Appledore Book Festival

Home
United Kingdom
Westward Ho
Appledore Book Festival

Appledore Book Festival - Celebrating Literature & The Arts by the Sea from 18-27 September 2026.

Appledore Book Festival is now in its 16th festival year and has established itself as one of the UK's most highly regarded literary festivals. Welcoming world-class renowned authors, newcomers and local authors it ensures there is something for everyone. The village of Appledore is a unique location and it draws authors and visitors back year after year. Please visit www.appledorebookfestival.co.uk for more information.

04/06/2026

📣 EXCITING NEWS📣

The paperback of Veronicas Henry’s sweeping new novel, The Invitation, is out today and available at many supermarkets & good bookshops! 💫

Set between post-war London and the enchanting Foxwood Manor in the rolling Somerset countryside, The Invitation is full of glamour, romance and adventures – the perfect summertime read. 📚 ☀️

AND we’re delighted to announce that our wonderful Patron, Veronica, will be appearing once again at this year’s Festival … 🎪

Veronica Henry

02/06/2026

📣 2026 Starting Line-up Announcement 📣

We are delighted to be welcoming these fantastic authors in September! 📚

Comedian, actor and author, Ben Miller, the original star of the popular TV show Death in Paradise, and writer, Robert Thorogood, creator of the hit drama, will join us to discuss the success of the series, the appeal of the murder-mystery and the lasting legacy of Agatha Christie. We’ll also have the Queen of Shops, Mary Portas; BBC Newsreader, Sophie Raworth; colourful actress and singer, Su Pollard; host of Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly, Graeme Hall; actor and broadcaster, Caroline Quentin; angler, explorer and host of River Monsters, Jeremy Wade; Escape to the Country presenter Jules Hudson; Labour grandee, Baroness Margaret Hodge and novelist & presenter, Dawn O’Porter. 🏡 🐟 ✍️ 🎭 🐶 🛍️ 🎬

Returning to the stage will be Festival patrons Ann Cleeves, Jeremy Vine & Tanya Landman, beauty and wellness entrepreneur, Liz Earle; BBC security correspondent, Frank Gardner; author & filmmaker Damian Lewis and the nation’s favourite poet Pam Ayres. 🧘‍♀️ 🎥 📺 📕

Others in the line-up include Tim Marshall, Oliver Bullough, Amy Jeffs, Iain Dale, Claudia Hammond, Esther G**y, Peter Ricketts, Gilly McArthur, Clare Leslie-Hall, Shehan Hettiaratchy and even more names to be announced in the coming weeks and months! 💫

Tickets will be on sale for Friends of the Festival on Fri 24 July & on General Sale on Sat 1 Aug. 🎟️

Friends Membership for 2026 is now available, which offers priority booking and other great benefits! Visit appledorebookfestival.co.uk for more details ℹ️

📸 Ben Miller (©Arved Colvin-Smith), Dawn O’Porter (©Toby Madden), Frank Gardner (©Kin Ho); Mary Portas (©Linda Nyland), Sophie Raworth (©BBC)

26/05/2026

📣 Volunteer Treasurer Needed 📣

The Appledore Book Festival is looking for a committed and organised individual to join the Board of Trustees as our Treasurer. This voluntary position would be ideal for someone with financial experience who wants to make a difference in the community.

As Treasurer you would help to oversee the charity’s finances, support good governance and work with your fellow Trustees to ensure the Charity’s aims are sustainable and effective.

What you will bring
• Financial knowledge of bookkeeping or accountancy experience and charities.
• Good organisational skills.
• Commitment to the Charity’s aims and values.
• Ability to work as a team.

What you will do
• Monitor income and expenditure.
• Present Financial reports to the Board.
• Support budgeting and financial planning.
• Ensure proper procedures are followed.
• Contribute to the charity’s planning.

This a rewarding opportunity to support a meaningful cause and contribute your skills to the Festival and the local community. 🎗️

To express interest, or for more information, please contact Jan Thompson by email at [email protected] with your cv or equivalent by 2nd July 2026

11/05/2026

We are delighted to announce that the Appledore Book Festival 2026 Art Prize winner is local artist, Rosie Burns. CONGRATULATIONS ROSIE!🎉

The winning artwork named ‘THE NETTED SUNBEAM DANCE’ will appear on the front cover of this year’s brochure. The title is a line from Tennyson's THE BROOK - one of Rosie’s favourite water poems.🖼️

The original artwork will be on display at the Festival in September and will be auctioned at the end of the 10 days, with profits being shared between the artist and the Festival.

