Henley Literary Festival

The Independent – Exclusive News Partner 2026

Henley Literary Festival — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 18:55:57 +0000

The Independent returns as exclusive news partner to Henley Literary Festival

We’re delighted to announce our partnership with The Independent as exclusive news partner, marking its fourth consecutive year supporting the Festival, as it gears up to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

The partnership will see exclusive news and interviews running in The Independent, alongside a series of on-stage discussions at Henley between Independent journalists and some of the UK’s leading authors, broadcasters, politicians and cultural luminaries. Alongside in-depth editorial coverage, readers can expect to see content across The Independent’s social channels throughout the festival, running 2-11 October.

New for this year is a very special appearance from The Independent’s weekly political podcast In The Room. Hosts Helen MacNamara, former deputy cabinet secretary, and Cleo Watson, former special adviser, will be in conversation with Theresa May.

Visitors can look forward to:

Michael and Clare Morpurgo in conversation with Culture Editor Jessie Thompson. Saturday, 3 October, 4pm, Marquee at Phyllis Court.
Afghan journalist Zahra Joya in conversation with Chief International Correspondent Bel Trew. Sunday, 4 October, 4pm, The Relais Henley.
Writer Kate Mosse in conversation with Jessie Thompson. Tuesday, 6 October, 6pm, Marquee at Henley Town Hall.
Theresa May interviewed by In the Room hosts Helen MacNamara and Cleo Watson. Thursday, 8 October, 4pm, Marquee at Phyllis Court.
Broadcaster and novelist Lorraine Kelly in conversation with Deputy Culture Editor Ellie Harrison. Saturday, 10 October, 6pm, Henley Town Hall.

Other names speaking at the festival include some of the nation’s most celebrated voices, including actor, comedian and writer Eric Idle; novelist Sebastian Faulks; author and former Meta executive Sarah Wynn-Williams; and fitness coach Joe Wicks, alongside more than 140 events taking place across Henley-on-Thames.

Jessie Thompson, Culture Editor of The Independent, said: “Henley has delivered another fantastic line-up this year, offering serious breadth across literature, the arts, politics, sport, history, science, family events, and so much more. The Independent is thrilled to be taking part in our anniversary year as we celebrate 40 years of free thinking, with a number of speakers who brilliantly embody that spirit. From discussions with pioneering writers from Zahra Joya to Michael Morpurgo and Kate Mosse to our live In the Room podcast episode with Theresa May, we are proud to partner once more with a festival that offers lively, invigorating conversations at a time they are so richly needed.”

Harriet Reed-Ryan, Director, Henley Literary Festival, said: “With 140 events in-person and online featuring speakers from six continents, we are proud to be bringing the world to Henley and showcasing Henley to the world. So The Independent is a perfect fit as our news partner, as they mark 40 years and we our 20th festival.”

Festival favourites return and exciting debuts for our 20th Edition

Henley Literary Festival — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 10:28:01 +0000

Several of our most popular speakers will return this October, alongside some exciting first timers.

Historian Lucy Worsley has sold out each of her talks since first coming to the Festival in 2012; in Queens and Kings she reflects on her two decades as royal palaces chief curator.

Award-winning novelist Elif Shafak set the record for longest adults book signing queue in 2024; she returns the week before her eagerly awaited In One Brief Moment All Eternity is published, meaning that Henley will be one of the first places it is available.

Sir Michael Morpurgo’s first appearance in 2017 was the fastest sell-out in the Festival’s history; this autumn he will be joined by his wife, philanthropist Lady Clare Morpurgo, to reflect on their 50 years living on a working farm in Devon. And from closer to home, Henley and national treasure Dame Mary Berry shares her passion outside the kitchen with My Gardening Life.

Appearing at the Festival for the first time are Conclave actor Lucian Msamati, with his diaries of co-starring with Ben Whishaw in Waiting for Godot in the West End, and comedian Rachel Parris, with her Pride and Prejudice sequel Introducing Mrs Collins.

