Tickets for the second Ipswich Book Festival go on sale at 10am on Monday 6 July via ipswichbookfestival.co.uk

Returning over the weekend of 2–4 October 2026, Ipswich Book Festival will present more than 50 events across ten venues in the town centre, bringing together bestselling authors, broadcasters, historians, illustrators, poets and performers for a weekend celebrating the power of stories.

Following a successful inaugural festival in 2025, which saw one in three visitors travel from outside Ipswich, organisers are looking forward to welcoming audiences back for an even more ambitious second festival.

This year’s theme, More Than Words, celebrates the power of books to move us, challenge us and connect us. Across the weekend, the festival will explore how stories and ideas shape our understanding of power, identity, history and community, and how reading can inspire conversation, creativity and change.

Among this year’s headline guests are broadcaster Stewart White, actress and author Caroline Quentin, journalist and broadcaster Janet Street-Porter, musician Rusty Egan and comedian, broadcaster and author Robin Ince. They are joined by Ipswich Book Festival patrons Thomas Taylor, Eva Verde, Frances Quinn, Matson Taylor and Ashley Hickson-Lovence, alongside acclaimed children’s author Brogen Murphy and a diverse line-up of writers, historians, artists, campaigners and performers.

From fiction and history to music, art, memoir and children’s books, the programme reflects the many ways stories shape our lives. Alongside author talks and workshops, it explores themes including dyslexia, dementia, identity, belonging, queer history and the environment.

Tony Felgate, Director of Ipswich Book Festival “Last year exceeded all our expectations. It was wonderful to see people travelling from across the country to discover Ipswich through books, ideas and conversation. We cannot wait to welcome audiences back this October and we are so grateful to our sponsors and partners, particularly Larking Gowen Chartered Accountants & Business Advisors who are this year’s Principal Sponsor.” New for 2026 is Ipswich Book Festival Schools Week, taking place from 28 September to 2 October. Developed in partnership with Dial Lane Books, the initiative aims to give every school in Ipswich the opportunity to meet a children’s author and inspire a lifelong love of reading. Supported by Sizewell C, Schools Week aims to reach more than 4,000 children across the town.

Andrew Marsh, Director of Ipswich Book Festival and owner of Dial Lane Books said “Schools Week is about giving every child the opportunity to discover the joy of reading. Meeting an author can inspire confidence, curiosity and creativity in ways that stay with young people long after the visit has ended. We want every child in Ipswich to know that books are for them.”