Wimbledon BookFest

Wimbledon BookFest A festival of the arts, culture and education. SAVE THE DATE: 15-25 October 2026

05/05/2026

Tips from one of our author judges - Patrick Gallagher

We are delighted to have four authors on our Young Writers Competition judging panel (along with teachers and other educational experts!)

Patrick Gallagher, author of the thrilling Transcendent books, shares that his winning entries should be creative and original.

Patrick is looking forward to reading your inspirational entries!

Our deadline is Friday 8 May.

27/04/2026

Tips from one of our author judges - Lui Sit!

We are delighted to have four authors on our Young Writers Competition judging panel.

Author of the children’s adventure hit Land of the Last Wildcat and her anticipated new magical mystery The Wildcat and the Gathering Storm, Lui, shares that her winning entries will make her look at the world in a way that she has not thought of before.

Lui reminds you to be entertaining, original, and have fun!

Check out our website to find out how you can get involved through your school.

23/04/2026

Merton Big Read 20256: The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak!

Five hundred copies of the book will be available through libraries and community groups across Merton, so be sure to pick up your copy and get reading. Once you're done, share your thoughts in our survey for the chance to win a signed copy of one of Elif's latest books and two tickets to see her live at our 2026 Festival.

Set in London and Cyprus and spanning a lifetime, this magical novel follows the lives of two teenagers from opposite sides of a divided island, and tells the rich tale of belonging and identity, love and trauma, nature and renewal. The Island of Missing Trees explores the themes of human connection, the inheritance of pain, the power of kindness and the role of literature in giving a voice to the natural world.

Elif Shafak is an award-winning British-Turkish novelist and storyteller, and the President of the Royal Society of Literature.

The Merton Big Read is part of Merton Council's National Portfolio and is funded by Arts Council England.

Meet the author judges of our 2026 Young Writers Competition! We are delighted to welcome these fantastic authors onto o...
21/04/2026

Meet the author judges of our 2026 Young Writers Competition!

We are delighted to welcome these fantastic authors onto our judging panel this year, alongside teachers and other educational experts.

Swipe to meet them, and see what they are looking for in a winning entry. PLUS: writing tips!

Find out you can get invovled in our website. Entries must come through schools.

17/04/2026

Tips from one of our author judges - Nathanael Lessore!

We are delighted to have four authors on our Young Writers Competition judging panel (along with teachers and other educational experts!)

Award-winning author Nate, author of King of Nothing, Steady for This and more, shares that his winning entries will be the ones that have you enjoyed writing - because it always shows!

His top tip is to use descriptive tools like the five senses in your work - and show, rather than tell!

Check out our website to find out how you can get involved.

Priority Sale open now! We are delighted to be part of Marina Hyde’s UK Tour for her new collection of columns, What a T...
15/04/2026

Priority Sale open now!

We are delighted to be part of Marina Hyde’s UK Tour for her new collection of columns, What a Time to Be Alive!

Award-winning journalist, inimitable commentator and co-host of The Rest is Entertainment will be taking us on a tour of the most absurd scenes of our recent past.

Priority Booking is open to Friends - join today for Priority Access and no booking fee!

Our Creative Writing Workshops are back!Whether you’re just starting out on your writing journey, wanting to develop you...
14/04/2026

Our Creative Writing Workshops are back!

Whether you’re just starting out on your writing journey, wanting to develop your craft, or simply looking to explore different ways of telling your story, our workshops are the perfect way to get your creativity flowing and release the author within you, with your short story being published in an anthology at the end of the course.

We have Beginner’s courses with bestseling author and award-winning journalist and Advanced courses - for those who took part in last year’s workshops - with Tim Atkins.

Free places available for SM3, SM4, CR4 & CR7 thanks to support from Merton Council and Arts Council England.

Don’t miss out - we expect places to sell fast!

14/04/2026

Tips from one of our author judges - Eve Wersocki Morris!

We are delighted to have four authors on our Young Writers Competition judging panel (along with teachers and other educational experts!)

Listen to Eve, author of Clem Fatale Has Been Betrayed, The Bird Singers and more, as she shares four fantastic tips to write your best work!

1. Be original and imaginative
2. Write something you want to read
3. Don’t worry about writing it perfect on your first draft
4. Read your work out loud to someone else
Find out how you can get invovled on our website

All of our Early Bird Events are on General Sale!Don’t miss out - secure your tickets today. The first names of Wimbledo...
08/04/2026

All of our Early Bird Events are on General Sale!

Don’t miss out - secure your tickets today. The first names of Wimbledon BookFest 2026 include:

Robert Harris, Tim Spector, Meera Syal, The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, Margaret Drabble, Xand van Tulleken, Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason and more!

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