2026 Festival brings a feast of poets, comedians and bestselling authors to Huddersfield along with an array of child friendly events.
Check out their event listing on our Local Calendar – https://www.workrestorplay.co.uk/events/huddersfield-literature-festival-celebrating-20-years/
Huddersfield Literature Festival (HuddLitFest) will mark its 20th anniversary in 2026 with a landmark programme of events, supported by an Arts Council England grant of just under £50,000.
Running from 6–17 May 2026, the multi-award-winning Festival will present a standout line-up of poets, comedians, bestselling authors and cultural commentators, alongside workshops, schools activity and community projects inspired by the anniversary theme, ‘Twenty’.
Highlights from the anniversary programme include:
• An evening with Ardal O’Hanlon, bestselling novelist and stand-up comedian, at Huddersfield Town Hall
• In conversation with Val McDermid, the internationally acclaimed “Queen of Crime”
• The ‘Chocolat’ Experience with Joanne Harris and master chocolatier David Greenwood-Haigh
• Poetry performances from Festival Patron Lemn Sissay and Poet Laureate Simon Armitage
• An evening with Sunny Ormonde, best known as Lilian Bellamy in The Archers
• A major arts and culture talk with Darren Henley, CEO of Arts Council England
The programme will also explore politics and current affairs with contributors including Vince Cable, Brian Groom and Horatio Clare, alongside a reappraisal of Emily Brontë and the return of popular events such as Polari LGBTQ+ Literary Salon and the HuddLitFest Poetry Slam.
Emerging writers will be supported through creative workshops and performance opportunities, including 20 New Voices, while young audiences can enjoy events ranging from Elmer the Elephant story sessions and Spider-Man readings, to illustration workshops with Chris Mould and a special celebration of 100 years of Winnie-the-Pooh led by children’s author Jane Riordan.
Alongside its established Schools Programme, which engaged more than 4,000 pupils across Kirklees in 2025, the Festival will champion the Department for Education’s National Year of Reading 2026 – ‘Go All In’ – aligning with the campaign’s ambition to inspire a lifelong love of reading across all ages. To continue the Festival’s involvement for a younger audience it will work with local partners including Conscious Youth, Empower and Saving Grace Music.
Festival Director Michelle Hodgson said:
“Reaching our 20th anniversary is a huge milestone for HuddLitFest. This funding allows us to celebrate with an ambitious programme that brings major cultural figures to Huddersfield, while continuing to support new voices, young people and local communities. Accessibility and participation remain at the heart of everything we do.”
Winner of the Accessible & Inclusive Award at the Yorkshire Post Tourism Awards, HuddLitFest will release further programme details and tickets throughout the forthcoming weeks 2026. For more information or to sign up to the newsletter visit www.huddlitfest.org.uk
More about Huddersfield Literature Festival
Huddersfield Literature Festival (HuddLitFest) is an award-winning two-week Festival held annually in the Spring. A blended Festival of 60+ venue-based, digital and outdoor events held at accessible spaces across Huddersfield, HuddLitFest champions accessibility, diversity and under-represented groups.
Showcasing emerging writers and artists alongside major names, the Festival offers a diverse programme of author talks, workshops, discussion topics, performance poetry, multi-arts performances, wellbeing projects and family friendly events. Innovative special projects and commissions, often inspired by local community partnerships, are designed to promote community cohesion, improve wellbeing and proactively engage with under-represented artists, performers and audiences.
With many free and low-cost events, including some with live subtitling, and Access Guides to key venues, HuddLitFest promotes accessibility with a view to offering more opportunities for a wider range of people to enjoy arts and culture. Established in 2006, HuddLitFest is a major fixture on the town’s cultural calendar.
Their patrons include Sir Patrick Stewart OBE, Lemn Sissay OBE and lisa luxx.
The Huddersfield Literature Festival have also received the following awards and nominations –
Awards & nominations:
- Accessible & Inclusive Tourism, Yorkshire Post Tourism Awards – WINNER 2022, finalist 2023 & 2024
- Culture Award, Yorkshire Post Tourism Awards – finalist 2023 & 2024
- Creative Champions, South Pennines Park Awards – WINNER 2023
- Kirklees Diversity, Equality and Innovation Awards – finalist 2022
- Welcome to Yorkshire White Rose Awards – finalist 2016, 2017 & 2020
- Examiner Community Award for the Arts – WINNER 2017