Autumn's back to school vibes work perfectly with delving into a good read, and the best UK book festivals are heading our way from September to November. We've got the lowdown here on the literary festivals that include free kids book events for free family fun.
Being held across the country this autumn, find out the what, where and when of UK book festivals below, and find the latest savings with VoucherCodes' book promo codes for the likes of Waterstones, Awesome Books, Books2Door, Routledge, The Works, World of Books and Amazon.
1. Stratford Literary Festival:
When: 30 October to 2 November 2025.
Where: Stratford-upon-Avon, West Midlands.
Sir Philip Pullman and the Book of Dust, Maz Evans and The Last Bard, Thiago de Moraes's comic workshops, theatre workshops, and craft workshops are amongst the highlights for family events at the Autumn Festival.
Free events for children include Cat Weatherill's A Visit from Mother Goose at Stratford Library and the Spooky Drop In and Do session for ages 4-11 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.
See the children's events at Stratford Literary Festival.
2. Wimbledon BookFest:
When: 16 to 26 October 2025.
Where: Wimbledon, South West London.
There are lots of children's and family events at the event that dubs itself 'London's Leading Literary Festival', including Supertato! with Sue Hendra, Percy the Park Keeper with Nick Butterworth, Waldo Pancake's Genius Kid with Jim Smith, and Humans 2.0 with Patrick Kane, all being held at Wimbledon Library.
Free tickets are available for Merton residents in CR4, CR7, SM3 and SM4 postcodes for events held at Wimbledon Library (subject to availability, limited to two free tickets per event, per household), with paid-for tickets starting at £6.50.
There's also a Schools Programme that involves 150 South London schools, with free books, author events, a young writers competition, work experience and volunteering opportunities, and an intro to university.
Find more info on the children's events at the Wimbledon BookFest website.
3. Cheltenham Literary Festival:
When: 10 to 19 October 2025.
Where: Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.
There are more than 400 events and 500 speakers at this year’s Festival, and there's plenty for kids, from Cressida Cowell with How to Train Your Dragon plus Michael Rosen and Chris Riddell with Pocket Shakespeare, to Rob Biddulph's When I Grow Up and Laura Ellen Anderson's comic workshop. In addition to paid-for events, the free-to-enter Festival Village lets you make a day of it.
Free activities for families are taking place at the weekends at The Wild Wood, which is celebrating 160 years of Alice in Wonderland with shows, storytelling sessions, adventure trails, workshops and crafts.
Check out all the need-to-know at the Cheltenham Literature Festival website.
4. Bath Children's Literature Festival:
When: 26 September to 5 October 2025.
Where: Bath, Somerset.
Look forward to events with lots of big names in the world of children's literature, including Jasbinder Bilan, Liz Pichon, Cressida Cowell, Rob Biddulph, A.F. Steadman, Ben Miller, Frank Cottrell-Boyce and many more.
Free fun opens the festival courtesy of Party at the Museum! Up Late at The Holburne, where kids can meet book characters, join an art class, have their nails done at the Unicorn Academy Nail Bar, enjoy Pokemon fun and enter competitions. There are also free activities, drawing tips and storytime drop-ins with Paddy Donnelly and Badger’s Book.
Take a look at Bath Children's Literature Festival for the lowdown.
5. Holmfirth Children's Book Festival:
When: 27 and 28 September 2025.
Where: Holmfirth, Yorkshire.
The inaugural festival has a lovely line-up of events over the weekend aimed at instilling a love of reading in all children age 0 to 18, and in future years they hope to make it bigger, spanning two weekends.
Free events include the Gruffalo Crafts and Story Trail, Meet the Gruffalo and The Beast of Holmfirth Festival Celebration Event with Sarah Morrell. The paid-for events are affordable at £3.50 per child and £5 per adult.
Find out more at the Holmfirth Children's Book Festival website.
6. Black British Book Festival:
When: 19 October 2025.
Where: Barbican, London.
Europe’s largest celebration of Black literature, BBBF is a movement, and it's a family-friendly festival that champions talent. Events in the Children's Zone include Farmyard Magic: Storytime & Animals with JB Gill, plus storytelling workshops, poetry sessions, live art and hair care workshops, and YA thriller inspiration from Tomi Oyemakinde (We Are Hunted), Benjamin Dean (Bury Your Friends), and Helen Comerford (The Hero Complex).
A festival pass costs £15 and provides entry to a headliner event plus the talks, panels, workshops and family activities that are on throughout the day.
