What a fantastic Festival!

The third Ealing Book Festival ran from Wednesday 29 April to Sunday 3 May 2026, and our inaugural Family Day took place on Saturday 9 May. 

The 2026 programme featured an exceptional and wide-ranging programme of internationally-renowned authors, a local talent showcase, events for families and schools, and local walks.

International best-selling authors including William Boyd, Jung Chang, Anthony Horowitz, Robert Macfarlane and Blake Morrison appeared at our events, alongside leading figures in their fields including Dan Cruickshank, Andrew Graham-Dixon, Simon Jenkins, Alan Johnson, Stephen Mangan and Anita Mangan, Mary Portas, John Robb, Naz Shah, and up-and-coming talents Oyinkan Braithwaite and Lucy Steeds.

Over 1,250 pupils and teachers took part in our schools events, including a unique oracy project led by Alain ‘Fusion’ Clapham, which showcased local primary school pupils performing their poetry to a live audience. 

More than 70 authors applied for a place at our Local Authors’ Showcase, whilst our four Ealing Book Festival guided walks sold out, and local poet James Pendle again performed poetry to entertain audiences between events throughout the Festival.