If you're a devoted bookworm, few events are more engaging than a decent literary festival. But which to plump for, when the UK is home to 350 of them?
Look no further than our handy guide to the best literary festivals of 2019. From countryside retreats to inner-city hotspots, not forgetting the family-friendly options, we've found a festival for all kinds of book lovers.
Seen by many as the highlight of the literary year, the Hay Festival may well be the closest thing to heaven on earth for bookworms. As ever, it boasts a formidable line-up, from broadcasters (Emily Maitlis, Stephen Fry, Elizabeth Day) to renowned novelists (Ian McEwan, Arundhati Roy, Jeanette Winterson) and all-sorts in-between (Keir Starmer, Germaine Greer, Benjamin Zephaniah, the list goes on). Taking place in the heart of Wales, it's a little out of the way – but Hay never disappoints.
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Stoke Newington Literary Festival is less than ten years old and projects a more eclectic and overtly fun atmosphere than its counterparts. It's even been described as having 'thrown its pretensions in a skip'. That doesn't mean it compromises on the calibre of its guests, though: Chelsea Clinton, Geoffrey Robertson QC and Adam Kay (This is Going to Hurt) are among the household names in attendance this summer. If you're keen for top-notch literature with a cooler vibe, Stoke Newington is worth a look-in.
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Balham's chosen venues – a bookshop, a bowls club, a public library, an Oxfam store and a parish church – befit the festival's warm, community-minded ethos. Alongside some of the bigger names (AC Grayling and Rachel Reeves MP) come local stars such as novelist Yara Rodrigues Fowler (Stubborn Archivist) and London-bred YouTube-famous veganista Rachel Ama. Some events are free to attend, while tickets for others range from £5 to £30.
Taking place in Zadie Smith's stomping ground over a single weekend in June, Queen's Park Book Festival is another of London's short-but-sweet offerings. Tickets are all-day passes rather than event-specific, but fear not: writers from Howard Jacobson (The Finkler Question, Booker Prize 2010) to Sadie Jones (The Outcast) fill out an engaging programme that has scarcely a dud worth dodging.
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One for the nature-lovers, Wealden Literary Festival takes place at Boldshaves, a private estate in the heart of Kent surrounded by sumptuous farmland and woodland in all directions. Those who make the two hours' drive from London will be able to see an array of prize-winning nature and travel writers, including Raynor Winn (The Salt Path) and Adam Nicolson (The Seabird's Cry). More than at most festivals, attendees themselves get the chance to be creative, through workshops on writing, drawing, gardening and bushcraft – the perfect accompaniments to a day's bookishness.
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Literary titan Margaret Atwood tops the bill at this year's Ledbury Poetry Festival, which – as the name would suggest – is dedicated to all things verse. The line-up is nicely varied, with appearances from well-known poets proper such as Simon Armitage and Sir Andrew Motion to the performers Eleanor Bron and Alexei Sayle. What's more, four-time Booker-shortlisted novelist Ali Smith is attending, sharing some of her lesser-known poetical exploits, which promises to be a real treat.
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Port Eliot Festival, held near the Cornwall-Devon border, is much more than a literary occasion. There's music on a grand scale (expect Charlotte Church and Lily Allen this year), as well as intimate comedic and theatrical performances, bucket-loads of outdoor activities, and a strong foodie vibe. All of which, of course, runs alongside a rich picking of fantastic writers. If it seems too good to be true, book a ticket and suss it out for yourself.
The Edinburgh Book Festival is the linchpin of the literary festival season, spanning three weeks in the height of the British summer and operating on an unparalleled scale. As if the presence of a thousand-or-so of the finest minds in writing weren't enough, the city plays host to the all-encompassing International Festival and the much-loved Edinburgh Fringe at the same time. Spoken of as a must-go-before-you-die celebration, Edinburgh is a culture vulture's paradise.
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Bath was lit up last year by its list of star-studded attendees, which included David Williams, Lauren Child, Nadiya Hussain and Philip Pullman, among many others. Although this year's guests are yet to be revealed, this celebration of children's literature clearly has no difficulties when it comes to attracting the big names – after all, it's the biggest of its kind in Europe. The kids will be left in rapture, and the city's beautiful architecture will sweeten the downtime. What's not to like?
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Cliveden entices visitors with the opportunity to explore its glamorous Renaissance-period country house and grounds. But this festival is more than a pretty face; only two years old, it already has a reputation for encouraging 'real conversations' among 'real people', in the words of historian Niall Ferguson, who appeared last year alongside Cherie Blair, Kwasi Kwarteng and Armando Iannucci. Thanks to its splendid setting and emphasis on wider conversation, Cliveden looks set to grow and grow over the next few years – you'd do well to get ahead of the curve.
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One of the 'big three' alongside the Hay and Edinburgh, Cheltenham Literature Festival provides no shortage of household names with which to draw the crowds. The town is quaint, yet possesses an unmistakably sleek and metropolitan vibe – perfect if you need to escape London but don't quite fancy camping in the middle of nowhere. Last year, audiences paid particular homage to Sir David Attenborough and were also shocked to hear from Richard Curtis that his first choice star for Four Weddings and a Funeral had been Alan Rickman, not handsome Hugh Grant. Expect similar fireworks this time round.
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If, on the other hand, you don't get the chance to escape the capital, then the London Literature Festival has plenty for bookworms to sink their teeth into. We won't know until the summer who'll be up on-stage at the Southbank Centre, but if past years are anything to go by – previous guests have included Hillary Clinton, Louis Theroux and Salman Rushdie – festival-goers can expect a starry line-up.
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