Discover more at Black British Book Festival's events listing.
7. London Literature Festival:
When: 21 October to 2 November 2025.
Where: Southbank Centre, London.
London's longest-running celebration of its kind of the written and spoken word encourages readers of all ages, and has big names and prize shortlist readings in its main programme.
Free events include the annual Poetry Day! for all ages at the National Poetry Library on 25 October with readings and a workshop, plus Alphabet Soup from 25 to 30 October 2025, which includes family workshops and activities to create poems and stories that celebrate the language of food.
London Literature Festival website has all the details.
8. Wigtown Book Festival:
When: 26 September to 5 October 2025.
Where: Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland.
In addition to events for adult readers, this 10-day celebration of literature in Scotland's National Book Town has a Wigtown Young Adult literary programme and the Big Wig Children's Book Festival.
Free kids events include Philip Ardagh and David Melling with Do You See the Tiger?, David Melling with Ruffles, Fidan Meikle with My Name is Samim, Jayne Baldwin with Betty & Archie, Renita Boyle's storytelling, Mike Edwards with Riverskin and a workshop, a Rab Wilson's workshop on Scots Language, Vivian French & Astrid Jaekel's Our Book Town workshop, and Big Wig's Family Fun Day to finish the festival. There are lots of other events that cost just £3.
Wigtown Book Festival website has general info and there's Big Wig booking info.
9. Marlborough LitFest:
When: 25 to 28 September 2025.
Where: Marlborough, Wiltshire.
Marlborough LitFest features big names for the adults, plus Children's LitFest featuring children's author events, such as Carrie Sellon and her Pizza Pete series, Jessie Burton with Hidden Treasure, plus Thiago de Moraes with Old Gods New Tricks and a live-drawing session. There's also the annual free schools' events for local primary schools in the run up to LitFest, plus the free Big School Read event for secondary school children, and the annual Sixth Form Debate.
Free events include Tall Tales Theatre performances, storytelling sessions, craft activities, and Once Upon a Trail (from 13 September), which takes adventurers across the town on and around Marlborough High Street with clues to follow and books to spots in business' windows.
Marlborough Children's LitFest lineup shows you all you need to know.
10. Durham Book Festival:
When: 10 to 12 October 2025.
Where: Durham, and online.
This festival features internationally best-selling writers from the North East.
Free events for families include the drop-in Little Read Storytime with North East author James Harris and the picture book Help! We Need a Story at Clayport Library - 500 free copies will be available in County Durham libraries as part of the 2025 Little Read. If you can't make the 11 October storytime, there will also be Little Read Workshops with James Harris during October half-term at various libraries.
Take a look at the Durham Book Festival website.
11. Manchester Literature Festival:
When: 7 to 26 October 2025.
Where: Venues across Manchester.
Manchester Literature Festival has been going since 2006, building on the legacy of its predecessor, Manchester Poetry Festival. The festival takes place in a variety of atmospheric venues across the city and also has a programme of digital activities.
Free events for kids include This, That, What? Storytime with CBeebies' Katy Ashworth at Manchester Central Library, and Jim Smith with Genius Kid Goes Viral at Oldham Library.
Manchester Literature Festival's website provides all the details for how to book your free tickets.
12. Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival:
When: 17 to 21 September 2025.
Where: Budleigh Salterton, Devon.
Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival's mission is to 'celebrate books and their authors and promote the art of writing and the enjoyment of reading in our East Devon community and in our local schools'. There are free and low-cost family events to enjoy.
Free family activities are being offered on Saturday and Sunday, inspired by legendary heroes, monsters and gods. There are lots of creative activities in Myths and Legends at the Mini Marquee, storytelling with Clive PiG, and a Percy Jackson and the Secrets of Budleigh Bay treasure hunt. Everyone can also listen to local musicians in the marquee for free.
Find out more about Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival.
13. Ilkley Literature Festival:
When: 3 to 19 October 2025.
Where: Ilkley, West Yorkshire.
Ilkley Literature Festival has been going for more than 50 years, treating book lovers to events with writers of contemporary fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Each years involves 14,000 readers and 100+ writers.
Free events for young readers include Ilkley Poet’s Corner Reading Group at Ilkley Arts Studio, a friendly, informal group session for anyone over the age of 14 with an interest in poetry, hosted by Jamie Field and Rachel Curzon, two of Word Up North’s 2025 New Northern Poets. Other free local events taking place during the Festival include Totally Typewriters at Clarke Foley Centre - an interactive celebration of the marvellous machines including a Typewriter Trail Quiz, creative craft workshop and poetry.
