Tickets are now on sale for the Stoke Book Festival, taking place from 3–10 October 2026, bringing a week of authors, stories, creativity and culture to the city.
Stoke-on-Trent is getting ready for the Stoke Book Festival, with tickets now available for a selection of events across the week-long celebration.
Presented by Stoke Minster in partnership with Stoke-on-Trent City Council Libraries, Visit Stoke-on-Trent, YMCA North Staffordshire and the National Literacy Trust, the festival will bring together an exciting mix of established authors, local voices, family activities, workshops, school events and community celebrations.
Taking place during the National Year of Reading, the festival aims to make the joy of books and storytelling accessible to everyone, while celebrating the creativity and cultural heritage of Stoke-on-Trent.
The festival will showcase a broad mix of genres and interests, with audiences able to discover everything from crime and historical fiction to art, gardens, children's literature and local stories. The programme will also celebrate home-grown talent, including Stoke-on-Trent authors Mel Sherratt and Dave Proudlove, alongside a host of visiting writers and creative practitioners.
Confirmed authors include A.J. West, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Betrayal of Thomas True and former BBC journalist and broadcaster; art historian and ceramics advocate Verity Babbs; and author and journalist Helena Attlee, whose work has explored the history and culture of gardens.
Jacqueline Wilson welcomes Stoke's new Book Festival
The festival has received a warm endorsement from one of Britain's best-loved children's authors, Dame Jacqueline Wilson, who shared her thoughts with Festival Director Simon Drakeford during their meeting to discuss the event.
“It’s great news that Stoke is launching its own very exciting Book Festival, appropriately in this National Year of Reading. I can’t imagine my life without books, and I do everything in my power to show children that books can be funny, exciting, moving, and stimulating. I make sure I have sturdy handbags so I can have a book to read wherever I go.
“One of my all-time favourite writers was born in Stoke - the brilliant, prolific Arnold Bennett. He’d be so proud that Stoke is having its own Book Festival at last!”
Her words underline the festival's ambition to celebrate both the power of reading and Stoke-on-Trent's own rich literary heritage.
Stoke-on-Trent is internationally recognised for its pottery and ceramics heritage, with historic names including Wedgwood and Spode, alongside its more recent profile through The Great Pottery Throw Down. Stoke Book Festival will bring that distinctive creative identity into its programme, celebrating storytelling alongside the city's wider artistic and cultural life.
A key ambition of the festival is also to support efforts to tackle literacy poverty across the city. According to the National Literacy Trust, 31 of Stoke-on-Trent's 41 council wards had literacy levels below the national average in 2023.
The festival will complement existing literacy initiatives including the National Literacy Trust's Story Quest, Stoke 100 Reads and Tales in the Park, alongside programmes delivered by Stoke-on-Trent Libraries and the city's independent and national bookshops.
Tickets are on sale now, giving readers the opportunity to secure their places at the festival's announced events.
Further festival events and programme announcements will be made across the Stoke Book Festival's social media channels, so audiences are encouraged to follow and keep up to date with the latest news.
Follow @stokebookfestival on social media for announcements, new events and programme updates.
Stoke Book Festival takes place 3–10 October 2026.
The festival has been made possible through the collaboration and support of valued partners including Visit Stoke-on-Trent, Stoke-on-Trent City Council Libraries, Made in Stoke and YMCA North Staffordshire, with special thanks to the National Literacy Trust and the office of Gareth Snell MP for their encouragement and support in bringing the festival to life.
Tickets and further information: www.StokeBookFestival.co.uk
Social media: @stokebookfestival
