London Literature Festival 2026: Key Dates & Curator
Dua Lipa is interviewing Zadie Smith about White Teeth. Two days later she’s on stage with Patti Smith. Michael Douglas is doing a night. Ta-Nehisi Coates is opening the whole thing.
The London Literature Festival has been running on the South Bank for the better part of two decades, and this year it’s been handed to a pop star who founded a book club, and the line-up is the strongest it’s looked in years.
Tuesday 20 October to Sunday 1 November 2026, across the Southbank Centre.
When: Tuesday 20 October – Sunday 1 November 2026
Where: Southbank Centre – Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room & Clore Ballroom
Guest curator: Dua Lipa, in partnership with the Service95 Book Club
“The line-up is the strongest it’s looked in years.”
Dua Lipa as Guest Curator
If that sounds like a stunt, it isn’t quite. Dua Lipa founded the Service95 Book Club in 2022 and has been doing serious author interviews on it since – long-form conversations, properly prepared, with writers who don’t normally do pop culture crossovers.
She’s curated this year’s festival and appears in three events herself.
Dua Lipa & Zadie Smith: White Teeth
Saturday 24 October, 3pm, Royal Festival Hall. Smith’s debut novel and one of the defining London books of the last thirty years. Note this one is flagged 15+ and is already showing as last few tickets.
Dua Lipa & Mustafa: Nour
Saturday 24 October, 8pm, Royal Festival Hall.
Dua Lipa & Patti Smith: Bread of Angels
Sunday 25 October, 7.30pm, Royal Festival Hall. Patti Smith’s new memoir. This is the one people will be talking about.
“This is the one people will be talking about.”
The Rest of the Line-Up
| Date | Event | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 21 Oct, 7.30pm | Ta-Nehisi Coates & Tareq Baconi: On Freedom | Queen Elizabeth Hall |
| Thu 22 Oct, 7.45pm | Nadia Murad in Conversation | Purcell Room |
| Wed 28 Oct, 8pm | Malorie Blackman: Noughts & Crosses at 25 | Queen Elizabeth Hall |
| Wed 28 Oct, 7.30pm | Michael Douglas: One Helluva Ride | Royal Festival Hall |
| Wed 28 Oct, 7.45pm | Samanta Schweblin in the Translated Fiction Showcase | Purcell Room |
| Fri 30 Oct, 8pm | Kae Tempest in Service95 Book Club: Fierce Sounds | Queen Elizabeth Hall |
| Sat 31 Oct, 7.45pm | Caleb Azumah Nelson in Rewriting Male Tenderness | Purcell Room |
| Sat 31 Oct, 12pm | Censorship Live! with Service95 and English PEN | Purcell Room |
| Sun 1 Nov, 8pm | Hanif & Carlo Kureishi: Are You With Me Now? | Queen Elizabeth Hall |
A few of these are worth a second look: Nadia Murad in Conversation is with the Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Malorie Blackman’s Noughts & Crosses at 25 marks twenty-five years of a book that changed what British YA fiction could do. And Sunday’s closing night, Hanif & Carlo Kureishi: Are You With Me Now?, is a father and son on stage together after everything the last few years have thrown at them.
The Free Events
Genuinely free, properly programmed, and the bit most people miss.
- Service95 Book Club: Authors of the Estate – Saturday 24 October, 2pm, Clore Ballroom.
- Creative Future Writers’ Day – Sunday 25 October, 10.30am, Purcell Room.
- Creative Encounters: Manifesto Library – Wednesday 28 October, 6pm, Clore Ballroom.
- Cardboard Citizens: The Meaning of Home – Friday 30 October, 10.30am, Clore Ballroom. Family workshop.
- Search for a Story – Thursday 29 October to Sunday 1 November, Clore Ballroom. Family drop-in, and it runs right across half term.
If You’ve Got Kids
The festival lands squarely on October half term, and there’s a proper family strand.
The Smeds and the Smoos – Wednesday 28 October to Sunday 1 November, Queen Elizabeth Hall. The Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler book, adapted for stage. Ticketed.
Plus the free Search for a Story drop-in and the Cardboard Citizens workshop above.
Where to Go Before or After
Most of these events run 7.30pm or 8pm, which leaves you with an early evening to fill and a decision to make about dinner.
We’re Draughts Waterloo, at Arch 16 inside the Leake Street Arches – the graffiti tunnel under Waterloo station. It’s about ten minutes’ walk to the Royal Festival Hall.
Bar, proper kitchen, over 1,000 board games. Come at six, eat something decent, play a game, walk down the river.
And if you’re doing an afternoon event – the Zadie Smith conversation finishes around 4.15pm, Censorship Live! ends early afternoon – come after instead. There is no better way to spend the rest of a Saturday than arguing about a book over a game and a drink.
Half term week gets busy. Book ahead. draughtslondon.com
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the London Literature Festival 2026?
Tuesday 20 October to Sunday 1 November 2026, at the Southbank Centre on London’s South Bank. Note that some unofficial listings give different dates – the Southbank Centre’s own listing confirms 20 October to 1 November.
Who is curating the London Literature Festival 2026?
Dua Lipa is the guest curator. She founded the Service95 Book Club in 2022 and appears in three events during the festival, including conversations with Zadie Smith and Patti Smith.
Who is appearing at the London Literature Festival 2026?
Confirmed names include Dua Lipa, Zadie Smith, Patti Smith, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Michael Douglas, Malorie Blackman, Kae Tempest, Nadia Murad, Caleb Azumah Nelson, Samanta Schweblin, Mustafa, and Hanif and Carlo Kureishi.
Are there free events at the London Literature Festival?
Yes. Free events include Service95 Book Club: Authors of the Estate, Creative Future Writers’ Day, Creative Encounters: Manifesto Library, the Cardboard Citizens family workshop, and the Search for a Story family drop-in which runs from 29 October to 1 November.
Is the London Literature Festival good for families?
Yes – it falls across October half term. The Smeds and the Smoos, adapted from the Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler book, runs at the Queen Elizabeth Hall from 28 October to 1 November, and there are free family drop-in sessions and workshops in the Clore Ballroom.
Where is the London Literature Festival held?
Across the Southbank Centre – the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and Clore Ballroom, all on the South Bank between Waterloo and Embankment.
How do I get to the London Literature Festival?
Waterloo station is around five minutes’ walk and is served by the Jubilee, Northern and Bakerloo lines plus National Rail. Embankment and Charing Cross are a short walk across the Golden Jubilee Bridges.
How much are London Literature Festival tickets?
Prices vary by event and are shown at the point of booking on the Southbank Centre website. Several events are free, and multi-buy offers are available across the programme.
Where should I eat before a London Literature Festival event?
Draughts Waterloo is at Arch 16, Leake Street, SE1 7NN, about ten minutes’ walk from the Royal Festival Hall. We serve food and drinks to your table alongside over 1,000 board games, which makes it a better option than a rushed pre-show meal.
How long has the London Literature Festival been running?
It has run at the Southbank Centre for close to two decades and is described as the longest-running literature festival in London. 2026 is also the Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary year – the site opened on 1 May 1951 for the Festival of Britain.
