.png )
Durham Book Festival 2026
Various Locations in Durham City
Durham
County Durham
Durham
County Durham
Book Tickets
TripAdvisor
Opening Times
| 2026 (9 Oct 2026 - 11 Oct 2026) |
|---|
Map & Directions
Highlights...
Friday, 9th October 2026 - Friday, 9th October 2026
An Evening with Hollie McNish and Michael Pedersen - Durham Book FestivalJoin award-winning poet Hollie McNish for a hilarious and heartfelt evening of poetry, reading from her latest collection, Virgin, and unpicking the meaning of the word with her trademark feminist wit, fury and compassion. - more info
Saturday, 10th October 2026 - Saturday, 10th October 2026
New Northern Voices: Louise Powell, Sufiyaan Salam and Shaun Wilson - Durham Book FestivalThree exciting new authors introduce their powerful debut novels. Northern communities are vividly brought to life through the young son of an ex-miner in 90s County Durham in Underdogs, three brown boys on Manchester’s Curry Mile in Wimmy Road Boyz, and a Cumbrian teenager rebelling against his…- more info
Saturday, 10th October 2026 - Saturday, 10th October 2026
Lucy Foley: The Big Read - Durham Book FestivalWe are delighted to announce that the Sunday Times number one bestselling novel The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley is our 2026 Big Read. We will distribute 3,000 free copies of The Hunting Party to libraries, businesses and hospitals, and to students across County Durham, Sunderland and Newcastle, as…- more info
Saturday, 10th October 2026 - Saturday, 10th October 2026
Susanna Clarke: The Bishop of Durham Attempts to Surrender the City - Durham Book FestivalInternationally bestselling author Susanna Clarke introduces her brand-new novella, The Bishop of Durham Attempts to Surrender the City, in an exclusive event in the city where the story takes place. - more info
Saturday, 10th October 2026 - Saturday, 10th October 2026
Forged in the North with Neil Tennant - Durham Book FestivalForged in the North with Neil Tennant will see the Pet Shop Boys icon talk to Fiona Hill about how growing up in Newcastle shaped his music. - more info
Friday, 9th October 2026 - Friday, 9th October 2026
Talking Books with Naomi Booth and Kayo Chingonyi - Durham Book FestivalJoin Durham University writers, Professor Naomi Booth and Associate Professor Kayo Chingonyi, for a conversation and Q&A, perfect for aspiring authors who are interested in learning about the publication process. This is the first in a new series of talks where writers will demystify the process…- more info
Friday, 9th October 2026 - Friday, 9th October 2026
Jill Dawson: Pixie: Tarot Evening - Durham Book FestivalWriter and Tarot reader Kym Deyn will use her deck to interview Jill Dawson about the life of twentieth-century artist Pamela ‘Pixie’ Colman Smith – the forgotten third designer of the iconic Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot deck. - more info
Friday, 9th October 2026 - Friday, 9th October 2026
Durham Writes Poetry Scratch Night - Durham Book FestivalNorth East poets are invited to meet each other and share their work at this fun, informal and supportive event where writers get to road-test their work-in-progress in front of a live audience. - more info
Saturday, 10th October 2026 - Saturday, 10th October 2026
Edith Hall: Medea: A Life - Durham Book FestivalFrom her dramatic escape from her home with Jason on The Argo, to the tragic decision to murder her own sons, the story of Medea is one of the most recognisable from ancient Greek mythology, inspiring plays, operas, paintings and sculptures. - more info
Saturday, 10th October 2026 - Saturday, 10th October 2026
Holly Sterling: Karate Kids Storytime - Durham Book FestivalJoin Maya and her friends as they learn to spin, kick and block their way through their karate class, learning new moves and mastering their minds and bodies, with a little help from each other along the way in this fun and exciting story time as Holly Sterling reads from Karate Kids. - more info
Saturday, 10th October 2026 - Saturday, 10th October 2026
Festival Game Jam - Durham Book FestivalDo you love reading books but also enjoy the stories told by games? Are you a budding game designer on a quest for new sources of inspiration? - more info
Saturday, 10th October 2026 - Saturday, 10th October 2026
Durham Crime: Jo Murray and Rebecca Philipson - Durham Book FestivalThe North East crime scene has two exciting new voices. Hear from Jo Murray, author of Dissection of a Murder, and Rebecca Philipson, author of How to Get Away with Murder, about how County Durham inspired their debut crime thrillers full of sick serial killers and twisted legal procedures. - more info
Saturday, 10th October 2026 - Saturday, 10th October 2026
Faber Academy Workshop: Life Writing with Amy Key - Durham Book FestivalJoin Faber Academy and writer Amy Key for a day-long workshop of reading, writing and sharing your work with like-minded people. - more info
Saturday, 10th October 2026 - Saturday, 10th October 2026
Food, Connection and Identity with Kit Fan and Anna Hedworth - Durham Book FestivalWriter Kit Fan and chef Anna Hedworth explore how food and the act of cooking forges connections and strengthens the ties of identity, family and heritage. - more info
Saturday, 10th October 2026 - Saturday, 10th October 2026
James Marriott: Forged in the North - Durham Book FestivalBooks are dying. Across the world, the number of people reading is in free fall. The golden chain of knowledge linking reader to reader through the centuries is breaking for the first time since the collapse of the Western Roman Empire ushered in the Dark Ages. James Marriott’s book, The New Dark…- more info
