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Book festivals by region

Find a festival in the part of Britain you want to explore. Each guide brings the practical details together; official links lead to current programmes.

Scotland

Scotland offers specialist crime conversations in Stirling, a city programme in Edinburgh and the book-town setting of Wigtown. The wider directory adds biography at Boswell, poetry at StAnza and more opportunities around the country. Choose the setting as well as the speaker: a day in a city and a longer stay in a book town call for different plans. Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central are useful rail starting points for the relevant city guides. For Wigtown or Stirling, follow the individual guide's station and onward journey details before booking an evening event.

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Wales and the Marches

Hay-on-Wye gives this region both its main late-spring festival and a separate Winter Weekend. Llandeilo and Montgomery add other town-based choices in the wider directory. Think about whether you want a single day of talks or a few days with time to browse between events. Hereford is the rail arrival named in our Hay guide, with an onward journey to the town; it is not the festival site itself. Choose accommodation around your final event and the return connection. Each official programme has its own dates, venues and booking arrangements.

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North of England

Compare the specialist crime weekend in Harrogate with the broader literary programmes in Durham and Ilkley, then explore the additional festivals below. The region also offers poetry, city events and smaller town visits, so begin with the kind of reading that brings you out of the house. Leeds is the rail connection discussed in the Ilkley guide; Durham and Harrogate have their own station information. Check the onward route for the event you choose, especially where a programme uses more than one venue. A regional shortlist can help you choose a manageable journey.

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Midlands

Stratford's spring and autumn editions give the Midlands two different opportunities for a festival visit. Birmingham, Derby, Lichfield, Newark and Warwick add other choices in the regional directory, including a dedicated history festival at Warwick Words. Choose a programme around the day you can travel, then check the precise venue before deciding where to stay. Birmingham New Street is a major rail arrival to consider when planning a Birmingham visit; Stratford has its own station and onward-route guidance. Follow the transport operator for the actual service you need, including the journey home after your last event.

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South West

Bath, Cheltenham and Chalke offer different ways to make a festival break: a town or city programme, or a history festival visit near Broad Chalke. The wider directory extends the choice to other literary festivals across the South West. Bath Spa, Cheltenham Spa and Salisbury are the rail arrivals covered by those guides, with onward travel to check for the specific festival. Use a favourite event to choose your day, then compare a central base with a wider stay. Leave room for meals and time between venues instead of filling every available hour.

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South East and London

Oxford and Henley are the starting points in our full guides, with London and other South East festivals in the wider directory. Compare a university-city visit with a riverside town or a programme closer to home. Oxford has its own station information, while the Henley guide explains the rail connection through Twyford. London journeys need the station or stop for the actual venue, not simply the festival's name. Choose the return journey before adding an evening session. A short festival visit can work well with one essential conversation and time to explore around it.

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More regional festival guides

Wales and the Marches

Hay Festival Winter Weekend

South West

Bath Children's Literature Festival

South East and London

Cambridge Literary Festival

North of England

Bradford Literature Festival

North of England

Manchester Literature Festival

North of England

Off the Shelf Festival of Words

South East and London

Charleston Festival

South East and London

Wimbledon BookFest