Leicester literature festival returns with star authors and tribute to Agatha Christie
Leicester’s flagship literature festival, Literary Leicester, returns in 2026 with an exciting line up of internationally acclaimed authors including Sophie Hannah, Louise Doughty, Jonathan Coe and Dame Jacqueline Wilson.
Literary Leicester is organised by the School of Arts, Media and Communication at the University of Leicester, with the main festival in March, but events all year round. This year’s programme includes an entire day dedicated to crime fiction in honour of the 50th anniversary of Agatha Christie’s death.
The main festival will run from Wednesday 18 – Saturday 21 March, taking place across the University of Leicester’s campus.
Dame Jacqueline Wilson will give the “Annual Creative Writing Lecture” on Thursday 30 April.
Literary Leicester’s festival co-directors, Dr Claire Wood and Dr Harry Whitehead, said: “We're so delighted to host the city's annual free book festival once again in 2026. We've a fantastic line up this year, both during the main festival and in our annual events series that run throughout the year.
“As well as our main headliners, we're talking how to be climate hopeful, what it means to 'Write Leicester' with the city's poet laureate and newest major novelist. We also 'Ride Leicester' with a free bike tour of local literary highlights. We've kids’ workshops with local schools and Saturday events; considering ten people who changed the world; there's science fiction, visual poetry and much more.
“We're a 100% free book festival in the country's first "plural" city. As such, we're delighted always to see the most diverse audiences from right across the city. We welcome everyone! We hope to entertain, to inform, and, in this National Year of Reading, to promote and celebrate books across a huge range of subjects.”
The full programme of this year’s events can be found below. More information about Literary Leicester can be found here.
Wednesday 18 March 2026
The Life and Times of Agatha Christie – Attenborough Arts Centre, LE1 7HA – 12:30pm – 1:30pm
How to Be a Liar – Attenborough Arts Centre, LE1 7HA – 2pm – 3pm
Crimes of Tomorrow – Attenborough Arts Centre, LE1 7HA – 3:30pm – 4:30pm
Sophie Hannah: Poirot and Me – Sir Bob Burgess Building, LE2 6BF – 6:30pm – 7:30pm
Louise Doughty: A Life in Writing – Sir Bob Burgess Building, LE2 6BF – 8pm – 9pm
Thursday 19 March 2026
Creative Writing Student Showcase – Attenborough Arts Centre, LE1 7HA – 12pm – 1:15pm
Despite It All: A Handbook for Climate Hopefuls with Fred Pearce – Attenborough Arts Centre, LE1 7HA – 2pm – 3pm
New Voices, Future Worlds – Attenborough Arts Centre, LE1 7HA – 3:30pm – 4:30pm
Judging Major Book Prizes – Attenborough Arts Centre, LE1 7HA – 5pm – 6pm
Jonathon Coe is Innocent – Sir Bob Burgess Building, LE2 6BF – 7pm – 8pm
Friday 20 March 2026
The Art of the Page: A Visual Poetry Workshop with Karenjit Sandhu – Leicester Central Library, LE1 6AA – 12:30pm – 1:30pm
First Story Young Writers’ Showcase – Attenborough Arts Centre, LE1 7HA – 1:30pm – 2:30pm
Write Leicester – Attenborough Arts Centre, LE1 7HA – 3pm – 4pm
LIAS Presents: Ten People that Changed the World – Attenborough Arts Centre, LE1 7HA – 4:30pm – 5:45pm
Some-Antics featuring Ishtiaq Hussain – Phoenix Cinema & Art Centre, LE1 1TG – 7pm – 10:30pm
Saturday 21 March 2026
Maths With a Story: A Letterbox Club Kids' Event – Beaumont Hall Botanical Gardens, LE2 2LD – 10:30am – 12pm
Literary Leicester by Bike! – Town Hall Bike Park, LE1 5BP – 11am – 1pm
Thursday 30 April 2026
Dame Jacqueline Wilson – The Annual Creative (Reading and) Writing Lecture 2026 – Sir Bob Burgess Building, LE2 6BF – 5:30pm – 6:45pm
Multiple Dates
Classics from my Childhood – Special Collections Reading Room, David Wilson Library, LE1 7HR – various dates and times