If you need a break from the relentless timetable of outdoor music events in London, then you can quietly pivot your attention to a book festival taking place in the end-of-summer sun.
Taking things at a more leisurely pace, the Queen’s Park Book Festival is returning for its annual affair of a shared love for the written word, with a stellar lineup of authors on the agenda that should be firmly circled in the year’s literary calendar come August 30-31.
Queen’s Park Book Festival 2025
With a mix of free and paid talks, you can make your way through the gazebos and hear a wide range of writers and speakers on each day. One of the main draws on the Saturday (August 30) is broadcaster Naga Munchetty, who will be talking on her experiences with medical misogyny that many women have faced through being undiagnosed and misdiagnosed. She’ll be speaking about her book, It’s Probably Nothing: Critical Conversations On The Women’s Health Crisis (And How To Thrive Despite It), with the BBC’s health editor, Hugh Pym, and you can read more about it here.
On the same day, you can also turn your attention to children’s books and bring the little ones along to a talk by Zadie Smith and Nick Laird as they speak about their book WEIRDO GOES WILD, with the ticket price (£5) admitting one adult and one child.
Hanif Kureishi will also be appearing at the festival for a rare show that will see him discuss his moving work, Shattered, with Arifa Akbar, Chief Theatre Critic at the Guardian. The memoir recounts his life in the last three years after being struck by an accident leaving him paralysed and how it’s affected his life and work.
Elsewhere across the festival, you can see appearances from Booker Prize-winning novelist Alan Hollinghurst discussing his new work, Our Evenings; Lyse Doucet speaking on her upcoming book The Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People’s History of Afghanistan; and Sophie Elmhirst in conversation with Imogen West-Knights to chat through the award-winning Maurice And Maralyn. You’ll also have the chance to check out speakers in the Queen’s Park Community Tent, which is free for anyone to enter and helps nurture local artists while partnering with local charities.
Speaking on the event, Queen’s Park Book Festival Director Thomas du Plessis said: “I am delighted that the festival is returning to its beloved home at Queen’s Park in 2025, and we are proud to present an incredible line-up of prestigious writers and local voices through our free Community Tent events. Queen’s Park has been home to authors, artists, poets and actors for generations. The 2025 programme continues our homage to the area’s deep literary history, bringing together established and emerging talent to celebrate the written word.
“It has been a joy to watch the cultural community we have built through the festival flourish, and we look forward to welcoming new and returning audiences to Queen’s Park in August.”
Queen’s Park Book Festival’s 2025 edition is taking place on August 30-31, and you can read about the full programme on their website.
