Ealing Book Festival Announces 2026 Dates
Next year's event will see an expanded programme and new venues
Andrew O'Hagan at a previous festival. Picture: Ealing Book Festival
November 19, 2025
The Ealing Book Festival returns for its third year, with organisers confirming that the festival will expand to five days, with events taking place at the University of West London and, for the first time, at Questors Theatre.
The full programme running for Wednesday 29 April to Sunday 3 May 2026 will be released early next year, but festival chair Catherine Jaquiss promises another “vibrant celebration of books and writing in all their dazzling forms,” with internationally renowned authors, panel discussions, interactive workshops, walking tours, and the popular Local Authors’ Showcase all set to return. Family-friendly activities and an enhanced schools’ programme will also feature prominently.
The announcement follows the success of the 2025 Ealing Book Festival, which drew over 1,900 attendees to 24 events held across Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery and the University of West London. The second edition saw a 50% increase in attendance compared to its inaugural year, with audiences praising the festival’s blend of high-profile speakers and grassroots engagement.
Headline authors in 2025 included Hanif Kureishi, Elif Shafak, Andrew O’Hagan, Tracy Chevalier, Roger McGough, and Abi Daré, alongside non-fiction voices such as Laura Cumming, Ben Pentreath, and Joe Boyd. The festival also launched its first schools event, with Konnie Huq speaking to over 170 pupils, marking a major step in its outreach to younger readers.
Catherine Jaquiss said, “After setting West London abuzz with another incredible celebration of stories and ideas earlier this year, we’re ready to write the next instalment. We’re looking forward to introducing new venues to create more opportunities for audiences to engage, as well as enhancing our schools programme to inspire the next generation.”
Readers and festival-goers can register for updates and early access to tickets at www.ealingbookfestival.com.
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive November 19, 2025 We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |