Our History
The Farnham Literary Festival was established in 2022, born from a desire to celebrate the written and spoken word and showcase Farnham as a vibrant centre for literature, creativity and culture. Farnham, having been designated a World Craft Town, also had strong connections with the literary world, with a number of notable authors having lived in, worked in or been inspired by the town and surrounding area. This added to Farnham’s longstanding reputation as a creative and literary community.
Farnham Town Council developed the festival, inviting local organisations, authors and community groups to help shape the event, with the ambition of creating something that was accessible to the whole community while also attracting high-profile authors and speakers from outside the area. The festival was designed to make use of Farnham’s wide range of unique and characterful venues, independent businesses and cultural organisations, rather than creating a single centralised event.
The first Farnham Literary Festival took place in 2022. Since then, the festival has quickly established a reputation for attracting well-known names alongside local and emerging talent, and is becoming one of the leading literary festivals in the South East.
The inaugural Farnham Literary Festival took place in March 2022, attracting around 2,500 attendees across the week. The programme featured a strong mix of high-profile authors, talks, workshops, poetry and children’s activities, with the opening event featuring Sandi Toksvig selling out.
The festival demonstrated a clear appetite for a literary event in Farnham and provided a strong foundation for its continued growth in subsequent years.
In 2023, the festival was opened by actor Christopher Biggins at a literary-themed variety show. Dame Jacqueline Wilson regaled audiences at St Andrew’s Church, and Martin Brown, illustrator of Horrible Histories, brought the Stone Age world to life at the University for the Creative Arts Film and Media Centre.
The 2024 Farnham Literary Festival continued the strong growth established in its first two years, with over 40 events taking place across ten days.
The programme featured a high-profile line-up including Hugh Bonneville, Dr Alison Weir and Bob Cryer, alongside author talks, workshops, film, poetry and competitions. 2024 also saw the launch of the Farnham’s First Five writing competition sponsored by bestselling author B.A. Paris.
With sell-out events, strong audience feedback and an increasingly diverse programme, 2024 demonstrated that the festival was becoming a well-established and important part of Farnham’s cultural calendar.
The fourth annual Farnham Literary Festival was held between 6th – 16th March 2025 with over 50 events taking place across 11 venues in 11 days, estimating over 3,000 tickets sold. The festival saw record attendance, engaging discussions, and memorable moments with renowned authors.
In a fitting celebration of four years, the festival welcomed four headline authors, all-round entertainer Reverend Richard Coles, fresh from the jungle, bestselling novelist Louis de Bernières, beloved television presenter Lorraine Kelly and the UK’s biggest-selling children’s author, David Walliams.
2026 marked a proud milestone for the Farnham Literary Festival as it celebrated its fifth year.
What began as an ambitious local initiative has rapidly grown into one of the South’s most vibrant literary events, firmly placing Farnham on the cultural map.
The festival continues to thrive thanks to the invaluable enthusiasm, contributions and collaborations of partners, organisations, community groups, volunteers, venues and sponsors. Their commitment helps to create a welcoming atmosphere and ensures the festival continues to grow and prosper.
In 2026 the Farnham Literary Festival programme featured more than 60 events and was headlined by Reeta Chakrabarti, Oti Mabuse, Lord Heseltine, Alexander Armstrong, Sir Vince Cable and Sir Jeremy Hunt.
The lineup also featured a Killer Thrillers panel with bestselling authors Ruth Ware, Ava Glass and Elly Griffiths. Tom Hindle, Jamie West and Greg Mosse explored the gentle art of cosy crime and Matthew Sweet, S.J. Parris and Anna Mazzola discussed The Art of Historical Fiction.
2026 saw the introduction of a film element to the festival, featuring a lineup of film-based workshops and talks, with an emphasis on storytelling through different mediums. A highlight included a talk at the University for the Creative Arts with BAFTA winning Art Director at Aardman Animations, Merlin Crossingham.
Join us from 4 – 14 March and uncover what Farnham Literary Festival 2027 has to offer.