Our best festival yet!
A record-breaking year: 20,000 people, 200 speakers and 100 events over 10 days.
Save the Date: 15-25 October 2026
Read more about our fantastic 2025 Autumn Festival, or check out some of the highlights
READ MORE FESTIVAL GALLERY 2025 EVENTS
Wimbledon BookFest is a curated festival and our team is under way planning for our 2026 Festival – pitches from publishers and agents can be sent to [email protected]
Find out more about Wimbledon BookFest and our previous festivals below.
Our first names will be announced in Spring – sign up to our newsletter to be the first to know!
ABOUT US SIGN UPBecome a World Record titles holder!
Be a part of MC Grammar’s attempt to break the Guinness World Records title for the LARGEST RAP LESSON with Wimbledon BookFest on Monday 2 March 2026 at New Wimbledon Theatre.
The award-winning teacher-turned-rapper returns to Wimbledon with his second book, Adventures of Rap Kid: The G.O.A.T!
Schools can sign up to reserve their place below
SIGN UP NOW! FIND OUT MORE
2025 Highlights
Watch our 2025 Autumn Festival Highlights video!
Festival Gallery
Thank-you to everyone who made this festival our best yet.
Take a look back at some of the highlights of Wimbledon BookFest 2025
2025 AUTUMN FESTIVAL GALLERY
Support Us
Join us today to be part of our journey – book festivals need support.
Wimbledon Bookfest is an arts and education charity working at the heart of the community, bringing the very best of global art, education and culture to South London. As one of the leading literary festivals in London, it runs a year-round Schools Programme, ‘Word Up’, bringing literacy events to children across south London – 9 London Boroughs take part.
Please become a Friend, Benefactor, Sponsor, or donate today.
We’d also love to hear from you if you think your business might like to get involved as a partner. Get in touch with [email protected]
DONATE SUPPORT
Merton Big Read 2025-26
Kit de Waal – Without Warning & Only Sometimes
Our 2025-26 Merton Big Read is Kit de Waal’s Without Warning & Only Sometimes. We had the pleasure of welcoming Kit to our 2025 Autumn Festival – you can watch the event recording here.
This initiative is funded by Arts Council England and run in partnership with Merton Libraries.
FIND OUT MORE GET A COPYGlobal Partnerships
Creating connections through storytelling
2026 marks the fourth year of international partnership with Lahore Literary Festival, bringing events that champion South Asian voices to our Autumn Festival. Since 2023, we have welcomed leading speakers including broadcaster Mishal Husain, author Mohsin Hamid, and activist, artist and daughter of the legendary poet Faiz, Salima Hashmi.
Our Festival has also expanded to a series of events that have celebrated Korean food, literature, art and music including the UK premiere of The Gap in Time, a live pansori performance straight from Seoul WOW Book Festival.
Find out more below!
LAHORE PARTNERSHIP CELEBRATING KOREAN CULTURE
Young Writers Competition
We are delighted to present the 2025 Young Writers Competition Anthologies, featuring 180 poems and stories based on this year’s theme. Our overall winner was Ana Gumende for her insightful, original and cleverly written poem, Soldier Proletariat.
Explore the anthologies and see the full list of winners and runners-up by clicking below.
The 2026 Young Writers Anthology will be launched in March. Schools can get involved by emailing Fran Baxter at [email protected]
READ THE ANTHOLOGIES FIND OUT MORE
Jacinda Ardern Schools Launch
Keep up with the latest on Instagram
Our News
Behind our 2025 Design: In Conversation with Mahin Hussain
You’ve probably seen Mahin Hussain’s Gola Ganda, the bold and vibrant cover art for Wimbledon BookFest this year. It is hard to miss, with its striking colours standing out against Wimbledon’s buildings and train station walls.
Korean Pansori comes to Wimbledon
UK Premiere of Jeanette Winterson’s The Gap of Time (The Winter’s Tale)
For the first time, Korean Pansori: A Winter’s Tale travels from Seoul to London for Wimbledon BookFest 2025.
Young Writers Prize-Giving 2025
Every legend is made through the stories that are told about them, and this year more than 2000 children across 70 schools created their own in Wimbledon BookFest’s Young Writers Competition.
Sponsors & Partners
