The Cheltenham Literature Festival for Schools provides a programme of in-person author events, creative workshops and storytelling sessions for primary and secondary schools. The 2025 Festival runs from 10th-19th October and booking opens at 4pm on Tuesday 17th June.

This year’s primary programme includes over 40 sessions, including a selection of events and workshops with comic artists curated by best-selling graphic novel creator Jamie Smart. Some of the best-selling authors and illustrators featured on the 2025 primary programme include: Rob Biddulph, Sarah Bowie, Rachel Bright and Jim Field, Peter Brown, Neill Cameron, Alastair Chisholm, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Cressida Cowell, Max Evans, Sharna Jackson, Jennifer Killick, Ross Montgomery, Michael Rosen, Adam Stower and Jacqueline Wilson.

The programme for secondary schools includes new careers sessions for KS5 students as well as access to Voicebox, a dynamic free space for young people aged 15+ hosting talks, debates, spoken word events and workshops on a range of topics from pop culture to politics. Raymond Antrobus, Dean Atta, Oyinkan Braithwaite, Christopher Edge, Sonia Leong, Nathanael Lessore, J. P. Rose and Jonathan Stroud are among the big name authors available to engage and inspire KS3-KS5 students.

Cost: Events £7.50 per pupil. Workshops £8.50 per pupil. Tickets for accompanying adults are free. There is a £5 booking fee for schools.

About Cheltenham Festivals: Cheltenham Festivals is a charity committed to ensuring that everybody can engage in innovative, world-class content across science and the arts. The charity runs a number of Festivals covering literature, music and science as well as year-round outreach programmes.