Rosie is a painter and printmaker, she is one half of Rosie and Red Art and Leather, working from studios in Bideford. Her work is a vibrant exploration of light, life, and the interplay between humanity and the environment. More formal oil paintings celebrate the natural world, and generate narratives, whilst experimental printmaking processes challenge depictions of gender, environmental concerns and push the boundaries between print and paint.🎨

She initially trained as an Archaeological site and finds illustrator, she then went on to train to teach art and design in schools, she worked in state education for over 20 years. Rosie has exhibited locally, nationally and internationally for over 3 decades, participated in Art for Social Justice exhibitions in Miami, Berlin and the 2024 Venice Biennial. She is an Artivist, a pacifist and keen to use her work to engage broad audiences in issues of contemporary social justice, she is a full-time, self-employed artist.👩‍🎨

For more information visit www.rosieburnsartist.com

We would like to offer a warm thank you to ArtMakers for their continued support and to everyone who entered the competition.🎗️

ArtMakers

29/04/2026

The latest book from, Festival Patron, Jeremy Vine hit the shelves this month! 📚

Turn the Dial for Death, is the second book in his new murder mystery series, The Sidmouth Murder Mysteries. We have no doubt it will be another huge bestseller. 🗡️

Be sure to look out for Jeremy who will be appearing again at this year’s Festival (18-27 September). 🎪

Congratulations Jeremy! 🎉 The Jeremy Vine

📸 Sophia Spring

03/04/2026

🎪 Wishing you all a very Happy Easter from everyone at the Appledore Book Festival 🐰 🐣

31/03/2026

💫 Come and celebrate World Book Night with us, on Thursday 23rd April, 7-9pm, at St Mary’s Hall in Appledore. 📚 🌒

We'll be hosting a relaxed evening of reading, refreshments and friendly conversation with fellow readers in the village.

ℹ️ World Book Night is part of The Reading Agency and run as one of the charity’s programmes as part of its work to inspire people to share reading and celebrate the difference it makes to our lives. It brings people from all backgrounds together for one reason – to inspire others to read more.

🆓 Entry is free! So if you'd like to join us, please DM us on Facebook or email [email protected].

🤩 We look forward to seeing you there!

25/03/2026

🎪The new advert for the National Year of Reading 2026 is here!📚💫

Whatever you're into, reading lets you Go All In on your passions.

Whether it's football, music, baking, family-time, sci-fi, or ... anything, if you're into it, read into it!

Follow and visit www.goallin.org.uk to discover the National Year of Reading 2026, the UK-wide campaign designed to help more people rediscover the joys of reading.

16/03/2026

📣 Exciting News for the Appledore Book Festival! 📣

We are absolutely delighted to announce that the Appledore Book Festival has received a generous grant from the People’s Postcode Lottery as part of the Millionaire Street Grant Fund – support that will make a real difference to our community. This is extra special this year, as 2026 is the 20th festival and also the Year of Reading. 📚

It is also wonderful news that Northam Care Trust has received a £100,000 donation which will no doubt make a great difference to the already superb support they offer. In addition, we would like to congratulate the seven postcode lottery winners in EX39 1EZ who have received substantial winnings. 👏

This funding will help us to expand our literacy outreach, bring more authors and storytellers into schools and to the festival. We intend to continue to organise inclusive events that will welcome readers of all ages, background and abilities. It strengthens our mission to make books, creativity and culture accessible to everyone in North Devon and beyond. 🏫

We are deeply grateful to the People’s Postcode Lottery for believing in the importance of literacy and for investing in the future of our festival and our community. Their support helps us to continue building a festival and Schools Week that inspires curiosity, connection and lifelong learning.
Do follow the Appledore Book Festival as we have some wonderful plans taking shape for this year’s programme and we shall be sharing them with you. 🎗️

Thank you People’s Postcode Lottery for helping us turn pages into possibilities. 💫

Sara Mendosa
Chair of Trustees

06/03/2026

🎪We are delighted to be supporting local writer, Laurie Page, as part of her English and Creative Writing degree at University of Plymouth. It’s fantastic to see new writers emerging, and our book festival relies on that fresh talent to remain aspirational and inspirational. 💫

As a charity, funds raised from the book festival go towards supporting our local community and delivering the Appledore Book Festival Schools Week, one of the largest schools outreach programmes in the UK. In 2026, as we celebrate our 20th anniversary, we are especially delighted to be able to offer this bursary to a university level student to help with study books and other associated costs. 📚

Address

Westward Ho

Website

https://linktr.ee/appledorebookfestival

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Appledore Book Festival posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Want your business to be the top-listed Event/venue in Westward Ho?