Lichfield Literature Festival

Lichfield Literature Festival returns from 18 to 21 March 2027. This is the spring literature festival, separate from the organisation’s summer arts festival.

The programme brings together writers discussing fiction, history, politics, architecture, science and other subjects. For visitors, the appeal is the opportunity to combine different conversations in one trip, with sessions held in venues around central Lichfield.

The cards below describe events from 19–22 March 2026, the festival’s twentieth edition. They include historical fiction, British political history, the Tudors, food and neuroscience. Use the new programme to choose the events for your next visit.

For an overnight stay, begin with the timetable and the venues. Lichfield has two railway stations with different roles, and the accommodation that best suits an afternoon arrival may not be the most convenient choice after an evening event. Planning can give you a more relaxed first day and a straightforward journey home.

Which Lichfield festival?

Lichfield Literature Festival is the spring book festival run by Lichfield Festival. It is separate from the organisation’s summer arts programme.

Use the literature festival’s own page when checking dates and events. A general festival search can bring up concerts, summer performances and material from earlier years.

A ticket offer, venue detail or programme announcement attached to the summer festival should not automatically be applied to the March literature weekend.

For accommodation and transport, work from the date and venue on your actual event ticket. If you are asking a property about a festival stay, say that you mean the March literature festival and give the dates.

Once you have the correct programme, choose the sessions, group them by venue and look at where a meal or a break fits between them.

What kind of programme should you expect?

The 2026 edition shows a broad approach to books and ideas. Readers could move from a historical novel to the life of a writer, from architecture to medicine, or from a discussion of British politics to a book about food.

That range can make the festival enjoyable for people with different interests travelling together. You do not have to choose identical sessions to make a shared weekend work. A common meal or an evening event can give you a meeting point while leaving space for individual choices during the day.

If you are visiting for the first time, start with one event you want to hear. Add a contrasting subject instead of filling the timetable immediately. Two conversations you can enjoy comfortably may be more satisfying than a crowded sequence with little time to eat or find the next venue.

Read the event descriptions closely. A book title can suggest one subject while the conversation opens into another. The chair, format and setting may also influence which session appeals to you.

You do not need to have read every book beforehand. If a subject interests you, a festival conversation can be an introduction and a way to decide what you want to read next.

What’s on

Tickets and choosing your days

The published dates are Thursday 18 to Sunday 21 March 2027. Check the official website for the programme, individual event times and the opening of booking.

Until those details are available, use the dates to consider travel and accommodation. Avoid committing to a day solely because an author appeared on that day in a previous edition.

If you book a room early, look closely at the cancellation terms. A booking helps most when its deadline gives you time to read the programme and decide whether the stay fits the events you want.

For a one-day visit, choose the programme first and the return journey second. That can help you avoid buying an evening ticket and later discovering that your preferred train leaves too early.

For a longer trip, consider which days are likely to feel comfortable for travelling. You may prefer to arrive before your first festival day, or leave after a final afternoon event instead of staying another night.

Follow the literature festival’s booking information for the new programme. The festival offers booking online, by telephone and by email. Its information also describes door sales at most events from 30 minutes before the start, subject to availability. If there is a session you want, booking ahead is the more dependable way to plan the trip.

The festival’s booking number is 01543 306271. Contact the box office about questions affecting your purchase, including access and carer concessions.

Read the details for the actual event. Check the date, start time, venue and any conditions before paying. If you are booking for someone else, make sure the seating and access suit them too. Avoid applying a discount or offer from a different festival or year.

The festival venues

The festival’s venue information identifies several central locations used by the literature programme. Check the building attached to your chosen event.

The Hub at St Mary’s is in Market Square, Lichfield WS13 6LG. The festival gives an indicative walk of about six minutes from Lichfield City station.

The George Hotel is at 12–14 Bird Street, Lichfield WS13 6PR. The festival gives an indicative walk of seven minutes from Lichfield City station.

Lichfield Guildhall is on Bore Street, Lichfield WS13 6LX. Its festival page gives an indicative five-minute walk from Lichfield City station.

Those walking times are starting points, not a promise about your journey. Allow more time if you have luggage, need a slower pace or want to find the entrance before the session. Save each address with its ticket.

Venue map

1. The Hub at St Mary’s: Market Square, Lichfield WS13 6LG
2. George Hotel: 12–14 Bird Street, Lichfield WS13 6PR
3. Lichfield Guildhall: Bore Street, Lichfield WS13 6LX

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Check the event entrance separately.

Official venue map and directions. Check the building, room and entrance for your event.

If you need step-free access or a suitable drop-off, ask for advice before relying on a suggested walking route.

Getting there

By train

Lichfield’s two stations serve different purposes for a festival visit. Lichfield Trent Valley has direct connections towards London Euston and the north. The festival’s travel information also describes a connection between Trent Valley and Lichfield City.

Lichfield City has direct trains from Birmingham New Street and is the station used as the reference point in the central venue walking directions.

Check the station named on your ticket and journey plan. A train to Trent Valley does not leave you in the same place as a train to City.

For an arrival close to your first event, include the onward connection and final walk in the timetable. The time your long-distance train reaches Lichfield may not be the time you can reach the venue.

If you have luggage, decide whether to go to your accommodation first. Ask about storage if the event begins before check-in.

For the return, start with the end of your final session and allow time to leave the venue, reach the right station and make any connection. Choose a plan with a margin instead of one that depends on everything happening immediately.

