It is with a very heavy heart that we have taken the decision to cancel the final events of this year’s Essex Book Festival. The safety of our audiences, artists and festival team is of paramount importance to us. While we will not be able to reschedule all of our events, we will do everything within our power to reschedule as many as possible. Indeed, the list is already growing of those artists and writers willing and able to return to Essex later in the year.

Despite the festival’s abrupt and premature ending we do feel fortunate to have enjoyed eighteen days and nights of exceptional events in venues across Essex, beginning with our wonderful launch event with Val McDermid at Anglia Ruskin University on 28th February, through to last night’s final events with Laura Purcell and Mark Ellis in Manningtree Library and Gray Library respectively.

For other news and updates you can keep up to date by:

In the meantime, we wish everyone the very best in this exceptionally difficult time.

Current Essex Book Festival Activity…

Visit our event pages for details of upcoming online events including writing workshops, conversations and book launches.

Get Bunting!

Bunting 3x2

To mark Essex 2020: A year of Science & Creativity, Essex Book Festival is working with its partners and friends to create a giant snake of bunting.

Why? The bunting will form part of our Manifesto For Essex: a countywide project that offers children and young people a creative platform to express their thoughts and feelings about Climate Change.

Following a number of hugely successful bunting-making workshops in venues across Essex as part of this year’s Essex Book Festival, we are now urging everyone to join in the fun at home.

Find out how you can get involved with our Get Bunting project

What We Are Reading Now

Read the latest book reviews from Essex Bookworms. Local Book Clubs and our Festival Bookies (volunteers) have been sending us their book reviews. Be inspired – find out what they’ve been reading and which books they’d recommend.

Take a look at our What We are Reading Now book review blog