A book festival, with room for a proper break
Cheltenham Literature Festival brings readers into Montpellier Gardens for conversations about books, ideas and the world around them. This guide is for planning the journey, choosing a sensible base and making space between events. Buy tickets from Cheltenham Festivals itself and use its programme as the final reference for the venue and arrangements attached to each booking.
The next festival runs from 8 to 17 October 2027. The festival generally runs across ten days in October. Check the venue on each event listing before choosing tickets, and revisit the official festival page before committing to travel.
Quick answers
Venues across Cheltenham; check each event's venue.
For the 2026 programme, members’ booking opened on 27 August and public booking on 3 September. Check the official site for this year’s date. Official source
- When: usually ten days in October; next festival: 8–17 October 2027.
- Where: Montpellier Gardens is the main festival hub, with events also listed in town venues.
- Tickets: book individual events through Cheltenham Festivals; an online account is needed.
- Station: Cheltenham Spa. The organiser’s visitor guide gives a 20-minute walk to the Festival Village; its venue pages give 25 minutes to Montpellier Gardens. Allow for your own pace and luggage.
- Book ahead: prioritise the events you would be disappointed to miss, then arrange a stay with suitable cancellation terms.
- What's on: see this year's highlights and the next festival's dates in What's on below.
What’s on
What it was like in 2026
These events took place in 2026. Explore the conversations, books and ideas that shaped the festival.
Crime and thrillers
Ian Rankin: The Heights
· The Cunard Stage, Town Hall
Ian Rankin discussed his standalone thriller about a murdered concierge and the powerful residents of an exclusive high-rise.
Richard Osman
· The Times and Sunday Times Forum
Richard Osman explored the characters, mysteries and twists of We Chase Shadows, alongside his journey into writing crime fiction.
2026 event detailsAt 2 festivals in 2026
Andrew and Lee Child
· The Times and Sunday Times Forum
Andrew and Lee Child discussed Chain Reaction, their writing partnership, Jack Reacher’s continuing appeal and the screen adaptations.
2026 event detailsAt 2 festivals in 2026
Fiction
Maggie O’Farrell
· The Times and Sunday Times Forum
Maggie O’Farrell introduced Land, following an Irish family divided while mapping a country devastated by the Great Hunger.
2026 event detailsAt 4 festivals in 2026
Robert Harris
· The Cunard Stage, Town Hall
Robert Harris returned to ancient Rome, exploring friendship and power through Octavius and Agrippa after Julius Caesar’s murder.
2026 event detailsAt 2 festivals in 2026
Elif Shafak
· The Cunard Stage, Town Hall
Elif Shafak discussed One Brief Moment All Eternity, portraying Gustave Flaubert through the women who shaped his life.
2026 event detailsAt 4 festivals in 2026
History
David Olusoga
· The Times and Sunday Times Forum
David Olusoga reflected on his writing and broadcasting career, including A House Through Time and bringing overlooked histories to wider audiences.
2026 event detailsAt 2 festivals in 2026
Lucy Worsley: Queens and Kings
· The Times and Sunday Times Forum
Lucy Worsley drew on her work at Historic Royal Palaces to explore the plots and power struggles of Britain’s royal past.
2026 event detailsAt 2 festivals in 2026
Antony Beevor: Rasputin
· The Cunard Stage, Town Hall
Antony Beevor examined Rasputin’s influence on the Romanov dynasty and the stories that helped undermine the Russian imperial regime.
2026 event detailsAt 5 festivals in 2026
Politics and society
Jeremy Hunt: Can We Be Rich Again?
· The Times and Sunday Times Forum
Jeremy Hunt discussed Britain’s economic prospects, considering stagnant living standards and lessons that might be drawn from other countries.
Sajid Javid: A 1970s Childhood
· Garden Theatre
Sajid Javid reflected on growing up in 1970s Britain, discussing poverty, racism and his path into public life.
Braver New World
· Pillar Room, Town Hall
John Kampfner explored practical ideas from ten countries, addressing challenges in education, healthcare, social care and renewable energy.
