London Literature Festival 2026: Free Events and What to Book
Plan your London Literature Festival visit, 20 October–1 November 2026, with a free creative afternoon, live poetry and practical booking tips.
A good literary night out should leave you with something to talk about on the journey home. This October, London Literature Festival offers several ways in: a poetry-and-music evening, a hands-on free afternoon or an author discussing the book you are about to add to your reading pile.
The Southbank Centre festival runs from 20 October to 1 November 2026, with Dua Lipa curating this year’s programme. Our recommendation: choose by format as well as by famous name. Someone who rarely attends a book talk may enjoy a live performance or a creative drop-in much more.
The free pick: Authors of the Estate ##
Saturday 24 October, 3pm; The Clore Ballroom, Royal Festival Hall. Service95 Book Club: Authors of the Estate is free, with no ticket required. The approximately three-hour session lets adults and children drop in for storytelling, drawing and making, using prompts and materials supplied on the day.
It is an appealing low-pressure introduction: you can participate without having read a particular novel or prepared a clever question. Under-12s must be accompanied by an adult. Think of this as a creative afternoon to fit around lunch, rather than a seated talk you must attend from beginning to end.
The evening pick: Out-Spoken ##
Friday 23 October, 7.30pm; Queen Elizabeth Hall. Out-Spoken’s festival edition pairs poets Kwame Dawes, Alice Oswald and Max Porter with live music. Joelle Taylor hosts; Camden Stewart and Reem Kelani are on the musical line-up.
Tickets are advertised from £19, subject to demand and availability. The event is recommended for ages 15+ and lasts approximately two hours and 15 minutes. BSL interpretation and speech-to-text transcription are listed; consult the event’s access information when booking. Leave dinner until afterwards only if you are comfortable eating late.
Prefer a straight author conversation? ##
Hernan Diaz discusses his new thriller Ply at the Purcell Room on Wednesday 21 October at 7.45pm. It is a useful starting point for readers who want one focused conversation rather than a mixed performance bill. Follow the festival programme to the individual event for current seats and prices.
Before you book ##
The headline Dua Lipa and Zadie Smith event was marked sold out when checked on 28 September. Check the official listing for any subsequent availability, but build your day around an event you can actually attend.
Check the room: Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Purcell Room are distinct spaces.
Plan your journey: the Southbank Centre is on Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX; Waterloo and Embankment are nearby stations.
Bring a card: Southbank Centre venues are cash-free.
Keep time to wander: our suggestion is to arrive early for a riverside walk, with an indoor coffee stop if October rain intervenes. Make the conversation last: ask your companion to choose one book from the evening, then swap recommendations over coffee the following week. For more autumn plans, browse Londonfy’s culture coverage or join our newsletter.
Programme and booking information checked 28 September 2026; availability may change. Cover: Royal Festival Hall exterior, photographed in 2019, not a festival performance. Photo by Ethan Doyle White, edited by MenkinAlRire, CC BY-SA 4.0. Any display crop of this photograph is shared under the same licence.