Book lovers can enjoy a whole host of events at Cheltenham Literature Festival for free this October 2025, as it announces over 100 free-to-attend events as part of this year's programme.
At the Festival Village in Montpellier Gardens, The Huddle, The Hush, The Snug and Times Square are all hosting a variety of free events, from post-event discussions to storytelling and crafts.
For book lovers, highlights at The Huddle include the festival's 'literary explorer in residence' Ann Morgan chatting to Bulgarian author Georgi Gospodinov about reading across borders; while author of hit thriller My Sister, The Serial Killer and guest curator, Oyinkan Braithwaite, discusses the rituals, traditions and customs that shape fiction with fellow author Emily Itami.
In The Hush, crafty visitors can try out candle making and the Japanese art of kintsugi; or have a go at badge making, quill crafting and fantasy map drawing in The Snug.
While at Times Square, visitors can relax with a complimentary newspaper; test their wits with The Times' world-famous crosswords and puzzles; take a quiet moment to dive into a new book at the TLS Reading Area; take part in spirited post-event debates at Times Radio Speaker's Corner; and even enjoy free wine tastings with The Sunday Times wine columnist Will Lyons at the Headline Bar each day.
The pop-up VOICEBOX venue returns for its fifth year in 2025, with a packed programme designed to champion the 'voices of tomorrow' and tackle the issues young adults care about most – with highlights including Love Island and Strictly star, Tasha Ghouri on how our differences are our biggest strengths; Rizzle Kicks star Jordan Stephens on redefining healthy masculinity; body positivity influencer and author Megan Jayne Crabbe on self-worth, rewriting limited narratives and reclaiming the best version of ourselves – as well as returning favourites like the #MerkyBooks proof party; the Queer Takeover with Gloucestershire journalist Jack Shute; and student-led takeover 'Spill the Tea'.
New for 2025, VOICEBOX is also hosting the launch of the New Adult Book Prize, in collaboration with The Bookseller, to champion new adult fiction and crown the prize's first-ever winner.
For families, there's plenty to fire up little imaginations, including 'Return to Wonderland', inspired by Anna James's reimagining of Lewis Carroll's classic, with a chance to meet the Mad Hatter himself; 'Tales from Acorn Wood' celebrating 25 years of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's beloved book series; an interactive trail inspired by Christopher Edge's The Escape; and everything from comic book making to dressing up in The Den.
And bringing literature to life in unconventional spaces, the infamous Lit Crawl returns on Saturday 11 October 2025, with unmissable events taking place at venues across Cheltenham town centre – from spooky storytelling with award-winning local theatre company Moth Sanctuary Productions, bringing their original horror podcast 'Penny Dreadfuls from the Moth Sanctuary' to life; a lively ceilidh inspired by the dark folklore of Grimm's Fairy Tales; a classic murder mystery; to an Alice in Wonderland-themed quiz night.
Around 30 per cent of the Literature Festival programme is free this year, helping to make the popular event as accessible as possible – and linking to its mission to bring culture to 80,000 children in Cheltenham Festivals' landmark 80th year.
Cheltenham Literature Festival's head of programming, Nicola Tuxworth, said: 'Every year we’re thrilled to be able to share this stellar programme of free events with our audiences, thanks to the generosity of our supporters.
'The breadth and diversity of our programme continues to give voice to the very best emerging writers, while showcasing the talents of our local community in a celebration of performance, spoken word and beyond.'
For more information about Cheltenham Literature Festival, including SoGlos's highlights from the main programme, see Cheltenham Literature Festival 2025.
