There’s no need to read between the lines here: Queen’s Park Book Festival is returning.
Held over the weekend of the 31st August – 1st September, this returning annual festival brings together bookworms for a good old celebration of literature in a 30-acre park. That park being Queen’s Park in North London, which will be turned into a village fete-esque green space with tents, talks and of course, loads of books (and is quite conveniently close to some lovely brunch spots, including Milk Beach and Carmel).
For the 2024 edition, the organisers have done their best to fill the park with as many written word whizzes as they can, and they’ve done a very admirable job; with 25 events and over 50 writers on the agenda. At the top of the bill, you’ve got Jay Rayner kicking things off on Saturday, the best-selling author & critic who’ll be going over his new book Nights Out at Home. Then on Sunday, to close the curtain, Michael Palin will discuss his new biographical novel Great-Uncle Harry. In between, you’ve Elif Shafak discussing her latest soon-to-be bestseller There are Rivers in the Sky, and Kate Weinberg & Jason Isaacs will tell us all about What I Learned in Bed.
As well as the novelists, there’ll also be some wider-scope events, ranging from a discussion on ‘Can Robots Write Bestsellers?’, to Comedy Night featuring a bunch of standups.
The big headline talks require tickets, with prices starting from £8, but there’ll also be a community tent showcasing local talent that’s completely free to enter. And in addition, you can also expect pop-up bookshops stocked with novels featured from across the festival and maybe even the odd signing by a participating author.
On the whole, it should be one for the books…
NOTE: The Queen’s Park Book Festival 2024 will take place on the weekend of 31st August – 1st September. Tickets are on sale now, and you can get them at the festival website.
Queen’s Park Book Festival 2024 | Queen’s Park, Kingswood Avenue, NW6 6SG
More into music? Then our guide to the UK’s best festivals may be of use…