WRITINGFESTIVALS 2020
(^60) WRITING MAGAZINE - FESTIVAL GUIDE 2020
Cambridge Literary Festival
16-19 April
Central Cambridge venues
e spring festival features leading writers
including Marian Keyes, Eimear McBride and
Jacqueline Wilson. Also organises a winter
weekend festival
209 Wellington House East Road Cambridge
CB1 1BH; 01223 515335
Ink Festival
17-19 April
e Cut, Halesworth, Su olk
Festival of new short plays
INK Spot Unit 10 e Cut 8 New Cut
Halesworth Su olk, IP19 8BY
01986 872555
Cúirt International Festival of Literature
20-25 April
Venues in Galway
Wide-ranging festival that includes intimate
home-based ‘kitchen’ gatherings, talks on all
aspects of the craft of writing and appearances
by some of Ireland’s most respected literary
gures
Galway Arts Centre, 47 Dominick Street,
Galway, Eire; 091 565 886
Cardiff Children’s Literature Festival
21-26 April
City Hall and National Museum, Cardi
Free school events throughout the week and
adult writing workshops in the evenings.
Events include writing workshops, book
readings, craft activities, quizzes, games and
occasional appearance of a character or two.
County Hall, Atlantic Wharf, Cardi , CF10
4UW; 02920 873394
Chipping Norton Litfest
23-26 April
Various venues including Chipping Norton
eatre and Town Hall
Small, buzzy festival that bats above its
weight with appearances by top authors and
accessible free events
Chipping Norton Literary Festival, Windrush
House, 55 Crawley Road, Witney
01608 642350
Wrexham Carnival of Words
23 April-2 May
Various venues in Wrexham
A full eight days of non-stop events at
Wrexham’s annual literary festival with a
di erence, including the Crime Cymru panel,
non- ction History Day, Murder Mystery
Night, the literary quiz and Historical Fiction
Night as well as a host of “fringe” events.
01978 292090
Books by the Beach
24-26 April
Venues around Scarborough
Located on Yorkshire’s coast, this year’s festival’s
rst con rmed speaker is Jenny Eclair
Spa Box O ce, Scarborough Spa, South Bay,
Scarborough YO11 2HD
01723 821888
Hexham Book Festival
24 April-3 May
Queens Hall, Hexham
Annual book festival with author talks and
workshops
Queen’s Hall Arts Centre, Beaumont Street,
Hexham, Northumberland NE46 3LS
01434 600601
Shakespeare Birthplace Trust
25-26 April, Stratford-upon-Avon.
A day of celebrations to mark the bard’s birthday
Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Shakespeare
Centre, Henley Street, Stratford upon Avon,
Warwickshire CV37 6QW
01789 204016
Strokestown International Poetry
Festival, Ireland
30 April-4 May, Strokestown, Ireland
World-renowned poetry festival featuring
leading Irish and international poets
Strokestown Poetry Festival O ce,
Strokestown, County Roscommon, Ireland.
(00 353) (0)71963 3759
http://www.dylanthomas.com
M AY
Newcastle Noir
1-3 May, Newcastle City Library
A popular literary weekend, returning for its
seventh year.
Sea Fever Literary Festival
1-2 May
e Maltings, Staithe Street, Wells-next-the-
Sea, North Norfolk
North Norfolk’s festival of poetry and prose,
celebrating all forms of the written word
inspired by the region and bringing to the
coast writers with national reputations.
Brighton Festival
2-24 May, multiple sites
Innovative commissioning and producing arts
festival with strong literary presence and this
year, poet and author Lemn Sissay as guest
director
Brighton Dome and Brighton Festival,
Church Street, Brighton BN1 1UE
01273 709709
Chiddingstone Castle Literary Festival
7-10 May
Chiddingstone Castle, Kent
West Kent’s Literary Festival for story-lovers
of all ages, with guests for 2020 including
Joanna Trollope, Michael Morpurgo and
Maggie O’Farrell
Chiddingstone Castle, Chiddingstone,
Edenbridge, Kent TN8 7AD
01892 872746
Boswell Book Festival
8-10 May
Dumfries House, Cumnock, Ayrshire
e world’s only festival of biography and
memoir, includes Boswell Children’s Festival
Caroline Knox, e Boswell Trust,
Auchendrane, By Ayr, Ayrshire KA7 4TW
Fowey Festival of Arts and Literature
8-16 May
Venues in and around Fowey
A ten day literary festival with an eclectic
mix of talks by a variety of authors. e
festival also encompasses an art trail, a garden
trail, some musical events, guided walks and
workshops. Adult short story competition and
children’s art and literary awards.
e Du Maurier Festival Society, 74
Lostwithiel Street, Fowey PL23 1BQ
01726 832580
Norfolk and Norwich Festival
8-24 May
Venues around Norwich
General arts festival with some literature
events, and a workshop weekend at the
National Centre for Writing, 22-23 May
01603 531800
Swindon Spring Festival of Literature
and the Arts
8-17 May
Various venues in and around Swindon
Ten days and over forty events, covering
dance, drama, music, lm and circus, but with
literature and the spoken word at its heart
Lower Shaw Farm, Shaw, Swindon, Wiltshire
SN5 5PJ; 01793 771080
Write festival
May, TBC, e Word, Tyneside
Celebrating the written word in all its forms
with a busy programme of events
e Word 45 Market Place South Shields
NE33 1JF; 0191 427 1818
Northern Short Story Festival
May TBC, e Carriageworks, Leeds
Annual short story festival with a strong
presence from local writers