Bath Children’s Literature Festival is the autumn family festival, separate from the city’s spring literature festival. The organiser’s 2026 dates were 25 September–4 October. Choose a visit around the individual event’s age guidance, venue and accompanying-adult rules, then leave room for eating and a break. A child who enjoys one well-chosen session has had a worthwhile festival day; there is no need to book a continuous run of events. Exact dates for the next main festival haven’t been announced yet. The event cards below are from the 2026 main festival.
Quick answers
Venues across Bath; check each event's venue.
In 2025, Bath announced its children’s programme in July, with Patrons booking from 14 July, Friends and Members from 16 July and general sale from 18 July. Check the official site for this year’s date. Official source
- Which festival: Bath’s separate children’s literature festival, not the spring literature festival.
- 2026 main dates: 25 September–4 October.
- Next main edition: exact 2027 dates haven’t been announced yet.
- Tickets: use Bath Box Office and check the individual event details.
- Rail arrival: Bath Spa, with an onward route to the venue on your ticket.
- Family planning: read the event’s age recommendation and adult-ticket requirement before buying.
First time? Read this for a checklist to adapt to your family.
What's on
Earlier 2026 conversations
It's Cressida Cowell!
· Komedia, Bath
The programme featured Cressida Cowell at Komedia for an author session.
Age guidance: 8+
2026 event detailsAt 3 festivals in 2026
Dogs and Bears with Max Porter
· The Guildhall
Max Porter brought Dogs and Bears to the programme for younger children.
Age guidance: 4+
Kitty Storytime with Paula Harrison
· The Mission Theatre
Paula Harrison led a storytime session featuring Kitty.
Age guidance: 5+
DADBOT with Jack Noel
· Bath Central Library
Jack Noel joined the children’s programme with DADBOT.
Age guidance: 6+
Hercules with Tom Vaughan
· Bath Central Library
Tom Vaughan’s festival session centred on Hercules.
Age guidance: 8+
Meet Katherine Rundell
· The Forum
Katherine Rundell met readers at The Forum in a session for ages eight and over.
Age guidance: 8+
2026 event detailsAt 2 festivals in 2026
Beast Mode with J.J. Arcanjo
· The Guildhall
J.J. Arcanjo’s Beast Mode session formed part of the programme for older children.
Age guidance: 10+
Celebrating Mortal Engines with Philip Reeve
· The Guildhall
Philip Reeve’s evening event celebrated Mortal Engines.
Age guidance: 10+
Meet Paterson Joseph
· Guildhall; ages 9+
Joseph introduced TEN Children Who Changed the World. Ages 9+.
Age guidance: 9+
2026 event detailsAt 3 festivals in 2026
Events by age
These are the organiser’s minimum-age recommendations. Choose for your child’s age and interests, and check the event details and accompanying-adult rules.
About the family festival
The children’s festival brings writers and illustrators to a family audience in Bath. A programme may offer different kinds of session, so begin with what your child would like to do: listen to a story, hear a writer talk, draw or take part in a workshop. Read the description carefully. The presence of a familiar name is a starting point, not enough information to decide whether that particular event fits your child’s age and interest.
Keep this festival separate from Bath Literature Festival when searching for dates, tickets or a room. The spring and autumn programmes have different purposes. If you see a later single event advertised by the children’s festival, use its own date and venue rather than extending the main festival’s date range. A bookable event after the autumn weekend does not tell you the dates of the next full edition.
For a family travelling together, agree the main reason for the visit. One child may want to see a particular illustrator while another would prefer a different kind of activity. You can plan around one shared session, split into smaller groups where supervision and tickets allow, or leave the rest of the day unbooked. The best sequence is the one that leaves everyone enough room to enjoy the event they chose.
When it runs
The organiser gives 25 September–4 October for the 2026 edition. Those dates describe the completed festival and should not be carried forward to a different year. Use the official children’s festival website and box office for the next announcements. If you are comparing accommodation before the next dates are known, read the cancellation and payment conditions carefully and avoid assuming a usual season fixes a particular weekend.
