The ten best literary festivals in the UK

If one of your big holiday conundrums is choosing which books to take with you, then you might be interested to know that you can make your holiday all about books without having to lug a case full of them with you. The UK has many brilliant literary festivals that take place throughout the year and there’s a great variety to choose from. Here are ten of the best…

1 Hay Festival

Located in the picturesque and green Hay-on-Wye, the Hay Festival is the UK’s most famous literary event. The festival takes place around May each year and it’s now into its 26th year. This festival pulls out the big guns, with big name author events in the day and musicians and comedians taking to the stage in the evenings. Entry to the site is free, you pay for the individual events you wish to attend.

2 Wigtown Book Festival

Wigtown in Dumfries and Galloway is Scotland’s National Book Town. The 10-day Wigtown Book Festival takes over the town, famous for its many bookshops, every year in September. With lots of quirky venues hosting the events, plus the beautiful Galloway landscape to explore, it’s the type of festival that attracts people back year after year.

3 Edinburgh International Book Festival

Despite taking place in the centre of such a large and famous city, the Edinburgh International Book Festival retains a relaxed outdoor feel because events all take place in marquees in the Charlotte Square Gardens. Having said that, it is the biggest book event on this list with over 800 authors attending each year. The festival takes place in August and the programme is announced each June.

4 Bath Literature Festival

Taking place in some of the city’s most beautiful historic buildings, Bath Literature Festival is great for literary fans who wish to explore a bit of history between author events. The festival is currently sponsored by the Independent newspaper and takes place around February and March each year.

5 Scarborough Book Festival

Scarborough Book Festival has two components, Books by the Beach which hosts popular mix of authors, broadcasters and historians and Scarborough Flare which presents opportunities to engage local poets, writers and artists. The events take place over a long weekend in April and attracts a number of big name authors (2014’s speakers include Kate Adie and Jo Nesbo, Margaret Drabble).

6 Stratford Literary Festival

Where better to celebrate writing than the birthplace of Shakespeare? The town frequently host performances of plays from the Royal Shakespeare Company, but the Stratford Literary Festival is about more than the bard. It is a blend of author events, writing workshops and debate, and it takes place around the end of April each year.

7 Oxford Literary Festival

Featuring over 500 speakers from at least 20 different countries, Oxford Literary Festival is currently sponsored by the Financial Times. As you would expect, this festival pulls in some serious names, including A C Grayling, Hanif Kureshi and Ian McEwan in 2014. This festival takes place every March.

8 The Cheltenham Literature Festival

Currently sponsored by the Times newspaper, the Cheltenham Literature Festival is a long established festival bringing in over 400 speakers. Held over 2 weeks in October, the festival first began in 1949 and is the oldest and longest running literary festival in the world.

9 Stoke Newington Literary Festival

One of the smaller festivals on the list, Stoke Newington Literary Festival has nevertheless gained a reputation as a thought provoking literary heavyweight. It has a big variety of choice, including craft and art workshops, food and gardening events, and celebrity author meetings. It takes place in June.

10 Ways with Words

The Ways with Words festival takes place in July in the fabulous Dartington Hall in Devon. Currently sponsored by the Telegraph newspaper, this relatively new festival of words and ideas is becoming very popular. The people responsible now run a number of other literary festivals around the country, including Words by the Water in the Lake District and Southwold Festival in Suffolk.

The UK has many fantastic literary festivals, from the big names such as Cheltenham and Oxford, to the smaller, laid-back feel of Stratford and Stoke Newington. You can choose whether to plan your holiday around a particular festival, or simply to pop in an event or two if there’s an author you want to see. So to my fellow book enthusiasts, I wish you happy reading!