For younger readers there are events around two series that have sold in their millions: Pippa Goodhart and Nick Sharratt with the latest You Choose book and Liz Pichon with Tom Gates is Not Famous (Yet).

The world’s most popular rugby podcast will be coming to Henley as The Good, The Bad & The Rugby hosts Mike Tindall, James Haskell and Alex Payne share highs and lows on and off the pitch.

The ever-popular Crime & Wine returns, with three top thriller writers – Traitors star Harriet Tyce, Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall and British Book Awards winner Louise Candlish – alongside wine from Laithwaites. And with the Festival coinciding with party political conference season, Labour veteran Baroness Margaret Hodge will look back on her career and the battles she has fought.

Many more speakers will be revealed in the coming months!

Tickets will go on sale to Gold and Platinum Friends on July 3, Friends on July 7 and general sale on July 13.

Bestsellers, England captain and oldest-ever speaker join Henley Literary Festival line-up

Henley Literary Festival — Thu, 21 May 2026 10:10:21 +0000

A 105-year-old World War Two veteran, an Oscar-nominated novelist and England’s Euro 96 captain will all feature at this year’s Henley Literary Festival.

Hamnet author Maggie O’Farrell, recently nominated for an Oscar for adapting her international bestseller, will appear with her highly anticipated next novel Land, published next month.

Flight Lieutenant Colin Bell, one of the last surviving Mosquito pilots, will become the Festival’s oldest speaker to date when he discusses his 50 missions over Germany.

Coming to the Festival for the first time are Goodness Gracious Me star Dame Meera Syal with her long-awaited memoir and author of No.1 bestseller How To Be A Woman Caitlin Moran with the just announced How To Be Hopeful. And for the first time as an author, we welcome Gower Cottage Brownies founder, Kate Jenkins with The Brownie Book.

And 30 years after he captained England to the semi-final of Euro 96 Tony Adams, who also led Arsenal to domestic and European triumphs, reflects on that special year.

Celebrated cellist and conductor Julian Lloyd Webber reflects on a unique musical career while Professor Dame Ijeoma Uchegbu shows how chemistry underpins our everyday existence in Chain Reaction.

In her centenary year royal historian Robert Hardman presents an authoritative, intimate account of Elizabeth II, while with Winnie the Pooh also marking 100 years in 2026 Jane Riordan comes to Henley with the continuing adventures of the beloved bear.

Also for children and their grown-ups, Draw With Rob sensation Rob Biddulph.

More names to be announced soon!

Tickets will go on sale to Gold and Platinum Friends on July 3, Friends on July 7 and general sale on July 13.

Nigella Lawson and Julia Donaldson announced for our 20th edition

Henley Literary Festival — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 10:11:38 +0000

A pair of the country’s best-loved – and internationally bestselling – writers are the first names announced for this autumn’s Henley Literary Festival.

Supported for the second year running by Fane Group, we celebrate our landmark 20th edition from October 2-11 at venues across Henley-on-Thames.

We are thrilled to announce Great British Bake Off judge Nigella Lawson will make her Henley debut on the opening night of Friday October 2, while Julia Donaldson, the UK’s bestselling author of all time, returns for the first time since the inaugural 2007 Festival on the final day, Sunday October 11.

With some 140 conversations, performances, workshops and talks for adults and children over the 10 days, many more speakers will be announced in the coming months.

Nigella, the multi-award-winning author of 12 international bestsellers including How to Eat: The Pleasures and Principles of Good Food and Cook, Eat, Repeat: Ingredients, Recipes and Stories will reflect on her career to date at the Fane Marquee at Phyllis Court.

The Festival’s flagship venue will also host Stick Man and Room on the Broom creator Julia Donaldson with the long-awaited third Gruffalo book Granny Gruffalo.

We are delighted to also be returning to Henley Town Hall and luxury boutique hotel The Relais Henley, with Shiplake College returning as the children’s sponsor.

Tickets will go on sale to Gold and Platinum Friends on July 3, Friends on July 7 and general sale on July 13.

