The Festivals

Launched in 2013 Felixstowe Book Festival is a celebration of “Books by the Sea”.

Authors and audiences love this festival’s unique intimate, welcoming atmosphere. They appreciate the chance to combine a weekend packed with author events with seafood suppers, walks along the prom with its colourful beach huts (said to be the oldest in the country), a wander in the award winning seafront gardens and even a bracing swim.

Author events are followed by book signings and the chance to meet a favourite author. There’s a mix of genres, fiction, non fiction and poetry and events for children. You can meet  very well known, award winning fiction authors and also get the chance to discover debut writers. We are joined by experts who can talk knowledgeably and absorbingly about the environment, politics, history, science, art, economics and more.

A month-long celebration of the arts running in June and July each year, bringing a glittering series of around 100 events to the city, from concerts to theatre through to a whole range of talks, poetry and guided walks.

Fiction Fest is a multi-genre celebration of books, bringing together authors, publishers, vendors, and readers for a weekend of panels, signings, discussions, and bookish fun. A packed day of book signings, panels, workshops, vendor stalls, and exclusive swag. Whether you’re here to meet your favorite author, discover a new one, or just soak in the bookish atmosphere, there’s something for everyone.

YOU are once again invited to join us for another edition of our First Date romance festival!  As great lovers of romance and feel good fiction. Including events like writing workshops, panel discussions, late night shopping and lots more!

Our event plays a crucial role in fostering a sense of community and promoting a love for literature. The fact that it’s managed by volunteers from the Fishbourne area adds a special touch, as it demonstrates the dedication and commitment of local residents to creating a vibrant cultural space.

We're excited to announce the Fleet Street Quarter Festival of Words, a major new cultural initiative for this western side of the City of London, with a programme of leading authors spanning multiple genres. Fleet Street Quarter is an area steeped in the heritage of literature and publishing, a place where stories have always been born.

The Fleet Street Quarter Festival of Words will spotlight this storied history whilst exploring the ability of words to shape our world. From the ways that words can shift the balance of power, through the control of words by censorship or through freedom of speech, to the shift in communication and knowledge driven by technology and AI, the themes that the Fleet Street Quarter Festival of Words will explore have never been more relevant or important.

Since 2013, FlipSide has brought writers, artists, musicians and thinkers into live conversation for audiences in Suffolk, exploring the questions that shape culture, politics and public life. 

Intimate in scale and broad in range, our conversations are serious but not stuffy, and accessible without dumbing down - rooted in Suffolk, global in spirit. 

The 2026 Festival in Framlingham, Suffolk is ‘Travels in Time and Space’. The day features Colin Grant, Samantha Harvey, Blake Morrison, Ian Patterson, Laura Spinney, Colin Thubron and Sara Wheeler.

Forever Bookshelf is a one-day celebration of all things fiction, bringing together readers, authors and the wider bookish community for a day of books, games,  creativity and connection.

Creative writing with, for and by women, the festival is a celebration of women writers over 50. Two days of inspiring workshops and thought-provoking panel discussions in Brighton and Crawley.

Frome Festival is a community arts festival held annually every July in Frome, Somerset. Across a ten-day programme, the Festival hosts over 250 events, workshops and activities featuring a broad range of arts and culture in over 50 venues across the town, from concert halls and theatres to churches, pubs and parks.

Has events of many genres, including spoken word and literature.

Every year have presented an eclectic programme of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, music, food & drink and children's events over three days in deepest winter when everyone needs a bit of cheering up!

This boutique annual festival is Britain’s only traveling Literary Festival. The next Garden Museum Literary Festival will take place at Melbourne Hall, Derbyshire, on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 June 2026, hosted by the Marquis and Marchioness of Lothian. With sweeping lawns, charming avenues, and captivating vistas, Melbourne Hall is a true treasure of early 18th-century English garden design.

Join us for two days of conversation and inspiration, with talks by garden designers, writers and makers celebrating the best in garden writing and what inspires us in gardens, with plenty of time to explore the gardens at Melbourne Hall in between.

In four short years the Festival has established itself as an important and joyous fixture in the town calendar. The events and activities are ever more impressive, with famous names, new voices and exciting opportunities all packed into an incredible weekend.

Thanks to the imagination and drive of a dedicated team of local volunteers, the Festival’s contribution to the social life of Girvan has grown. Throughout the year a host of exciting projects will link communities, delight audiences and inspire real cultural growth.

Gladfest brings together beloved local voices, emerging talent, and passionate readers for an intimate weekend of stories and conversation. 

Think fireside musical performances, thoughtful events, and meaningful moments between writers and their audiences.

We run an annual celebration of zine culture and a weekend-long programme of DIY arts events.

Glasgow Zine Library believes in the radical power of DIY culture. Established first as a small festival run by two pals in 2013, GZL is now a charity, a self-publishing library and community arts space in Govanhill, Glasgow. GZL is the largest independent zine library in the UK with an international collection of over 4,000 zines. We welcome around 9,000 people each year, across over 150 events, delivered in partnership with hundreds of artists. We are run by a small dedicated local team with the support of over 60 volunteers.

Zines (self-published magazines) are part of the rich history of radical self-publishing. They are small-scale publications that can be made by anyone. Often they are the only records of subcultures, countercultures, and alternative movements. Zines are used for creative expression and to share information, distribute resources and build community – on topics from fan culture to social justice. GZL was founded to preserve these stories, create opportunities to tell new ones, and celebrate DIY arts culture and zine heritage.

Granite Noir is inspired by the incredible popularity of crime fiction in all its forms, by the fantastic contribution that Scottish writers make, by our love affair with Nordic Noir, on the page and on screen, and most of all inspired by Aberdeen, which is the perfect backdrop for the festival – steeped in history, atmospheric, quirky and with a strong sense of place.

DARE TO BE THERE!

Granite Noir is produced and curated by Aberdeen Performing Arts.

The Guernsey Literary Festival is one of the highlights of the island’s arts calendar bringing some of the world’s greatest writers, speakers and thinkers to Guernsey. With events for all interests and ages, the Festival is a unique opportunity to come together to celebrate the written word.

The festival attracts speakers from a wide range of disciplines, from literature to politics, from history to sport, from the environment to food, from biography to travel. We also organise a full education and community programme, together with workshops for local writers with renowned visiting authors.

Discovered by writers like Victor Hugo and Mervyn Peake, the Bailiwick of Guernsey’s beauty and history makes it the perfect literary travel destination.

Annual festival of books and ideas in Guildford.

In partnership with Watts Gallery, we're bringing a special Children's Book Festival from 23-29 August to a pop-up bell tent on their gallery lawn. Expect magical hands-on activities, interactive storytelling, lively performances and plenty more to inspire young readers and their families.

Crime Cymru is the brainchild of Alis Hawkins, whose idea it was to bring the crime writers of Wales together for a mutually supportive group in 2016. But after discussions with fellow crime writers Matt Johnson and Rosie Claverton, in 2017 Crime Cymru was officially born with a much more ambitious remit – not only to support each other but to develop new crime writers and to take Welsh crime writing to the world! From that meeting onwards, the membership grew steadily and the group now has 40 published crime writing members and more than 30 associate members (as of 2025).