As the countdown begins for this year’s Essex Book Festival, we thought we’d give you a sneak preview of what’s on the menu, starting with some of our new venues for 2026.
With another special ‘countdown’ well underway by the end of May, we’re thrilled to be hosting this year’s Festival Launch at Colchester Community Stadium on Thursday 28 May, featuring two of the UK’s leading sportswriters, Jonathan Wilson and Simon Kuper, who will have one thing and one thing only on their minds: FIFA World Cup 2026.
For those who fancy stretching their legs, we have two excellent Radical Walks in Essex in the mix. The first led by architect and writer Charles Holland, who will be talking about his new book How to Enjoy Architecture at Wrabness Community Shop and Bar, before leading audiences on a ‘grand tour’ towards A House for Essex, which he co-designed with Grayson Perry.
The next one will be led by writer Michael J Warren, author of The Cuckoo’s Lea, who will be leading our intrepid adventurers around Northey Island, walking in the steps of the great nature writer J.A. Baker of The Peregrine fame, and Nobel Peace Prize-winning author, journalist and Labour MP Sir Norman Angell (1872-1967), who built a house and a turreted garden wall on the island.
Heading over to the other side of the county, Essex Book Festival is teaming up with The Gibberd Garden in Harlow to hosts a very special Artist’s Day.
Nine acres of intricately landscaped gardens, adorned with an eclectic collection of sculptures and architectural salvage, The Gibberd Garden is the perfect venue to welcome trail-blazing British artist, queer icon and pioneer Maggi Hambling to talk to art critic, novelist and close friend James Cahill about the new monograph Maggi Hambling, which marks her 80th birthday. Followed by British painter/writer Darren Coffield who will be talking about his latest book Hen, Mistress of Mayhem, A Portrait of Henrietta Moraes, famously the muse of Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud, and later on, Maggi herself.
The full festival programme and Box Office will go live on
Thursday 26 March at 10am
at essexbookfestival.org.uk/events/.