Highlights from Henley Literary Festival 2025

Henley Literary Festival — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 11:38:29 +0000

This year’s Henley Literary Festival reached our biggest audience ever with over 25,200 tickets to the public events sold, and 2,674 school children in person and over 18,000 people watched from around the world online including schools and care homes.

Watch our 2025 highlights video below.

A look back at 2025…and ahead to 2026

Henley Literary Festival — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 14:44:52 +0000

This year’s Henley Literary Festival reached our biggest audience ever with over 25,200 tickets to the public events sold, 2,674 school children in person and over 18,000 people watched from around the world online including in schools and care homes.

Highlights from The Fane Stage at the Henley Literary Festival Marquee

Our flagship marquee attracted a record 16,000 ticket-holders to Phyllis Court – with another 18,000 streaming live from around the country and beyond! Capacity crowds relished seeing national treasures Joanna Lumley, Michael Palin, Mary Berry, David Suchet and Graham Norton as well as international bestsellers Jung Chang, Mick Herron, Mary Beard and Elif Shafak.
Over 10 days the Fane Stage also hosted the Poet Laureate, three Children’s Laureates, the Archbishop of York, a Michelin chef, England’s most-capped men’s rugby player – and the Downton double bill of Hugh Bonneville and the Countess of Carnarvon!

Highlights from the Gower Cottage Brownies Stage at the Town Hall

From hundreds of audience ‘I love yous’ at the urging of poet Salena Godden to a spontaneous standing ovation for Post Office Scandal campaigner Jo Hamilton, Henley Town Hall enjoyed its busiest, buzziest week of the year.
Some 7,000 ticket-holders visited for events featuring children’s authors, columnists, crime writers, food critics, football managers, historians, Laithwaites Wine School, award-winning novelists, and sitcom stars from Blackadder, Gavin & Stacey and The Young Ones!

Highlights from The Relais Henley

Our hotel partner achieved its highest footfall and cafe sales ever as thousands of ticket-holders packed out the stunning Salon for, among many others: a world exclusive glimpse into the next phase of the James Bond universe; a Busby & Fox fashion show; a Mr Men singalong; leading experts on ADHD, the SAS and the UN; an interactive murder mystery; and two events where authors were joined by their dogs on stage!

Pop-ups and beyond into 2026...

Throughout the year, our pop-up series included the welcome return of the much-loved River Readings events, the inaugural Henley Literary Festival Supper Club in partnership with Laithwaites Wine, a cosy winter double sell-out event at The Bottle & Glass Inn featuring Jojo Moyes and Pollyanna Wilkinson. Meanwhile, the Christ Church Centre hosted amazing crowds for Matt Haig, Tom Kerridge and David Walliams, before ending the year with an incredible finale from Marina Wheeler, Rick Stein and John Cleese.

2026 brings with it a very special anniversary for the festival, and we can’t wait to announce our first pop-ups shortly.

More names for 2025 line-up

Sarah Haynes — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 08:38:20 +0000

This year’s Festival will be the biggest yet as it stretches to 10 days for the first time in our 19-year history, with a starry double bill on night one followed by exciting names from fiction, food, football and more.

Dame Joanna Lumley will open proceedings on Friday October 3 sharing some of her favourite writing, followed by How to Fail podcaster and Magpie bestseller Elizabeth Day discussing her highly anticipated neew book One of Us.

Speakers we’re delighted to be joined by for this autumn’s Festival, supported by Fane Group, include world-renowned chef Raymond Blanc, Nottingham Forest European Cup winning footballer turned Celtic manager Martin O’Neill, poets Hollie McNish and Salena Godden, QI star Alan Davies and Booker-winner Sir Ben Okri. Henley favourite Gyles Brandreth will reveal the stories behind Winnie-the-Pooh, while Lucy Easthope – the UK’s leading disaster recovery expert and a Desert Island Discs castaway this month – will share how to cope in a crisis.

Children’s authors coming include Sir Michael Morpurgo reimagining Shakespeare, JoJo & Gran Gran creator Laura Henry-Allain with a story session for young ones and an interactive event with Pointless host Alexander Armstrong around his No.1 bestseller Evenfall.

