Welcome to Marlborough LitFest

24 – 27 September 2026

A book festival in beautiful Wiltshire with events for all.

Our 17th festival will bring four days of inspiring conversations, ideas, storytelling, bestselling authors and family-friendly events to one of Wiltshire’s most picturesque market towns.

 

Marlborough Town Hall in the sunshine with LitFest banners outside

Box office now open

or visit
The White Horse Bookshop Marlborough

Our festival

Marlborough LitFest began in 2010 and showcases fiction and non-fiction, including events for children, writing workshops, poetry readings and more.

As a charity we provide free events for young children, local schools and adults every year. This year we reached 1200 primary and secondary school children in Marlborough, Pewsey, Devizes and Calne.

Support LitFest

Support the charity and gain access to priority booking and other benefits by becoming a Friend of Marlborough LitFest

Latest news

Authors and Speakers: Scam email invitations

We have been made aware of a fraudulent email account, marlboroughliteraryfestival@gmail.com, impersonating Marlborough LitFest’s email account (@marlboroughlitfest.org) asking participants to take part in this year’s festival and asking for money.
This is a scam. All official communications from LitFest only come from our official festival domain: @marlboroughlitfest.org and we do not request unexpected fees from authors or publishers. If you receive a suspicious email, do not engage with it but please forward it to general@marlboroughlitfest.org for verification.

2026 Big Town Read Announced

Read it. Share it. Talk about it. Join Marlborough’s Big Town Read! This year’s Big Town Read is bestselling novelist Kit de Waal’s latest novel, ‘The Best of Everything’. The Big Town Read invites people across Marlborough and the surrounding area to read the same book, sparking conversations, debates and a shared love of reading. Whether you’re an avid bookworm or an occasional reader, everyone is invited to pick up a copy, dive into the story and join in.

LitFest Patron

Our Festival Patron is acclaimed stage and theatre actor, Sir Simon Russell Beale.

Join the mailing list

Stay up to date – sign up for our monthly email newsletter to find out about LitFest events.