Cheltenham Literature Festival reveals free programme for 75th anniversary

The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival has announced a programme of free events as part of its 75^th anniversary celebrations, taking audiences on an exciting literary expedition within its Festival Village and beyond.

A collage of images of Muna Mone, Pebble Daisy, Sharky and George.

Each year, Cheltenham Festivals – the charity behind this celebration of books, readers and creatives – ensures through its free programme that joy, curiosity and a sense of community are inspired in its Festival-goers. In this 75^th year, the world’s longest-running literature festival continues to reaffirm its commitment to enabling and expanding access to the arts: spanning everything from spoken word poetry to live music, over 25% of the 500+ events hosted by the Literature Festival are free.

To further mark the Festival’s 75^th anniversary, the Festival will introduce a brand-new venue. The Snug will welcome book and language lovers to a peaceful retreat, featuring everything from colouring workshops and literary-themed sketch clubs to tailor-made book recommendations, linguistically challenging quizzes, post-event discussions and more.

Connecting Communities

The Festival has a long-standing and important relationship with the town it calls home. Local community project and sound installation, My Voice, My Cheltenham, will explore Cheltenham over the last 75 years, featuring stories from local community members and their hopes for the future.

Much-loved venue, The Huddle, remains a dedicated space for post-event debate and discussion, right at the heart of the Festival. The space features a diverse programme teaming with local talent and writers, including a poetry showcase from Cheltenham Poetry Festival, live music from The Music Works featuring British-Nigerian artist Munda Mone and Stroud-based Pebble Daisy, as well as a Local Voices series including a first glimpse into The AnonyMums, an (as yet) unpublished cosy crime series about two crime-solving mothers.

The Literature Festival’s overarching theme, ‘Read the World’ is particularly well represented throughout its free programme. Highlights are set to include Literary Explorer in Residence for the Festival Ann Morgan, who will take to the stage to share her international reading habits and top global literary picks. Japan expert Lesley Downer shares a short history of the country, from mythical origins to pop culture. Cheltenham Welcomes Refugees and Gloucestershire Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers present traditional stories from refugees and asylum seekers. Festival-goers can also hear from Cheltenham's Ukrainian Community who will present wartime poetry written by Ukrainian authors.

A collage of images of Bradley Taylor, Jack Edwards, Jess Phillips.

Inspiring Families

Children and families are always an important focus of the free programme. Families can explore The Wild Wood for the chance to meet their favourite book characters, Elmer, Supertato and the Gruffalo and enjoy fun and games with Sharky and George. Everything from musical mash ups, live draw-alongs, pantomime dames and stories from around the world await in Story Shack, with authors such as Leo Timmers, Sally Pomme Clayton and Huw Lewis-Jones. There is also the chance to get creative in The Den from mask making to book cover designing. Families can embark on a cryptic treasure hunt inspired by Sam Sedgman’s The Clockwork Conspiracy and Bing’s Leaf Hunt, plus there is also the chance to meet authors for short story sessions in the Waterstones Children’s Bookshop too.

A collaboration with Cheltenham Paint Festival will bring favourite children’s books to life in a series of live paintings that will reimagine book covers for Oi Dinosaurs!, Marv and Elmer. The giant books will be painted and showcased in in Montpellier Gardens, including a young graphic novel edition of H.G Wells’ War of the Worlds.

Sparking Readers’ Curiosity

As part of its free offer, the Literature Festival will spark the curiosity of literary lovers and first-timers alike. From James Walton’s infamous Big Book Quiz, to Lit Crawl 2024 – a fast-paced evening of pop-up events and quirky happenings at venues from the Wilson to Beefy Boys – there is something for everyone to explore. Birmingham-based poet, Bradley Taylor performs spoken word and creates bespoke poetry, Sally Pomme Clayton delves into Greek myth with a selection of soulful stories, and Moth Sanctuary Productions celebrate the works and life of Edgar Allen Poe in a gothic cabaret.

New for 2024, book lovers can enjoy the best of times in Times Square, the brand-new space from The Times and Sunday Times. Guests can kick back with a complimentary newspaper, continue the conversation post-event in the Times Radio Speaker’s Corner or unwind in the TLS Reading Area to reflect away from the hustle and bustle of the Festival Village. In addition, The Sunday Times Best Sellers Gallery will feature reviews from The Sunday Times’ most popular reads over the past 50 years. There will also be the chance to enjoy a daily dose of complimentary wine tastings at the Headline Bar’s Wine Hour, hosted by The Sunday Times wine columnist and Will Lyons, who will be joined by a different guest each day to celebrate the very best of the Sunday Times Wine Club. Audiences can head across the way to the Times Radio Tour Bus to test their general knowledge and win exclusive merchandise.

A collage of images of Ben West, Sophia Kaur Badhan, Tasha Bailey.

The free programme wouldn’t be complete without the return of VOICEBOX. Back for its fourth year, VOICEBOX brings youth voices and ideas to the forefront through a programme of talks, workshops, music, comedy and more. Spotlighting emerging and established talent and focusing on everything from changemaking to demystifying mental health and the truths behind investigative journalism, the pop-up venue will shine a light on the topics and trends that matter to young adults. Highlights include: author, YouTuber and the internet’s ‘resident librarian’ Jack Edwards joins the line-up as VOICEBOX’s first content creator-in-residence, MP Jess Phillips discusses the role of language in preventing male violence with campaign group This Ends Now and Gloucestershire Constabulary, leading mental health campaigners Ben West and Sophia Kaur Badhan are joined by psychotherapist Tasha Bailey to explore youth mental health, and award-winning comedian and writer Daniel Foxx presents his famous bedtime stories for the fabulously wealthy.

Continuing its commitment to talent development across the publishing industry, VOICEBOX features proof parties with #Merky Books and brazen. 40% of the programme features local talent too: Gloucestershire-based journalist Jack Shute returns with the Queer Takeover to tackle LGBTQ+ issues, students from across Cheltenham interview musician and author Jordan Stephens, and VOICEBOX’s opening night features OnTheRise Collective, the 18 – 30s youth programming group that creates, plans and delivers events across Cheltenham Festivals.

Nicola Tuxworth, Head of Programming for Cheltenham Literature Festival, said: “Every year we’re thrilled to be able to share this stellar programme of free events with our audiences, thanks to the generosity of our supporters, and this year feels particularly special as we celebrate our 75^th year. The breadth and diversity of our programme continues to give voice to the very best emerging writers, while showcasing the talents of our local community in a celebration of performance, spoken word and beyond.

“So come and join us, all for free – the more the merrier!”