edinburgh!

Cymera Loves Romantasy will be a 2-day festival at The Pleasance, dedicated to exploring the full breadth of romantasy, dark romance and paranormal romance. Headline authors will include Chloe C. Penaranda, author of New York Times bestselling series The Nytefall Trilogy.

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.

The Book Festival Committee has been working hard to create a varied

programme for you to enjoy, and we are very pleased that the festival is

building on the success of previous years

Author talks on a variety of topics and genres as well as children's events too!

Daunt’s two-day extravaganza is a treat for bibliophiles of all ages. Its handsome Marylebone store hosts a series of talks and events with an impressive line-up of guests over two days and includes a walking tour of Regent's Park. Events are individually priced or you can buy a pass. Find the full programme on the Daunt website.

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