Wimbledon BookFest 2024 Line Up Revealed

Literary festival lovers based in London, we’ve got some good news for you: there’s no need to travel (far) for this one. Wimbledon BookFest 2024 will take place in October with a stellar lineup, and tickets are on sale now. Here’s everything you need to know, plus how to book.

Wimbledon BookFest 2023: Stewards find time to catch up on their reading.

Wimbledon BookFest 2024

This London literary festival has caught our attention. Now in its 17th year and taking over Wimbledon in October, readers and writers will be drawn together for 10 days of events that inform, inspire, entertain and connect communities.

‘We are incredibly proud to be announcing the line-up for our 2024 edition,’ says Fiona Razvi, Wimbledon BookFest founder and director. ‘In a challenging year, it feels more important than ever to bring communities together to hear from expert speakers, exchange ideas and explore different perspectives. Whatever your age or background and whether your interest is in fiction from around the world, global affairs, politics, history, food or nature and the environment, we have focused on programming a festival to inspire everyone at this year’s BookFest.’

The 2024 Line-Up (So Far)

Headliners include the likes of Clare Balding (naturally), Richard E. Grant, Rick Stein, Mary Berry, Tom Parker Bowles and Tim Spector, plus many more literary stars, broadcasters, actors, historians, scientists, sportspeople and academics discussing their new books, debating pertinent topics and telling their personal stories. Some of the focusses of the 2024 Wimbledon BookFest programme include global affairs, technology and AI, and rebuilding Britain under a new government. There will also be a focus on nature, water and creative responses to the climate crisis, featuring the likes of Caroline Lucas, Kate Humble, Rachel de Thame and Chloe Dalton, plus a screening of new film Wilding.

Wimbledon BookFest is also partnering with Lahore Literary Festival to present a strand of events spotlighting South Asia. For youngsters, the Festival’s celebrated schools programme will continue, plus a new series focussed on sixth formers will launch; the 5 O’Clock Sessions will focus on building skills for the creative industries with talks and workshops on journalism, social media, event production and photography.

Here are all of the stars who have been announced so far for Wimbledon BookFest 2024:

• Richard E. Grant
• Kate Mosse
• Tom Parker Bowles
• Clare Balding
• Rick Stein
• Tim Spector
• Mary Berry
• Patrick Grant
• Caroline Lucas
• Elif Shafak
• Gyles Brandreth
• Tracy Chevalier
• Kaliane Bradley
• Oz Clarke and Hannah Crosbie on wine
• Su Scott
• Seji Hong
• Liz Fost (Dragons Love Underpants)
• Chie Kutsuwada
• Chloe Dalton and Ruby Free
• Josephine Quinn and Christopher Harding
• Aliya Ali-Afzal and Kate Sawyer
• Ingrid Persaud
• Hisham Matar
• Robert Harris
• Harriet Constable
• A selection of writers and translators of My Dear Kabul
• Nina Stibbe
• Nicola Chester, Jon Moses and Sam Lee on Wild Service
• Sudha Bhuchar
• Rachel de Thame
• Oliver Burkeman
• Subhadra Das and Roma Argawal
• A. C. Grayling
• Zeinab Badawi
• Liz Jensen and Rachel Wilson
• Celia Imrie and Fidelis Morgan
• Torsten Bell MP and Will Hutton
• Vanessa Feltz
• Jacqueline Crooks and Alex Wheatle
• Marianna Spring and Justin Webb
• Andrew Roberts and Lawrence Freedman
• Simon Raymonde
• Simon Parker
• Abi Daré
• Jeffrey Archer
• Andrew O’Hagan and Marina Hyde
• Nigel Toon and Susie Alegre
• Dawn O’Porter and Caroline O’Donoghue
• John Sweeney
• Saima Mir and Stig Abell
• Bernhard Schlink
• Tom Baldwin and Anthony Seldon
• Kay Barron
• Sue Prideaux
• Max Hastings
• Sinéad Gleeson and Ferdia Lennon
• Geoff Hurst
• Ian Williams and Sarah Rainsford
• Baroness Warsi
• Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock
• William Boyd
• Viv Groksop and Stefan Stern
• Tim Spicer and Damien Lewis
• Ed Conway
• Zandra Rhodes
• Dr Sue Tate (The Wimbledon Bardot)
• Kate Humble
• Daisy Dunn

Wimbledon BookFest 2023

When?

17–27 October 2024

Where?

Wimbledon BookFest 2024 will take place in venues across Central Wimbledon including Merton Arts Space at Wimbledon Library, Wimbledon High School and New Wimbledon Theatre.

How?

Tickets for individual events at Wimbledon BookFest are on general sale now (from Friday 12 July 2024) at wimbledonbookfest.org