Food and everyday life
Mary Berry
· The Times and Sunday Times Forum
Mary Berry discussed her love of gardening with Mel Giedroyc, sharing seasonal advice and stories spanning the kitchen and garden.
2026 event detailsAt 3 festivals in 2026
Philippa Perry and Richard Coles
· Garden Theatre
Philippa Perry and Richard Coles discussed crime novels inspired by their professions, involving a psychotherapist’s investigation and a choir soloist’s death.
2026 event detailsAt 5 festivals in 2026
Growing Old Disgracefully
· The Times and Sunday Times Forum
Gyles Brandreth discussed The 7 Secrets of the 100 Year Life in a conversation about finding enjoyment in growing older.
2026 event detailsAt 3 festivals in 2026
Children and families
Real Animals, Remarkable Tales
· Parabola Arts Centre
Michael Morpurgo and Chloe Dalton shared readings and conversation about animals, from war horses to wild hares, and the stories they inspire.
2026 event detailsAt 4 festivals in 2026
Cressida Cowell: Dragons and Magic
· Garden Theatre
Cressida Cowell combined live drawing and storytelling with dragons, Vikings and space travel, offering ideas for children’s writing and drawing.
2026 event detailsAt 3 festivals in 2026
Draw with Rob: The Last Wolf
· Garden Theatre
Rob Biddulph led a live drawing session and introduced The Last Wolf alongside Pip, the young goose from his picture book.
2026 event detailsAt 5 festivals in 2026
More 2026 conversations
Scene of the Crime
· Pillar Room, Cheltenham Town Hall
The writers explored place, landscape and crime fiction.
2026 event detailsAt 2 festivals in 2026
David Szalay with Clare Clark
· Garden Theatre
Szalay discussed Flesh, masculinity, power and fate with Clark.
Explore the full official 2026 programme.
Authors who appeared
About the festival
The organiser describes Cheltenham as the world’s longest-running literature festival. Its programme brings together fiction, poetry, new writers and established literary voices, with speakers exploring ideas beyond the bookshelf. You do not need to have read every book beforehand. Pick a subject that interests you, read the event description and give yourself permission to discover someone whose work you have never tried.
For a first visit, it helps to think of the festival as a collection of separate experiences. An interview is different from a panel discussion; a family activity has different expectations from an evening conversation. Read the listing rather than choosing on a name alone. The organiser also publishes family information, so adults arranging a visit with children should begin with that programme and its age guidance.
Solo visitors can shape a day around their own reading interests, while friends can split up for different events and meet afterwards. Agree a meeting point and a time before separating. A festival day need not involve a full run of tickets: leaving a gap for lunch, browsing or a walk can make the events you do attend easier to enjoy.
When to go and what to book first
The next festival runs from 8 to 17 October 2027. Follow Cheltenham Festivals for programme and ticket announcements, or subscribe to its news for updates. Choose the sessions you want to see before arranging time off around a particular event.
Start by deciding how much of the festival you want. A day visit is easier if your journey leaves enough room before the first event and after the last one. A weekend gives you more flexibility, but accommodation and transport become part of the decision. If you reserve a room before choosing events, read the cancellation deadline and keep a record of it.
Once the programme is available, make two lists: essential events and optional ones. Check the actual venue, start time and finish information for each. Two events that appear to fit neatly on paper may leave no room for a queue, a toilet stop or moving between buildings. Build your day around the essentials and add the optional bookings only when the journey between them makes sense.
Venues and finding your way
Montpellier Gardens is the main festival site. The Garden Theatre and The Times and Sunday Times Forum are both listed there as reserved venues. Their venue pages state step-free access and hearing loops covering only part of the stalls. If loop coverage matters to your booking, ask the box office to help you select a suitable seat rather than assuming any seat will work.
Cheltenham Town Hall, on Imperial Square, contains the Cunard Stage and the Pillar Room in the literature venue directory. The Pillar Room is described as unreserved. Its page describes a ramp at the main entrance, step-free access into the room, accessible ground-floor toilets and no hearing loop. Arrive with time to find the correct entrance and follow any event-specific seating instructions.
