Cultural festival celebrates another successful chapter
This year’s Tunbridge Wells Literary Festival, held over one week in May, was the biggest yet and has firmly established it as one of the UK’s best, says event host and interviewer Gaby Huddart…
“Today’s been a tough day,” said Martin Clunes, tears welling up in his eyes. “Sadly, we had to put Laura to sleep this morning as she just couldn’t get up and walk. Her legs had stopped working and she’d come to the end.” As the actor shared sad news of the beloved retired guide dog who inspired his book, Meetings with Remarkable Animals, the 600-strong audience collectively drew in their breath in sympathy, before falling silent and still, as he spoke lovingly of the extraordinary work done by the creature he and his wife had adopted a couple of years ago.
The most poignant of the sessions I hosted at this year’s Tunbridge Wells Literary Festival ran the gamut of other emotions, too, as Clunes revealed improbable stories of rats being trained to sniff out mines, horses who work with young offenders and pigeons who saved wartime soldiers – as well as hilarious anecdotes about other members of his own menagerie, including sheep, cows, cats, hens, horses and numerous canine companions.
A wonderfully responsive audience likewise greeted my other session held at the Assembly Hall Theatre, with actor Rupert Everett talking about his book The American No – peals of laughter and guffaws could be heard in response to his outrageous tales of Hollywood and the risqué mishaps of his life and career.
Meanwhile, a sell-out crowd of enthusiastic gardeners hung on Sarah Raven’s every word as she imparted her expert guidance on creating beautiful floral containers at the Amelia Scott and chatted about her book A Year Full of Pots. And crime fiction lovers were enthralled as ex-BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin also visited the venue and revealed where she drew inspiration for her first novel, Isolation Island, and how she revelled in the dark storyline and characters.
The liveliness and diversity of the conversations I hosted are typical of an amazing literary festival that has rapidly grown to become one of the UK’s biggest and best in only four years, attracting some of the country’s greatest names in both fiction and non-fiction, and authors of adults’ and children’s books alike.
Previous years’ stellar highlights have included Sir Michael Palin, Sir Lenny Henry, David Walliams, Sheila Hancock, Jo Brand, Gyles Brandreth, Michael Rosen and David Baddiel. And this year’s impressive line-up boasted Richard Ayoade, Stephen Mangan, Simon Armitage, Alice Roberts, John Suchet, Lucy Worsley and winner of the inaugural Climate Fiction Prize Abi Dare, plus many more.
Indeed, the 2025 festival saw no fewer than 55 separate events take place across the town’s venues – over 20 more than in the first year of the festival in 2022, which nevertheless impressed with its 34 sessions. And with just under 7,000 tickets sold in 2025 – up more than 1,000 on 2024 and over 5,000 more than in 2022 – it’s clear that the festival is becoming increasingly dear to the hearts of the town’s community and is succeeding in drawing visitors from the surrounding area, too. It doesn’t take a mathematical genius to realise the boon this is creating for local tourism and the economy!
Of course, Tunbridge Wells isn’t unique in hosting a book festival – an estimated 600 now take place across the UK each year. But the town’s event is marked out not only by the rapidity of its expansion but also by the breadth of its content and its inclusivity of local talent. For example, one 2025 innovation, the partnership with Word Up! – an organisation celebrating the spoken word – involved poets from the area sharing their work at the start of many sessions, a move that was warmly received by authors and audiences alike.
Ensuring several of each year’s events are pegged to zeitgeist themes also differentiates this literary festival. In the post Covid era of 2022, wellbeing and kindness was the strong thread, while 2023 picked up on the trends of true crime and the graphic novel, 2024 reflected the growing focus on the environment and sustainability, and 2025 emphasised participation, digital innovation and neurodiversity.
As a self-financing festival, not only are strong audience numbers vital but also the generous support of sponsors and Tunbridge Wells is fortunate to have enthusiastic backing from Berry and Lamberts solicitors, MaxiPay Accounting Services, RBC Brewin Dolphin wealth management and Thrive Retirement Living. The local branch of Waterstones bookshop and latterly independent bookseller Station Books are also helping ensure a successful outcome with visitors purchasing from their pop-ups at the various venues.
It’s clear outgoing festival director, Carole Winter, could not be leaving it in better shape. “I’m immensely proud to have created a literary festival for the town,” she commented. “If people come away personally uplifted and audiences have been moved, I know we’ve succeeded. Some visitors may go on to be writers, or poets, or illustrators themselves. Some will have made new friends, others have been inspired. That makes it all worthwhile.”
twlitfest.co.uk