Saturday, 10th October 2026 - Saturday, 10th October 2026
Bread Alone Anthology - Durham Book FestivalIn the acclaimed new anthology, Bread Alone, 33 writers respond to the question ‘What happens when we run out of working-class writers?’. - more info
Saturday, 10th October 2026 - Saturday, 10th October 2026
Gaming and Storytelling with Lucy Rose and Sarah Maria Griffin - Durham Book FestivalLucy Rose, author of The Lamb, and Sarah Maria Griffin, author of Strange is the Light, will discuss how they use video games as tools to inspire their writing. They’ll explore how video games can take us on a journey to epic fantasy realms or alternate versions of places we know, often using their…- more info
Saturday, 10th October 2026 - Saturday, 10th October 2026
Rowan McCabe: Hard Knocks - Durham Book FestivalFollowing his travels across England knocking on strangers’ doors as the world’s first Door-to-Door Poet in 2019, bestselling performance poet Rowan McCabe returns to the stage with Hard Knocks. This comedy and spoken word show about community and connection lifts the lid on the people he met on…- more info
Sunday, 11th October 2026 - Sunday, 11th October 2026
PBS Showcase with Clementine Ewokolo Burnley, Helen Mort and Padraig Regan - Durham Book FestivalThe Poetry Book Society presents three award-winning poets featured in their prestigious Autumn 2026 recommendations list. - more info
Sunday, 11th October 2026 - Sunday, 11th October 2026
Dan Jackson: Howay the Lads! - Durham Book FestivalDelve into the fascinating history of Newcastle United with Dan Jackson in Howay the Lads!: a richly detailed celebration of North East England through the eyes of the club’s loyal supporters and players. - more info
Sunday, 11th October 2026 - Sunday, 11th October 2026
Life Writing with Louise Doughty and Nicola Wilding - Durham Book FestivalWhen secret truths are revealed about our families’ inner lives, how do writers portray them faithfully and respectfully in their work? - more info
Sunday, 11th October 2026 - Sunday, 11th October 2026
Regency Romance with Sophie Irwin and the History Gossip - Durham Book FestivalBefore Bridgerton, there was Georgette Heyer, the original Queen of Regency Romance. Now, for the first time since her death in 1974, best-selling author Sophie Irwin writes a continuation of Heyer’s beloved books, fusing her brilliantly witty and modern voice with Heyer’s iconic style.- more info
Sunday, 11th October 2026 - Sunday, 11th October 2026
Sleep Stories: Romalyn Ante, Naomi Booth and Sarah Hall - Durham Book FestivalWriters Romalyn Ante, Naomi Booth and Sarah Hall join us to discuss three specially commissioned short stories, which form part of Sleep Stories, a podcast series blending science and fiction, inspired by the contemporary sleep crisis. - more info
Sunday, 11th October 2026 - Sunday, 11th October 2026
Developing Your Writing with Jerwood Fellows - Durham Book FestivalFor early career writers, making the jump from debut publication to the next project can be complex and full of uncertainty. In this event, writers Kym Deyn, Katherine Horrex and J.A. Mensah will speak about their experiences as New Writing North’s Jerwood Fellows and how they have developed their…- more info
Sunday, 11th October 2026 - Sunday, 11th October 2026
Clare McGlynn and Natasha Walter in Conversation - Durham Book FestivalAt a time when women’s rights are being rolled back, Clare McGlynn and Natasha Walter join us to discuss how we can turn the tide on the violent sexual content that is reshaping modern society and build supportive and hopeful communities for women. - more info
Sunday, 11th October 2026 - Sunday, 11th October 2026
Voices from the River Gaunless with Jake Morris-Campbell - Durham Book FestivalIn a new commission, writer Jake Morris-Campbell explores how a beguiling watercourse near Bishop Auckland – the River Gaunless, a tributary of the River Wear, known in Old Norse as ‘useless,’ – is being saved and enhanced for the community today. Jake will be joined by Kirstie Hutchinson from Wear…- more info
Sunday, 11th October 2026 - Sunday, 11th October 2026
The Working Class Library on Tony Harrison with Special Guest Christopher Eccleston - Durham Book FestivalAward-winning actor Christopher Eccleston joins hosts of the Working Class Library podcast, Richard Benson, editor of The Bee, and Claire Malcolm, CEO of New Writing North, to discuss the legacy of the renowned poet Tony Harrison, in a special live podcast recording, a year on from Harrison’s death…- more info
Sunday, 11th October 2026 - Sunday, 11th October 2026
North East Fantasy - Durham Book FestivalNorth East authors H.F. Askwith and Hannah Kaner talk about their latest novels, Half a Dark Heart and A Snake Among Swans. They will discuss what makes a great fantasy novel, from seriously bold heroines and magical settings to reimagined myths and stories, and how the genre has grown and produced…- more info
Sunday, 11th October 2026 - Sunday, 11th October 2026
Folklore Across Forms - Durham Book FestivalMorvern Graham, Amy Jeffs and Aimée MacDonald explore how modern interpretations of folklore can bring new life to ancient stories through prose and visual art. Visual artist Morvern Graham shares her new take on our country’s traditional folktales throughout the year in Seasonal Folktales. Amy…- more info
Access Information
Find out what’s happening this week across the Culture County. From festivals and exhibitions, to sport and theatre, you’re certain to have an eventful time in Durham.- Durham is home to world-class events, discover Durham’s most unmissable for 2026.
- Sign up to find out what's on across Durham and the latest news.