Parabola Arts Centre, on Bayshill Road, is listed as a reserved venue. The festival gives a six-minute walk from Montpellier Gardens. Its no-step entrance is on the Parabola Road side, with push-pad access. The page contains conflicting wording about hearing equipment, so contact the box office directly about your requirements. Do not plan an access-dependent visit around a general description alone.
Other listed spaces include Everyman Theatre, Hotel du Vin, Queens Hotel and its Regency Suite and Victoria’s Restaurant, The Nook On Five, The Wilson Gallery, The Centaur and Dunkertons Tap Room in seated and standing formats. The directory also lists The Hive, VOICEBOX, Waterstones Children’s Bookshop and a VIP Lounge in Partnership with Cunard. These names are useful when reading a ticket, but the current programme must determine where you actually need to go. An entry labelled Offsite Event requires the address supplied with that event.
The map below marks the main hub, principal town venues, station and selected car parks. Pins indicate buildings or site areas, not the exact door of a temporary tent. Use the organiser’s current site map for the final approach, entrances and any changes within the gardens. Do not use a straight line between pins as a step-free walking route.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins show approximate building or site locations.
Tickets and the official box office
Use the official box office for event tickets. Cheltenham Festivals’ booking page says that online booking requires an account and that tickets are normally issued electronically. Check the separate ticket email as well as the order confirmation, save the documents before leaving home and make sure everyone in your group knows who holds the tickets.
Membership includes priority booking. Compare the current membership benefits with your plans, without treating membership as a guarantee of a particular ticket. The organiser says it does not operate an event waiting list. Donated tickets can return to sale. Its published policy generally makes tickets non-refundable except when an event is cancelled, with exchanges subject to availability and conditions. Read the live terms before paying.
The Festival Village is advertised as free to enter, alongside a programme that includes free activities. This is different from having entry to every talk. Open the individual listing to see whether you need a ticket, whether booking is required and what the admission conditions are. Never assume that buying one event gives you access to another event in the same venue.
If a session has sold out, check the official listing for returned availability and choose a second option you would enjoy. Avoid building an entire trip around an expectation of a return. For signings, follow the organiser’s event information and on-site guidance. A talk ticket should not be taken as a promise of a personal meeting, photograph or signed copy.
Getting there
By train
GWR identifies Cheltenham Spa as its station for Cheltenham. The festival’s own pages put the walk to the gardens at 20 or 25 minutes, depending on the page. Allow extra time to suit your own pace. Consider luggage, road crossings, weather and whether you want to arrive ready to go straight into an event. The festival also identifies a taxi rank at the station.
Check the rail operator’s journey planner for your actual dates, including the homeward leg. Engineering work, replacement transport and the last suitable connection matter more than a typical headline journey time. If you need assistance, arrange it with the railway through its current assistance process and check the station facilities relevant to your route. Leave a margin between your final event and the train you intend to catch.
By coach and local bus
National Express lists Royal Well as a Cheltenham coach stop and describes it as a four-minute walk from Montpellier Gardens. Check the stop named on your own booking, since the operator also serves Arle Court on some routes. A ticket to Cheltenham is not enough information to plan the final approach without checking exactly where you will get off.
Stagecoach’s Cheltenham network page covers services connecting the railway station, town centre and park-and-ride sites. Use its live journey planner rather than relying on a route number remembered from another visit. Enter the station or your accommodation as the starting point, then check the return route for the end of your evening. If your plans depend on a late bus, confirm that service before booking the late event.
By car
The council’s car park directory lists Chelt Walk, Rodney Road, St George’s Road and Regent Arcade, among other options. Compare the chosen car park’s opening arrangements, maximum stay and payment rules with your day. Do not assume that a space near the festival will be available, or that paying for parking lets you stay beyond a stated closure.
The official visitor information identifies park and ride at Arle Court and Cheltenham Racecourse. Check current operating days, the final return bus and any restrictions through council and operator information. Park and ride works best when the bus timetable suits your final event, not simply the start of your day. If you need accessible parking, read the council’s Blue Badge guidance and the specific car park details.