They will join previously announced authors including Jung Chang, Jay Rayner, Cressida Cowell, the Archbishop of York and Mary Beard, with many more to be announced before tickets go on sale next month.

Tickets will go on sale to Gold and Platinum Friends on July 4, Friends on July 8 and general sale on July 14.

First names for 2025 line-up

Sarah Haynes — Thu, 15 May 2025 13:32:03 +0000

Supported by Fane Group for the first time this year, we are excited to announce the first few speakers of the 120+ events for adults and children that will take place from October 4-12 at venues across Henley-on-Thames.

Jung Chang, with estimated global sales of 20 million in more than 40 languages, comes to the Festival with Fly, Wild Swans, the long-awaited follow-up to her 1991 memoir Wild Swans, which became Britain’s bestselling non-fiction book. Also appearing at Henley for the first time this October are world-renowned historian Dame Mary Beard, former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, athletics icon Dame Denise Lewis, the Poet Laureate Simon Armitage and leading food critic and broadcaster Jay Rayner.

Events for children of all ages and their grown-ups this year will include How to Train Your Dragon creator Cressida Cowell and Jodie Ounsley, England’s first female deaf senior rugby international who now stars as Fury in Gladiators. These weekend events sit alongside the previously announced weekday schools programme featuring Sathnam Sanghera, Dermot O’Leary, Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce and more.

Peacebuilding practitioner and Iraq expert Nussaibah Younis, whose debut Fundamentally was last month shortlisted for this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction, will join fellow novelists Esther Freud and Emma Gannon in conversation. And Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, currently the acting head of the Church of England, returns to the Festival with a book on the Lord’s Prayer.

Tickets will go on sale to Gold and Platinum Friends on July 4, Friends on July 8 and general sale on July 14.

2025 Schools’ Programme Announced

Sarah Haynes — Thu, 15 May 2025 09:43:22 +0000

Dinosaurs, inventing, the British Empire and rapping are among the subjects children around the country can hear about at Henley Literary Festival’s schools programme this autumn, in-person and online.

The Festival – one of the UK’s most popular book events – returns from 4-12 October, with the line-up of over 100 events for adults and children to be announced in July. The ever-popular schools programme, supported by the Fane Group, takes place each weekday morning (6-10 October) and is now available to book. Schools can either attend in person, with each child receiving a book as part of their ticket, or watch online for free. Last year the latter included schools from Manchester, London and Kent as well as locally.

Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell Boyce returns to Henley as year 6 head to Hollywood in his latest novel The Blockbusters! Frank’s appointment to this prestigious position means that the last five Laureates have all spoken at the Festival. Broadcaster turned bestselling children’s author Dermot O’Leary takes his audience back to World War Two as a foxy secret agent and code-breaking chicken save the day in Spy Fox and Agent Feathers.

Sathnam Sanghera, No.1 bestselling author of Empireland and Stolen History, will discuss his engaging and essential look at the British Empire, its epic journeys and the rebels who resisted, from Pocahontas to Gandhi.

Younger children will love making experiments with Izzy the Inventor creator Zanna Davidson, and going on a dino-tastic adventure with children’s television presenter and dinosaur expert Andy Day and his illustrator Steven Lenton. And to start the week off, Monday October 6 sees World Book Day ambassador MC Grammar introduce his brand-new series The Adventures of Rap Kid as he shares the joy of working with words.

Henley Literary Festival director Harriet Reed said: “We’re passionate about having a platform to inspire a love of reading among children and this year’s authors coming for our Schools Programme will do precisely that. Being able to stream for free into schools around the country is something we’ve done for the last few years and are really proud of being able to offer. We continue to try and reach even more pupils across the country – through free streaming and free in-person tickets for children on a pupil premium.”

A look back at Henley Literary Festival 2024

Sarah Haynes — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 12:23:06 +0000

This year’s Henley Literary Festival reached our biggest audience ever with over 24,500 tickets to the public events sold, and 2,344 school children in person and over 10,000 people watched from around the world online including schools and care homes.

Watch our 2024 highlights video below.