A day trip from Birmingham or farther away

The direct rail connection from Birmingham New Street makes a train journey worth considering for a day visit. Check the timetable for your actual date, including the services after the event you want.

For travel from farther away, compare a same-day return with an overnight stay. The room cost is one part of that decision; the freedom to choose a later event or avoid an early start may matter too.

Do not assume that an evening return will be as straightforward as the outward journey. Check connections, station changes and any service information that applies to the date.

If your plans depend on a last practical train, leave a suitable margin at the end of the event. Make that decision before booking instead of spending the final part of a conversation worrying about the journey.

Keep an accommodation option in mind if the programme spreads your interests across two days. One night may let you combine sessions that would be awkward as separate day trips.

By car

The festival’s travel page points drivers towards the A38, A5 and M6 Toll and links to local parking information. Use current directions and parking conditions for your visit.

Before travelling, decide where you intend to leave the car. Check charges, permitted duration and the journey from the car park to your first venue.

If you are staying overnight, ask whether parking is included, charged separately or needs reserving. Find out whether you can use it before check-in or after checkout if your festival plans extend beyond those times.

A central stay may let you organise the festival on foot once parked. Check your own venue sequence before deciding that you will not need the car again.

If someone is dropping you off, agree the meeting point and collection plan in advance. Ask the venue for advice if mobility or luggage affects where you can get out.

Allow enough time for the final approach. The driving journey does not finish when you reach Lichfield: you still need to park, find the building and settle into the event.

Accessibility

Contact the festival before booking if you need information about a venue, seating, a carer ticket or the approach from a station or car park.

Explain the practical requirements of the visit. Say whether you need step-free access, have difficulty with stairs or standing, use a wheelchair or need a seating position.

Ask about the event room, instead of only the building. A venue name alone may not answer all the questions that matter to you.

If you plan more than one session, consider the route between them and the time available. A comfortable arrival at the first venue does not settle the rest of the day.

The walking times on the venue pages are indicative. Choose your own allowance and arrange transport where a suggested walk is unsuitable.

Check accommodation access separately, including entrances, bedroom and bathroom layout, breakfast space and parking or drop-off. Confirm any essential detail before making a booking that depends on it.

Food and breaks

The festival’s visitor information points to places to eat and drink, and the Hub at St Mary’s has a bar and snacks. Check opening and service times for your visit.

Build food into the timetable instead of hoping to fit it into whichever short interval remains. A meal before an evening session can be more relaxed than trying to find something afterwards.

If you want a restaurant, check how much time to allow and whether it needs booking. Include the journey back to the event.

For dietary requirements that need preparation, speak directly to the provider. A general menu description may not answer your question.

Leave a little uncommitted time as well. You may want to discuss a book, look at a title you have just heard about or simply sit down before the next conversation.

If you are visiting with others, a meal can be a meeting point when your event choices differ. Agree the place and time beforehand so that everyone can enjoy their sessions without repeated messages.

Where to stay

Choose accommodation around the programme, the stations and the journeys you want to make during the visit. The Lichfield stay guide compares bases and named properties.

The George Hotel is both a named accommodation option on the festival’s stay page and a literature festival venue. Check the actual room, booking conditions and parking or access requirements.

The festival also names Premier Inn Lichfield and St John’s House among its suggestions. Follow the property information before choosing a room, and check the full address and route to your events.

A city-centre base may make it easier to leave luggage, take a break and attend an evening session. A property farther away may suit your wider plans, but compare the complete return journey before paying.

If you arrive by rail, include the station-to-accommodation journey and the onward route to your first event. If you drive, settle parking at the same time as the room.

Plan your days

Start with the event you would be most disappointed to miss. Put it into your plan, then look at what happens before and afterwards.

Check the venues as well as the times. Two sessions may look close together in the programme but still require you to leave one building, find another and settle into a different room.

A first-day plan might combine a familiar subject with something new. A reader attracted by history could choose science or food as a contrast. Make that choice from the new programme instead of expecting the 2026 subjects to return.

If travelling home the same day, work backwards from a sensible departure. One fewer session may give you a more comfortable return. For an overnight visit, consider whether you want to return to your room before an evening event and leave enough time for that break.

Confirm accommodation arrival and departure details, especially if you want an event before check-in or after checkout. Save tickets, venue addresses, transport information and any access correspondence together. Check the programme once more for changes before travelling.

FAQs

What are the next literature festival dates?

Lichfield Literature Festival runs from 18 to 21 March 2027. It is separate from Lichfield Festival’s summer arts programme.

Which railway station should I use?

Check your route. City serves central venue approaches and Birmingham connections; Trent Valley has London and north connections with an onward City link.

Can I buy a ticket at the door?

The festival describes door sales from 30 minutes before most events, subject to availability. Book a must-see session ahead through the official box office.

Can you go to Lichfield Literature Festival without a ticket?

Tickets are needed for events; check the official box office for the session you want.

How far ahead should I book a room for Lichfield Literature Festival?

If you book before the programme is available, read the cancellation terms carefully. Note the deadline and revisit the choice when you know which days you want. Compare the stay advice.

Sources

Checked 28 October 2026:

• Literature festival.
• 2027 dates.
• Official venues and addresses.
• Official travel.
• Booking.
• Food and accommodation.
• 2026 programme announcement.