Bradford Literature Festival (BLF), one of Europe’s most inclusive and innovative cultural celebrations, returns for its 12th year from 3 – 12 July 2026 with an expansive and eclectic programme designed to spark dialogue, delight audiences and welcome visitors into the heart of a newly transformed city centre.
Founded in 2014, the festival set out to create a destination cultural event that would promote literacy, attract visitors from across the UK and beyond, and change the national perception of Bradford by showcasing the city’s rich heritage, vibrant communities, and creative potential. BLF has played a pivotal role in shaping Bradford’s cultural and civic landscape, helping to secure the city’s place as UK City of Culture 2025, and supporting the now-completed regeneration of the city centre.
The 2026 programme builds on the record-breaking momentum from 2025, when over 187,000 attendees, 40,000 of them children or young people, took part in 752 events. 65% of those attendees accessed events for free using BLF’s pioneering ethical ticketing policy. Headliners for 2026 include:
- Prue Leith, the Great British Bake Off presenter, Great British Menu judge, restaurateur, cookery school founder and national treasure joins us for a chat about her Sunday Times bestselling memoir Being Old and Learning to Love It, a frank, funny and thoroughly entertaining reckoning with life in her eighties.
- David Larbi hosts a restorative and inspiring masterclass rooted in the uplifting wisdom of his book Frequently Happy. This immersive session blends reflective poetry with guided journalling exercises designed to help you notice life’s small joys and nurture a more positive mindset.
- Bestselling authors Jessie Elland (The Ladie Upstairs), Lucy Rose (The Lamb) and Charlotte Paradise (Overspill) join us for a fierce conversation on the gothic as a battleground for bodies that refuse to behave.
- Hannah Spencer, the trailblazing Green Party MP for Gorton and Denton, joins us to reflect on her journey from working-class tradeswoman to Westminster.
- Heartstopper actor Bradley Riches joins writer and journalist John Harris for a thoughtful, personal conversation exploring life across the neurodiverse spectrum.
Further headline names include rockstar-turned-social commentator John Robb, author and poet Lemn Sissay, Shaykh Muhammad Al-Yaqoubi, President of Al Sharq Forum Wadah Khanfar, Hacienda pioneer Mike Pickering, Former Leadereader of the Liberal Democrats Vince Cable, author and mental health advocate Ro Mitchell, the Witches of Scotland Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venditozzi, award-winning author Abir Mukherjee and political commentator Myriam François.
Reflecting the breadth and complexity of our times, BLF has become a platform for tough discussions on some of the most
pressing issues on the global news agenda. This year, debates tackling historical and current geopolitical issues include:
- The Anatomy of State Collapse with Paul Rogers
- America at 250: Empire, Democracy and Global Power with Melissa Butcher
- Jewish Manningham: Heritage Walking Tour with Nigel Grizzard
- Who Gets to Tell the Story? with Nafeez Ahmed, Meashael Al Mannai, Paul Rogers and George Osborn
- America and the Stories it Forgot with Mustafa Briggs
- Iran, Karbala and the Psychology of Resistance
- Complicit: Britain’s Role in the Destruction of Gaza with Peter Oborne
- Black History and the Forgotten Worlds of Islam with Mustafa Briggs
As always, BLF’s programme offers more than talks and panels. A wide range of events are open to the public, from exhibitions and comedy nights to heritage walking tours and live performances and film screenings. Highlights include a 100 Acre Wood Bear Hunt there show, Back Chat Brass musical performances, film screenings, storytelling sessions, workshops and meet the author moments.
This year’s festival will also feature a selection of exciting book launches, Sunday Times bestselling author and Bradford’s own A.A. Dhand’s latest The Kingpin, Saima Mir’s new thriller Deliverance, and bestselling author Bea Fitzgerald’s Better Than Revenge, a sharp and addictive story of competition and celebrity culture.
Bradford Literature Festival is the UK’s largest and Europe’s most eclectic and diverse literature festival, drawing international audiences. Serving as a beacon of global cultural exchange, BLF engages with international partners and audiences, making it a thought-provoking destination for literary enthusiasts and cultural observers alike. At the heart of BLF is a commitment to artistic brilliance and contemporary discourse.
BLF is a leader in social inclusion and representation, creating spaces that are welcoming and accessible for all. To make sure everyone can access the events work, BLF have pioneered ‘Ethical Ticketing’ – which means many events are free for people who otherwise would not be able to afford to attend cultural moments.
Founder and Artistic Director Syima Aslam said: “Culture is not a luxury. It is a necessity. We are living through a period of profound change. Across the world, people are grappling with questions of identity, belonging, power, meaning and the future. In moments such as these, stories help us make sense of ourselves and the world around us.
They allow us to encounter different perspectives, challenge assumptions and engage with complexity. This year’s programme brings together writers, thinkers, artists and changemakers from across the UK and around the world to explore some of the defining questions of our age. Through literature, history, faith, politics, science and the arts, it invites audiences to think more deeply, listen more carefully, and imagine new possibilities for ourselves, our communities and our shared future.”
For more information and to book tickets, visit: www.bradfordlitfest.co.uk
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