A main festival date range does not mean there is an event for every family on every day. Choose from the actual public programme, checking the start, venue and age guidance. If your visit also includes a school activity, a masterclass or a separate later event, follow the instructions for that booking. It may have different supervision or admission conditions from a family audience session.
Venues and the route between them
Put the building and room beside each event in your plan. The Forum is the venue named on the box office’s current separate Jamie Smart listing; other events need their own venue check. Use the official programme for the building attached to the session you are considering. A ticket sold through the same box office does not mean the next event is in the same room or on the same street.
Before choosing two sessions close together, work out how you will leave the first, collect coats or belongings and reach the next entrance. Include the pace of the children travelling with you. A route that looks short on a map can still be an awkward gap if it includes a toilet stop, a queue or a child who needs to rest. Give yourself permission to choose a smaller programme instead of making every transition tight.
If you need step-free access, a place for a buggy or a quieter waiting position, ask about the actual venue before travelling. An entrance description for one building does not answer questions about another. Keep the team’s reply with the booking so you can find it quickly on the day. The Bath city guide has wider travel context, while this page focuses on the family festival.
Tickets and the official box office
Book through Bath Box Office. Read the individual session’s admission rules, ticket categories and current conditions before paying. Check whether the adult accompanying a child also needs a ticket and whether a workshop has separate supervision instructions. Do not assume a family label includes every member of the group in one purchase or that an activity suitable for one sibling automatically fits another.
The festival’s published child-protection information says children under twelve need an accompanying ticket-buying adult unless the event states otherwise. It also describes different arrangements for longer masterclasses for children aged eight and over. Read the instructions attached to the exact activity and ask the box office if your supervision plan depends on it. These are the organiser’s rules for its bookings, not a general rule for every literary festival.
Save the confirmation and check how you will retrieve the tickets. If an email is missing, use the box office’s help route before buying again. Keep any access confirmation alongside the event reference. For a full session, follow the official availability or returns information rather than relying on finding an extra seat when you arrive. A room and rail ticket are separate purchases, so check their terms as well as the event’s conditions.
Getting there
By train
Visit Bath’s travel information identifies Bath Spa as the city-centre station. Plan from the station to the actual event venue and accommodation. Include your luggage, the children’s pace and any assistance you need. A rail arrival that looks convenient on its own may still leave too little room before the session starts.
Choose the return before adding a final event. Allow time to leave the room, collect bags if necessary and reach the platform. Check the operator’s journey planner for your date and review engineering work close to departure. If the plan depends on railway assistance, use the operator’s own booking process. Festival access booking and railway support are separate arrangements, so neither should be left as an assumption about the other.
By bus, coach or car
Use Visit Bath and the linked local transport information for the actual day of travel. Check the stop where a bus or coach arrives and the last stage to your venue. If you stay outside the centre, look up the return separately from the morning route. A daytime service does not guarantee a convenient journey after the family’s last session.
If driving, check the official parking and park-and-ride information for your vehicle, day and return time. Ask the accommodation whether parking is included or needs booking separately. Leave enough margin to change plans if a first-choice space is unavailable. Keep any vehicle requirements and the route from parking to the event with your ticket details instead of relying on a previous visit to Bath.
Where to stay
The family stay guide compares the central and station side of Bath, Walcot and Bathwick. The right area depends on your programme and the actual room. Ask about the bed layout, bathroom, stairs or lift, check-in and any essential family feature. A search accepting the number of guests does not confirm every detail of the room you will receive.
If you want to return for a rest between events, compare the precise address and entrance with the venues before booking. A room farther away may work well for a single session but make a split day less comfortable. Add transport, meals, parking and any required extra room to the cost. Accommodation should support the family’s visit, not become another difficult journey at the end of a full day.
Central Bath and the station side
Walcot
Bathwick and a wider Bath stay
Compare all stay areas for Bath Children's Literature Festival
Food, toilets and a break
Put a meal break into the day before considering another event. Read the venue’s food, drink and bag rules and ask about a dietary need that matters to your family. Check toilet access on the route you will actually use. A separate restaurant booking needs its own time, so leave enough space to eat without turning the whole meal into a countdown to the next queue.
