The Cheltenham Literature Festival will take place from October 9 to 18, featuring more than 500 authors, journalists, and public figures performing at various venues throughout the market town. The event centers around Cheltenham’s Montpellier Gardens and will include programming across multiple stages, halls, and tents.
Notable literary figures confirmed for the festival include Maggie O’Farrell discussing her novel Hamnet, the 2025 Booker Prize winner David Szalay, Bridget Jones creator Helen Fielding, and Yann Martel, author of Life of Pi. A special tribute panel will honor the legacy of Gloucestershire author Dame Jilly Cooper, who passed away at age 88. The panel, hosted by Caitlin Moran, will include Katherine Parkinson, producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins, Helen Fielding, Cooper’s agent Felicity Blunt, and her daughter Emily Tarrant to examine her cultural impact and the enduring popularity of her Rutshire novels.
Television and entertainment personalities will also feature prominently. Craig Revel Horwood from Strictly Come Dancing, Strictly and Bake Off judge Dame Prue Leith, and former Bake Off host Dame Mary Berry are among those scheduled. Russell T Davies, creator of Queer as Folk and former Doctor Who showrunner, will discuss his new memoir, The Queerest of Folk. Actress and author Celia Imrie will present her travel memoir Elegant Hustler, while Blur drummer Dave Rowntree will share stories from his bestselling book No One You Know.
Priority ticket sales will begin on August 27, with general public sales opening on September 3. Festival organizers stated the program aims to blend established names with emerging voices, reflecting what they describe as the festival’s mission to celebrate contemporary cultural figures while promoting future writers and thinkers.
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