Cheltenham Literature festival celebrates it's best year yet
The festival has had the highest Box Office sales in its history, selling more than 100,000 tickets
The world's oldest literature festival has seen record breaking ticket sales this year!
Running from 9-18 October, the Festival welcomed more than 1,000 authors and speakers across more than 500 events and sold a record breaking 103, 394 tickets, 10,000 more than the previous year!
The festival brings together readers and booklovers of all ages in a celebration of literature.
This year over 12,000 school children took part in events and activities. The festival's dedicated children's area aimed to inspire and celebrate young readers.
With 30% of the festival programme free to attend, from the Festival Village’s Children’s Area and community events to The Huddle, The Snug, The Hush and VOICEBOX stages, festival organisers wanted this year to be accessible to all.
This commitment to widening cultural access forms part of Cheltenham Festivals’ wider strategy, The Next Chapter, launched in June, which sets out the charity’s ambition to make 50% of activity free across its four Festivals, Literature, Jazz, Science and Music, by 2030.
The Literature Festival's artistic director Nicola Tuxworth said, “We’re thrilled to have achieved a record-breaking year in The National Year of Reading.
It shows just how much people resonate with ideas and stories across all genres, ages and forms, from audiobooks and poetry to graphic novels and beloved classics. We’re proud that at Cheltenham Literature Festival, there is something for everyone.
From conversations with internationally celebrated authors, to the voices of local communities, schoolchildren and emerging writers, the Festival is a place where everyone can find a story that speaks to them.
In the National Year of Reading, we are proud to be inspiring readers, opening doors to new voices and making more of the Festival accessible to everyone.”