Think about what a child might want after listening for a session: time to talk, draw, browse or simply stop. A break does not need to become another booked attraction. If adults are splitting up with different children, agree where and when to meet and keep the essential details available to both groups. An uncomplicated meeting plan is more helpful than trying to recognise one another in a busy entrance.
Accessibility
The Bath Festivals access-booking page describes online wheelchair and Essential Companion ticket arrangements through account preferences. It also gives a help route and explains that the access scheme is being updated. Read its current instructions before selecting tickets and contact the team about the specific event and support you need.
Ask about the practical detail that would make the visit possible: the entrance, wheelchair space, hearing support, room layout or a quieter wait. A general family-event description does not reserve any of those features. For a workshop, discuss the activity itself as well as the building. Keep the reply with the booking, and check transport and accommodation separately because the festival does not control those services.
Plan your days
For a first family visit, choose one main session and leave a comfortable interval afterwards. You might decide to add a second contrasting event once the actual locations and ages fit. Avoid booking two sessions simply because their advertised times appear consecutive. A drawing activity, a signing if offered and a move between buildings all belong in the timetable with enough space for each activity.
For an overnight stay, keep the arrival day manageable and ask where luggage can go before check-in. Put the following morning’s first event after a realistic breakfast and journey. If the children are interested in different sessions, decide how adults, tickets and meeting points will work before buying. A family can share the same festival trip without needing the same programme every hour.
If you are combining the festival with another Bath outing, give that visit its own admission and access checks. Keep it flexible enough that tiredness, a change of venue or the weather does not spoil the essential event. The family hub compares other festival settings if your diary or journey calls for another choice.
First-timer tips and family questions
Bring what your family needs for the journey and the event, keeping the bag manageable enough to carry books as well. Check the forecast, charge phones and save tickets offline. Read any instruction to bring drawing or workshop materials instead of assuming they are supplied. Ask about buggy storage if it affects your plan, and do not leave essential luggage storage or room access as a question for arrival.
Let children help choose the main session where possible. Looking at the event description together can make the format clearer and avoid expecting a different kind of activity. A writer might discuss one particular book rather than the whole series a child knows. If a signing or photograph is important, check what the organiser actually offers rather than promising a meeting that is not part of the event.
FAQs
Is this the spring Bath Literature Festival?
No. This is the separate autumn children’s literature festival. The 2026 main dates were 25 September–4 October; the spring literature festival has its own programme and dates.
Does an adult need a ticket?
Read the individual event rule before purchasing. The festival’s published policy requires a ticket-buying adult with children under twelve unless stated otherwise, and longer masterclasses have separate instructions.
Which station should we use?
Bath Spa is the city-centre rail reference in Visit Bath’s travel guidance. Check the onward route to the actual event and the return for your date before booking.
Can we bring a buggy or arrange access support?
Ask about the particular event venue and the support you need before paying. Use the official access-booking route for wheelchair or Essential Companion arrangements and keep the reply with your tickets.
Can you go to Bath Children's Literature Festival without a ticket?
Read the individual event rule before purchasing. The festival’s published policy requires a ticket-buying adult with children under twelve unless stated otherwise, and longer masterclasses have separate instructions.
How far ahead should I book a room for Bath Children's Literature Festival?
Keep the cancellation deadline beside the festival plan and review both when the next programme is published. If the family’s preferred session is unavailable, decide whether another event still makes the trip worthwhile before making an inflexible purchase. Room bookings and festival admission remain separate; one does not reserve the other. Compare the stay advice.
Venue map
Festival venue map
- Guildhall: Guildhall, High Street, Bath, BA1 5AW
- The Forum: The Forum, 1a Forum Buildings, St James's Parade, Bath, BA1 1UG
- Bath Spa railway station: Bath Spa station, Dorchester Street, Bath, BA1 1SU
- The Mission Theatre: 32 Corn Street, Bath BA1 1UF
- Komedia, Bath: 22–23 Westgate Street, Bath BA1 1EP
- Bath Central Library: 19–23 The Podium, Northgate Street, Bath BA1 5AN
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Building locations; check the event entrance separately.