Bury St Edmunds Literature Festival 2025

Bury St Edmunds Literature Festival will return for its 7th annual festival on 9th-12th October 2025 with a host of exciting events, talks and discussions with some of the most exciting authors in literature.

Join Bury St Edmunds Literature Festival next autumn to celebrate books and writing in the heart of East Anglia, here in Bury St Edmunds.

At the heart of the Bury St Edmunds Literature Festival is a wide array of fabulous author events.

There’s fiction in every genre from fêted authors (including Sarah Perry, Louis de Bernieres, Ferdia Lennon, Louise Doughty, Laura Shepherd Robinson, Emma Healey), debut authors (including Ferdia Lennon, Emily Buchanan, Marie O’Hare), local authors (including Wendy Holden and Katie Ward) and best-selling authors (including Chris Whitaker and Jennifer Saint) who are appearing in the area for the first time.

For those who prefer non-fiction the festival is excited to present riveting and rigorous author discussions that cover everything from the enduring spirit of Ukraine (STRONG ROOTS; BREAD & WAR - with Olia Hercules & Felicity Spector) and the story of our town’s eponymous Saint (SAINTS - with Amy Jeffs) to a joyful exploration of the impact reading can have on our happiness (READ YOURSELF HAPPY - with Daisy Buchanan, Nikki May & Isabelle Broome).

For children, there's *free* ticketed events for all age groups; there’s sensory storytelling for babies and preschoolers (That’s Not My…at Waterstones Arc), interactive storytelling workshops for kids (Serena Patel at Bury St Edmunds Library) and an exploration of expression through poetry, rap and verse for young people (Ashley Hickson-Lovence at Unitarian Meeting Hall). All this to complement an expanded programme for local schools that covers all Key Stages, with brilliant author-led onsite school events presented as part of the festival's creative writing competition (the entries for which close on 20th July!)

This year the festival is expanding beyond author events and forging new partnerships to deliver exciting new workshops and events.

The festival is delighted to be working with Gold Dust Writer Mentoring to offer their first Creative Writing Workshops (which are sold as a full day or individual sessions), Wensum Trust, Usborne Books, Bury St Edmunds Library and Waterstones Bury St Edmunds Arc to expand the children's programme, Abbeygate Cinema for film screenings to complement their literary events (Heaven in Auschwitz - for Wendy Holden’s THE TEACHER OF AUSCHWITZ, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - for Louis de Bernières & Akenfield - for Ian Collin’s Blythe Spirit) and Bury Tour Guides who have curated a very special guided walk taking in sites of literary note across the town. In addition to this, the festival is offering a half-day gardening workshop with author/gardeners Sally Morgan and Becky Searle which is the perfect practical accompaniment to their author talk on their books that tackle gardening for climate change.

Tickets on general sale Thursday 3rd July at the Bury St Edmunds Literature Festival Box Office.