By bike
There are cycle racks throughout Montpellier Gardens. Bring a suitable lock, check where you are permitted to leave the bike and keep entrances and access routes clear. Plan the ride home as carefully as the ride in, including lighting and weather protection. The Town Hall’s venue information also identifies racks near Imperial Gardens behind the building.
Where to stay
See all places to stay for Cheltenham Literature Festival
Town centre and Montpellier
Choose this area if your main priority is keeping the festival site close to your accommodation. Compare the actual address with your event venues, especially if you are booking sessions beyond Montpellier Gardens. A central base can simplify breaks between talks, but check noise, stairs, lift access and whether breakfast fits your first booking. Reserve early for festival weeks and read the cancellation terms before paying.
Pittville and Prestbury
Consider these areas when you would prefer to separate your overnight base from the main festival hub. Judge each property by the route you will use, rather than assuming all addresses in an area offer the same convenience. Check the evening return, luggage arrangements and accessible room details directly. Pittville Park and the Pump Room can also give you a separate outing if your programme leaves enough space.
Winchcombe, Tewkesbury and a Cotswold base
A stay outside Cheltenham can work for a trip combining books with a wider visit. It adds a journey to each festival day, so price transport and parking alongside the room. Winchcombe is a useful place to consider if Sudeley Castle is part of your separate sightseeing plans; Tewkesbury is another base to compare. Check the complete evening journey before choosing either for a late-running programme.
Use the accommodation’s own information to compare facilities, total price, cancellation terms and location.
Food, coffee and a pause between talks
The festival visitor guide names the Feast Cafe and Festival Bar in Montpellier Gardens. Check the current site information for the food offer during your visit. Visit Cheltenham also points readers towards Montpellier, Imperial Square and the Promenade for eating near the festival. These areas give you places to investigate without needing to build a day around a particular restaurant claim.
Put a real meal break into the schedule. If you have dietary requirements, ask the provider directly about ingredients and preparation rather than relying on a general description. For a meal booked between events, tell the restaurant when you need to leave and avoid a booking that depends on everything running to the minute. Carry water and keep any food away from books and other visitors’ seats.
Accessibility and planning support
The organiser offers an access booking process for wheelchair users, people with visual impairments, d/Deaf visitors and people with particular seating or sensory requirements. It publishes personal assistant ticket arrangements with exclusions for events including a book or meal. Read the current eligibility and booking information and contact the team before buying if your visit depends on a particular arrangement.
The access page identifies adapted toilets at festival sites, welcomes assistance dogs and explains that BSL-interpreted and captioned events can be found using programme filters. Check the listing for the session you want; an access feature available at one event should not be assumed for another. Likewise, the partial loop coverage at the Garden Theatre and Forum makes seat choice important.
Think through the whole chain: getting from the station or car park, reaching the right entrance, using the toilet, sitting comfortably and returning to your accommodation. Tell the box office what would make the visit workable for you. A clear practical request is more useful than trying to infer everything from a venue label. Keep the team’s reply with your tickets.
Plan your days
A one-day visit
Start with one event you particularly want to attend and choose a second only after checking the gap and venue. Arrive early enough to find the site without rushing. Leave a lunch interval, then consider a walk around Montpellier or Imperial Gardens before the next booking. If you would like an indoor cultural stop, check The Wilson’s official opening and exhibition information before adding it.
Keep the evening flexible until you have settled the journey home. A final conversation over supper may suit your day better than another event followed by a dash to the station. This is a suggested shape for a visit, not a timed itinerary or a promise about which sessions will be available.
A weekend visit
Use your first day for the festival and give the second a different pace. Visit Cheltenham identifies Pittville Park and its Pump Room, plus The Wilson art gallery and museum, among local attractions. Check the individual venue’s visitor information for access and opening arrangements. Choose one extra outing that fits around your confirmed events rather than attempting to cover everything.
If you want a Cotswolds day out, give it its own travel allowance. Sudeley Castle’s official visitor information covers the castle and gardens at Winchcombe. Check its opening calendar, admission and access details separately from your festival bookings. You could extend a stay for that outing, but avoid inserting it between tightly spaced talks in Cheltenham.
Eight first-timer tips
- Book the sessions that matter most before filling the rest of your day.
