The next few months are brilliant for bookworms as literary festival season is really kicking off. If books are your thing, you’ll love some of the events going on all over the UK this spring and summer. Literature lovers will know that you don’t need to travel far to experience all sorts of foreign and far-fetched things – you just need to go somewhere where there are plenty of books and storytellers. Here are some places where you’ll find both:
York Literature Festival, 20th – 31st March
Taking place now, this festival is back for its seventh year and is still growing. The event has a nice balance of famous writers who’ll give workshops and readings and unknown newbies who can take to the stage for open-mics. Don’t miss Germaine Greer there, or the theatrical performance of Austen’s Women. There will be a tour of the city and its rich literary heritage too, so book a last minute stay in our York Central hotel for the chance to experience this incredibly cultural town at its best.
Hay Festival, 22nd May – 1st June
If you want to see your literary idols, Wales is likely where they’ll be at the beginning of June. This event in Hay-on-Wye is one of the UK’s biggest, and this year its programme includes the likes of Stephen Fry, Judi Dench, Toni Morrison and Jacqueline Wilson. Founded in 1987, this festival is an institution, and has been dubbed the “Woodstock of the mind”. It’s also in the beautiful surroundings of the Brecon Beacons, so if you’re bookish and outdoorsy, you’ll run out of time long before you run out of things you want to do. Stay in our Hereford hotel to be just near the heart of all things literary in June.
Edinburgh International Book Festival, 9th – 25th August
It may be a little way off yet, but there’s no harm in planning in advance, especially when you’re talking about the largest celebration of the written word in the world. Book a room in one of our Edinburgh hotels early to make sure you get to join in with this massive literary festival. Although the programme has yet to be announced, you can bet it will include the brightest and best from all over the world. Past events have featured Seamus Heaney, Frank Skinner, Anne Fine, among many, many others.
