The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival is under way in Cheltenham and runs until Sunday 18 October 2026. With more than 500 events across 10 days, including over 70 family book shows and workshops, it’s one of the biggest weekends of the year for young readers.
This year’s festival lands in the National Year of Reading, the UK’s biggest reading campaign in a generation, and organisers are making a point of welcoming every kind of reader, from audiobook fans to gamers.
Free things to do at Cheltenham Literature Festival
Around 30% of the whole programme is free, so families can enjoy a day out in the Festival Village without booking a single ticket.
Little ones can settle in for cosy storytelling sessions in the Story Shack, get creative in The Den, and follow the Little People, BIG DREAMS® Trail around the festival site. Times Radio is also broadcasting live from Times Square, so passing visitors can catch interviews with festival guests.
Family book shows and workshops
The ticketed Family Programme is packed with big names and hands-on fun:
- Michael Rosen and MC Grammar team up for a high-energy musical showdown full of rhyme and rap.
- Liz Pichon celebrates 15 Funny Years of Tom Gates with doodling, games and a live draw-along.
- Harriet Muncaster marks 10 years of Isadora Moon.
- Rob Biddulph hosts a draw-along session.
- Katie Kirby brings the Lottie Brooks diaries to the stage.
- Russell Kane shares his love of pets and his brand-new picture book in a show packed with jokes and games.
- Maggie Aderin takes children on a journey through the solar system, drawing on her space science expertise.
- Jodie Ounsley, TV Gladiator Fury, shares tips on believing in yourself and smashing through barriers.
- Football fans can debate Who’s the Football GOAT? with Matt Oldfield and Seth Burkett.
- There’s also an interactive show based on The Magic Faraway Tree, plus Aardman model-making workshops led by one of the studio’s expert model makers.
For teens and young adults
Older children can join Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Sarah Crossan to learn how to write a killer thriller, hear about the hottest new fantasy at the Dragons to Dystopia panel, or learn to make a minifold zine with Sad Ghost Cafe creator Lize Meddings.
VOICEBOX, the festival’s free programme for 18 to 30-year-olds, returns with its own dedicated space, covering everything from new writing and pop culture to wellbeing.
Something for the grown-ups too
Parents can catch Michael and Clare Morpurgo recalling the farm that inspired War Horse, Mary Berry in conversation with Mel Giedroyc, Richard Osman on his latest novel, and plenty of other familiar faces across the adult programme.
Booking and getting there
Tickets are on sale now via the Cheltenham Festivals website, or call the box office on 01242 850270. The festival website also has a How to get here guide.
