Bath Literature Festival 2026

Bath Literature Festival 2026 runs from Saturday 16th May to Sunday 24th May.

From 16-24 May Bath Literature Festival hosts some of the UK’s most celebrated writers, including Hamnet author Maggie O’Farrell, Shuggie Bain author Douglas Stuart, Booker Prize winner Howard Jacobson, historian Tom Holland and thriller writer Anthony Horowitz.

This year’s programme will include some of the UK’s most celebrated authors, poets, historians and comedians.

Speakers and panels will be exploring some of the key issues shaping our world today and there will be events around cosy crime, some literary giants, plus a dash or two of glamour and romance.

If you are interested in world politics, enjoy lively conversation, or simply the chance to gather with other book lovers in the same room, this is a festival with something for everyone.

Bath Literature Festival 2026 highlights

• The line-up includes; Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Mary Portas, Marcus Brigstocke, ex-Chancellor Sajid Javid, historian Katy Hessel, poet William Sieghart and Bath Novel Award winner Abi Daré.
• Join the experts to talk about some of the biggest concerns of our time; the climate crisis, migration, our place in Europe and Russia’s ambitions.
• Celebrate the worlds of Jane Austen, Jilly Cooper and James Bond with like-minded fans.
• Explore the life and times of influential figures with talks on Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth II, George Sand and Gwen and Augustus John.
• Sign up for a festival workshop and flex your creative muscles.
• Put on your walking shoes to discover more about Bath’s people and places, with ten themed, guided walking tours to choose from.

Tickets are on sale now at Bath Box Office.