Belfast Book Festival 2026 programme goes live
The Belfast Book Festival returns this June with an ambitious programme of poetry, fiction, workshops, screenings and lively literary discussion.
Now in its 16th edition, BBF26 will take place at The Crescent Arts Centre from 4 to 11 June, bringing together acclaimed international writers, much loved Northern Irish voices and emerging literary talent.
This year’s line up includes Jan Carson, Andrea Carter, Sara Pascoe, Neil Jordan, Sarah Moss, Neil Hegarty, Doireann Ní Ghríofa, Katriona O’Sullivan, Nussaibah Younis, Patrick Radden Keefe, Martin Doyle, Miriam O’Callaghan, Stephen Daly, Anne Enright, Will Storr, Mícheál McCann, Rónán Hession, Wendy Erskine, Sínead Morrissey, Forrest Issac Jones and many more.
A strong Belfast focus runs through the programme. Belfast born writer Bernard MacLaverty will be celebrated in a special event exploring his work for page and screen, while Wendy Erskine and Phil Harrison join photographer Tolu Ogunware to look at contemporary Belfast through fiction and visual storytelling.
BBF26 also embraces gothic and dystopian themes, with Neil Jordan discussing his new literary sci fi novel, The Library of Traumatic Memory. Jan Carson will share her new dystopic novel Few and Far Between, and will also appear in conversation with Henrietta McKervey about The Woman in the Water, a gothic novel inspired by Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca.
Other highlights include Sara Pascoe discussing her novel Weirdo, Aimee Donnellan presenting Off the Scales, Katriona O’Sullivan talking about Hungry, Miriam O’Callaghan reflecting on her life and work, and Patrick Radden Keefe discussing his newly published book London Falling.
The programme also includes a timely discussion on censorship and book bans, plus an event with Forrest Issac Jones exploring the connection between the Black Civil Rights Movement in the US and the Civil Rights Movement in Northern Ireland.
Sophie Hayles, CEO of The Crescent Arts Centre and Director of the Belfast Book Festival, said the festival remains rooted in Belfast while welcoming the wider book world in.
The winners of the Mairtín Crawford Awards will also be announced during the festival, while emerging writers can take part in workshops and industry sessions on pitching, publishing and navigating social media as a new author.
Tickets are available on a pay what you decide basis.
Full programme and booking details are available at www.belfastbookfestival.com
