Imaginations are invited to run wild as Portsmouth BookFest returns from 15 February to 8 March 2026.
The city’s big celebration of books and creativity takes place over three weeks, featuring creative workshops, interactive events and appearances from major names in the literary world.
Tickets are available now and there’s something for all ages – for both book lovers and curious newcomers – with events happening in libraries and community venues across the city.
BookFest 2026 has a dedicated children’s week over the half-term (Monday 16 to Saturday 21 February), featuring puppet theatre, hands-on workshops, story-telling and everyone’s favourite character The Gruffalo.
The adults’ programme (Friday 15 February to Sunday 8 March) has fascinating talks on Peter Sellers, punk, politics and crime fiction as well as plenty of creative writing workshops for budding authors and poets.
There’s a special appearance from the UK’s Poet Laurette Simon Armitage, performing alongside local poets Maggie Sawkins, Sam Cox and Majid Dhana.
Portsmouth City Council Leader Cllr Steve Pitt said:
“Portsmouth BookFest is a brilliant celebration of creativity, ideas and imagination put on by our library and archive service. It brings people together in welcoming spaces across our city and shows how powerful books and storytelling can be.
“2026 is Portsmouth’s centenary year of city status and also marks the 50th birthday of our Central Library, so there’s extra reason to celebrate. I’m proud that Portsmouth continues to champion reading, culture and creativity for residents of all ages.”
Highlights in the programme include two events for aspiring writers aged 16-25:
- A Gothic and horror writing workshop with Holly Kybett Smith on Tuesday 17 February.
- A poetry slam workshop with spoken word artist Bash Amuneni on Thursday 19 February.
Highlights in the adults’ programme include:
- Could it happen here? – a talk about the resilience of the UK’s democracy on Tuesday 24 February
- A celebration of unsung cities (including Portsmouth) with local author Ben Aitken on Wednesday 25 February
- Missing people: a crime fiction panel featuring acclaimed crime writers Simon Mason, Jane Thynne and Lisa Walker on Saturday 28 February.
- The untold railway stories to mark 200 years of passenger journeys on Saturday 28 February.
The children’s programme offers free and low-cost events, and most events offer leisure card discount.
Find the full BookFest 2026 lineup online: Portsmouth BookFest – Public Library Service or pick up a brochure in any Portsmouth library.