Visit the Ilkley Literature Festival website for more info.
14. WOW North East Festival:
When: 18 October 2025.
Where: Gala Durham.
WOW (Women of the World) North East Festival is a day packed with talks, performances and workshops to celebrate the region's incredible women, girls and non-binary people (with 17 October being WOW Schools Day). People of all ages are welcome to explore the role women and girls had in the leap forward that the railway presented 200 years ago.
The free festival doesn't cost a thing, so Festival-pass holders can explore the events, performances, panels and workshops gratis. There's mindfulness painting, radical song-making, poetry pop-ups, dance classes, a mass singalong and theatre performances. Families will find some activities more appropriate than others, such as the Under 10's Feminist Corner (the Festival suggests that due to certain issues discussed, parents should consider which events are suitable for children under the age of 14).
Learn more about WOW North East Festival.
15. Scottish International Storytelling Festival:
When: 22 October to 1 November 2025.
Where: Venues across Scotland.
The 2025 Scottish International Storytelling Festival explores Scotland’s northern identity with myths, songs and tales from the world’s northern arc. Celebrated storytellers will gather in Edinburgh and venues across Scotland to celebrate this year's theme, Lights of the North.
Free events in the families programme include the Family Samhuinn, when the Beltane Fire Society tradition brings parents and little ones together to share the magic during a free morning of face painting and activities (there's a ticketed session of storytelling and songs afterwards). There's also the free Wild Wings of Hope at the National Museum of Scotland, where participants of all ages can create paper insects and birds to honour the migration of barn swallows and swifts between Scotland and Africa, while listening to performances by African folklorist Chief Gift Amu and Scottish bard Cara Silversmith.
Discover details about the Scottish International Storytelling Festival.
16. Braemar Literary Festival:
When: 26 to 28 September 2025.
Where: Braemar, Scottish Highlands.
This Festival takes place in a village in the Scottish Cairngorms that has a long history of stories and associations with Scottish literary figures like Robert Louis Stevenson, who wrote the first 13 chapters of Treasure Island whilst holidaying in Braemar.
Free events for families include Braemar Beddie Baa: Film Screening of Muppet Treasure Island in Braemar Village Hall, which celebrates Braemar’s link to the classic Robert Louis Stevenson tale, the first part of which was written during his 1881 stay in the village.
Find extra info at Braemar Literary Festival's website.
Our last four entries are special days/months (rather than festivals) that celebrate books, and they're also a great opportunity to get involved with free literary fun for kids this autumn...
17. World KidLit Month:
When: The whole month of September 2025.
Where: Anywhere!
World KidLit Month is the time to explore international books for young people - such as children’s books set in another country or translated into English from another language.
The website has free Explorer Challenge bingo charts, with three options that provide reading prompts for different age groups, plus a general chart for themes across the age ranges 0-18. Kids can challenge themselves to complete a colour category, get a line of three, or do all nine categories.
Discover what is World KidLit Month.
18. National Poetry Day:
When: 2 October 2025.
Where: Various venues and online.
National Poetry Day is an annual celebration of poetry - the biggest one in the UK, with 1.5 million people participating - and includes events in libraries, schools, cultural venues and online. This year’s theme is play.
Free events for young people include the online Young Poets Takeover, which features winners of the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award and the writing challenges on Young Poets Network, as well as giving anyone aged 14-25 the opportunity to sign up for an open mic slot and share their words.
See what's on during National Poetry Day - you can filter for free events.
19. Harry Potter Book Day:
When: 9 October 2025.
Where: Various events around the world, online, and your home!
Harry Potter Book Day is an annual celebration J.K. Rowling’s series with events taking place around the world. This year's theme is Friends and Foes.
A free event kit has been created by Bloomsbury with activities, games, decoration and costume ideas.
The Bloomsbury website has more magical info about Harry Potter Book Day.
20. National Non-Fiction November:
When: The month of November.
Where: Anywhere!
National Non-Fiction November is the Federation of Children’s Book Groups’ annual celebration of all things factual. This year's theme is Past Puzzles and Timeless Treasures - celebrating the work of historians and archaeologists, and historical mysteries, legends, historical trails, buildings, statues and galleries.
A free activity booklet offers ideas for fun ways to celebrate National Non-Fiction November.
Learn more about National Non-Fiction November.
Happy reading!