- Read the venue name on every ticket, including separate rooms within a building.
- Take layers and rain protection for moving between tented spaces and town venues.
- Save tickets for offline use and charge your phone before travelling.
- For unreserved events such as the Pillar Room’s listed format, allow time to arrive and follow staff guidance.
- Check signing arrangements for the particular event instead of expecting a guaranteed signing.
- Leave room for food, toilets, travel and a bookshop browse.
- Check the last return service before you commit to an evening event.
Other Cheltenham festivals
Cheltenham Festivals also runs Jazz, Science and Music festivals. Visit their official pages for their own dates, programmes and booking arrangements. They are separate events: do not use a literature venue map or an October timetable to plan a visit to another festival.
First-timer questions
Is it suitable for children?
The festival publishes family events and activities as well as its adult programme. Choose using the event’s age guidance, format and booking conditions rather than assuming every literary talk is designed for children. Leave time for breaks and food, and check any accompanying-adult ticket requirement on the official listing before making a family booking.
Your Cheltenham questions
When is Cheltenham Literature Festival?
It usually runs for ten days in October. The next festival runs from 8 to 17 October 2027. Check the official festival page before booking travel, and use the current programme to choose individual sessions. Dates for the overall festival do not mean that a particular speaker or activity runs every day.
Where is Cheltenham Literature Festival held?
Montpellier Gardens is the main festival hub, with the Garden Theatre and Forum among the listed venues. The literature venue directory also includes town buildings such as Cheltenham Town Hall and Parabola Arts Centre. Read the venue and room on your event ticket rather than heading automatically to the gardens for every booking.
How do I get tickets?
Book through Cheltenham Festivals’ official website and box office. You need an online account for website booking, and membership offers priority booking under the organiser’s current conditions. Check the event listing and terms before paying. Keep the ticket document as well as your order confirmation, and arrange any access requirements before selecting unsuitable seats.
Where can I park?
Consult the council’s car park directory for Chelt Walk, Rodney Road, St George’s Road and Regent Arcade, then check the individual opening and payment arrangements. Official visitor information also identifies Arle Court and Cheltenham Racecourse park and ride. Compare the last return bus with your final event before choosing that option for an evening visit.
Can I visit without buying a talk ticket?
The organiser advertises a free-to-enter Festival Village and free activities, alongside separately ticketed events. Check the current programme for the activity you want, including whether free admission still requires a booking. A visit to the village can be part of your day, but it does not give automatic admission to a ticketed venue event.
What should I do if an event sells out?
Use the official event listing to look for returned availability. The organiser says it does not operate an event waiting list and makes donated tickets available for others to book. Choose an alternative event you would also enjoy, and avoid making non-refundable travel plans that rely on a sold-out ticket becoming available later.
Can you go to Cheltenham Literature Festival without a ticket?
The organiser advertises a free-to-enter Festival Village and free activities, alongside separately ticketed events. Check the current programme for the activity you want, including whether free admission still requires a booking. A visit to the village can be part of your day, but it does not give automatic admission to a ticketed venue event.
How far ahead should I book a room for Cheltenham Literature Festival?
Choose this part of the town by the events you intend to attend, especially if a day mixes a garden venue and a building elsewhere. A central room can make a reading break feel simple, but decide whether you will use it between bookings or spend the gap near the next talk. That changes what the location is worth to you. Confirm luggage storage before relying on an early arrival, and use the actual cancellation deadline when the programme is still ahead. Keep room and festival confirmations together so you can revisit the choice once the full timetable is settled. Compare the stay advice.
Official sources
- Cheltenham Festivals: dates and festival
- Cheltenham Festivals: visitor information
- Cheltenham Festivals: booking
- Cheltenham Festivals: access
- Cheltenham Festivals: venue directory
- Cheltenham Borough Council: car parks
- Visit Cheltenham: attractions
- GWR: trains to Cheltenham
- Stagecoach: Cheltenham network
- National Express: Cheltenham coaches
- Sudeley Castle: visitor information
Sources checked 21 October 2026. For current arrangements, use the organiser and operator links.