What do Colchester Community Stadium, Harlow’s The Gibberd Garden, Layer Marney Tower, Northey Island, Manningtree Library, Colchester Samaritans, Grayson Perry’s A HOUSE FOR ESSEX, and a revamped peacock enclosure overlooking the Thames Estuary have in common? They’re all playing their part in this year’s Essex Book Festival.
Launching with leading sportswriters Jonathan Wilson (Guardian) and Simon Kuper (The Telegraph) at Colchester Community Stadium on Thursday 28 May – a new festival venue for 2026 and a giant nod to FIFA World Cup 2026 – this year’s Essex Book Festival is taking place in over 40 venues across Essex, from Manningtree to Harlow between 28 May and 30 June, and will be involving over 250 writers and artists from as far afield as Windhoek, Namibia, and as close to home as Great Dunmow.
Every year the festival has a different theme. This year it is Common Ground. Festival Director Ros Green explains why.
“We are living in turbulent and challenging times. Certainly, one of the most difficult times in my life. And while it’s easy to focus on what divides us, it’s much more important to focus on what binds us together as a community. We can’t think of a better way to bring everyone together than a month-long celebration of storytelling in all its forms, whether it’s on the written page or stage, on foot or under sail. Everyone has a story to tell. The key thing is to listen.”
Festival Highlights include Traitors’ ‘Faithful’ Harriet Tyce who will be appearing alongside award-winning husband-and-wife crime-writing duo Nicci French at the festival’s Criminally Good Night, to be hosted at Foakes Hall in Great Dunmow on Friday 13th June. This is the launch event for the fabulous new Great Dunmow BookFest, which will be Great Dunmow – ‘the town without a bookshop’ – into the Essex Book Town for a day! More info here: https://www.talliston.com/great-dunmow-bookfest.
The festival is delighted to be welcoming broadcaster, former MP and national treasure Gyles Brandreth to Chelmsford Cathedral on Friday 19 June. Gyles will be talking about his new book Somewhere, A Boy and A Bear, a biography of A.A. Milne, which marks the 100th birthday of another national treasure: Winnie the Pooh, who turned 100 on Christmas Eve.
The festival will also be celebrating one of Essex’s very own home-grown ‘national treasures’: Chelmsford-born children’s author Kes Gray, who is probably best known for his internationally acclaimed book series Oi Frog and Others. Kes will be appearing at the Museum of Chelmsford on 30 May as part of the festival’s very own Oi Chelmsford Family Day.
Talking of Essex’s home-grown authors, multi-award-winning author (The Essex Serpent) and festival Patron Sarah Perry will be appearing at Colchester Samaritans Community Hall on Saturday 6 June as part of the festival’s special Love & Loss Day.
Meanwhile, Essex Writers House will be based at Chalkwell Hall in Westcliff-on-Sea for the 9th year running. An inspirational month-long collaboration between Essex Book Festival and Metal Southend, the Writers House promises a fabulous array of writing events, walks, workshops and other writerly activities. This includes the opportunity to book a complimentary Hot Desk for a day overlooking the Thames, and, for the more adventurous, a day of wild writing in the revamped peacock enclosure. Who can resist that! There is also the chance to get involved in the Southbank Centre’s A Poet in Every Port project as the National Poetry Library lands at Essex Writers House to help us celebrate Essex’s unique coastal stories and more.
With another national treasure artist Maggi Hambling in conversation with novelist and art critic James Cahill at the stunning The Gibberd Garden in Harlow; Guardian journalist and BBC Radio 4 presenter Jonathan Freedland appearing at Layer Marney Tower; crime-writer Vaseem Khan introducing readers to his new series of books that has a distinctly James Bond flavour; plus multiple opportunities to explore the county on foot via our ongoing programme of Radical Walks in Essex, including a talk and a walk from Wrabness Community Shop and Bar to A House for Essex with architect and writer Charles Holland, co-designer and collaborator with Grayson Perry, the challenge is going to be fitting it all in this June.
Download the digital brochure here.
All events listings will go live and tickets go on sale at essexbookfestival.org.uk/events at 10am on Thursday 26 March.