Travel and Tourism Awards 2026 | 15 Best Annual Cultural Event 2026 - Channel Islands The Guernsey Literary Festival is an annual celebration of great writing and big ideas. Each spring, this beautiful island becomes a meeting place for writers, thinkers and readers, drawn together by a shared love of words and a rare intimacy in which world-class names feel genuinely accessible. We explore the award-winning event below. Founded in 2014, the Festival has grown into a highlight of the island’s cultural calendar. Today, it welcomes authors, poets and speakers from across literature, history, politics, science, food, nature, travel and wellbeing, bringing internationally recognised figures together with emerging and local voices. Known for its carefully curated programme and friendly, welcoming atmosphere, the Festival has earned a reputation for its quality and beautiful island setting. The 2026 Festival takes place from 23 April to 7 May, with more than 70 events across the island. Venues range from the GuilleAllès Library and St James Concert Hall to St Pierre Park Hotel and the iconic Bathing Pools. Thanks to Guernsey’s compact size, audiences can easily move between events, discovering different parts of the island — from harbourfronts to hidden beaches — while enjoying talks, workshops, performances and literary walks along the way. This year’s programme brings together an impressive range of voices and genres. Featured guests include award-winning novelist Joanne Harris; Booker Prize–shortlisted author Ben Markovits; scientist and ZOE founder Tim Spector; BBC broadcaster Sophie Raworth; historian Professor Tracy Borman OBE; and much-loved children’s writer and illustrator Lauren Child. They are joined by Rob Rinder, Mishal Husain, Cally Beaton, John Agard, Edward Stourton, Brian Bilston, Colin Butfield, Kate Bradbury, Tristan Gooley, Vassos Alexander, Helen Lewis and Shaun Usher – alongside a strong line-up of local writers and performers. Family events continue to play an important role in the programme. With 2026 marking the National Year of Reading, a special discussion brings together former Children’s Laureate Lauren Child, writer and broadcaster Horatio Clare and the Festival’s honorary chairman, Sir Terry Waite. Children’s events include a tea party with Lauren Child, a cartoon workshop with Ramzee and interactive sessions with Jarvis, Rachael Bright, Phil Earle and MC Grammar. Behind the headline events, the Festival’s wider social impact is just as meaningful. As a registered charity, the Guernsey Literary Festival places education, access and community engagement at the heart of its mission. Its schools programme reaches more than 3,000 pupils each year, while outreach activity brings authors into care homes, community centres and the prison. Supporting new and emerging writers is also a key focus, through long-standing competitions including the Guernsey International Poetry Competition — which in 2025 received 2,350 entries from 55 countries — and the WriteStuff short story competition for young local writers. Where Stories Meet the Sea: The Guernsey Literary Festival In 2026, this commitment continues with the launch of the Festival’s first short story anthology, Time & Tide. Featuring 20 winning stories by writers with a connection to the Bailiwick of Guernsey, the collection celebrates storytelling inspired by island life and reflects the Festival’s ambition to create work with a lasting legacy. The Festival also offers visitors a natural gateway to Guernsey’s wider cultural heritage. The island has long inspired writers and artists, from Victor Hugo — whose former home, Hauteville House, remains a much-visited landmark — to Renoir, whose artistic legacy still lingers along the coastline. A lively arts and music scene runs throughout the year, and in 2026 the Festival also coincides with The Big Eat Guernsey, a food festival taking place across the island in April. At the Guernsey Literary Festival, literature is about more than books. It is about people coming together — to listen, to share, and to discover stories shaped by place, experience and imagination, with the sea never far away. Contact: Claire Allen Company: Guernsey Literary Festival Website: https://guernseyliteraryfestival.com/
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