Neil Tennant, Christopher Eccleston and bestselling authors including Susanna Clarke and Lucy Foley will headline Durham Book Festival 2026, bringing a major programme of music, literature, politics and history to the city this autumn.
The festival will run from 9 to 11 October, with most events taking place at Gala Durham and additional activity planned across County Durham libraries. Tickets are now on sale, and some events are expected to be available by livestream.
Major names announced for Durham
Pet Shop Boys singer Neil Tennant will join Durham University Chancellor and former US presidential adviser Fiona Hill for a discussion about how the North East influenced his life and work. The event is part of the festival’s Forged in the North series and coincides with the 40th anniversary year of Pet Shop Boys’ debut album.
Hill will also appear with The Times columnist James Marriott, another Tyneside native, to discuss smartphones, reading, cognition and democracy.
Fantasy author Susanna Clarke is due to make a rare public appearance to discuss her new novella, The Bishop of Durham Attempts to Surrender the City. Set in 1110, the story is a prequel to Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell and draws directly on Durham, allowing audiences to hear Clarke discuss the work in the city that inspired it.
Actor Christopher Eccleston and poet Jo Clement will take part in a live recording of the Working-Class Library podcast, focusing on the legacy of poet Tony Harrison.
Big Read to distribute 3,000 free books
The festival’s Big Read will return with Lucy Foley’s thriller The Hunting Party selected as the 2026 title. A total of 3,000 free copies are due to be distributed through libraries, schools, hospitals and community organisations across the North East.
Foley, a Durham University graduate, will also discuss Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel, her commission for the Agatha Christie estate featuring a new Miss Marple story.
Other confirmed guests include novelist Louise Doughty, poet Hollie McNish, Edinburgh Makar Michael Pedersen, and poets Clementine Ewokolo, Helen Mort and Padraig Regan.
North East writers will feature prominently. Thriller writers Jo Murray and Rebecca Philipson are due to appear, while Dan Jackson will examine the social history of Newcastle United. Clare McGlynn and Natasha Walter will discuss online misogyny and women’s rights.
Programme expands beyond traditional author talks
Writers Romalyn Ante, Naomi Booth and Sarah Hall will contribute to a new Sleep Stories commission exploring sleep and storytelling. The programme will also include a festival Game Jam looking at the links between gaming and fiction.
Other subjects will range from Greek mythology and tarot to food writing and Regency romance. Emerging northern writers will be offered sessions on the publishing process, as well as a day-long workshop with Faber Academy author Amy Key.
Organised by Durham County Council and produced by New Writing North, the 2026 festival will include literature, poetry, politics, history and music alongside events linked to the 2026 National Year of Reading.
Durham Book Festival was founded in 1990 and forms part of Durham County Council’s Arts Council-supported National Portfolio Organisation festival programme. It is produced by New Writing North with additional support from Durham University.
Rebecca Wilkie, Durham Book Festival Director at New Writing North, said the event would celebrate stories rooted in the North while welcoming voices from across the UK and beyond. She said working-class writing would be a major theme, alongside a focus on how the North East has shaped writers, artists and their work.
Councillor Karen Allison, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for leisure, tourism, regeneration and high street, said the festival attracts thousands of people into Durham city centre, helping boost the local economy while promoting libraries and cultural venues.
Professor Janet Stewart, Executive Dean of Arts and Humanities at Durham University, said the festival brings graduates, university colleagues and the Chancellor to the city, creating opportunities for people to challenge and connect through cultural experiences.