Why I love the Cheltenham Literature Festival year after year - and it's not just for bookworms

I love books, I do. Not just the words on the page, but the feel of a weighty hardback or more lightweight paperback between my palms, the smell of the pages and ink, and the sense of serenity that comes upon me when I know I have a brief window of time to forget everything and get lost in a good story.

So it stands to reason that I love a good literature festival. However, a really good lit fest shouldn’t just cater for the avid reader, they should be somewhere everybody can go to find something they can enjoy. And that’s exactly why I love the Cheltenham Literature Festival so much.

I visit again and again, making a note of next year’s event as soon as I have a new diary in my hands. It truly is an unmissable event for people from all walks of life, young or old, and everyone in between, and you certainly don’t need to be a bookworm to find something to take your fancy.

This year, alongside giants in the world of fiction including Lynda La Plante, Kate Mosse, Jodi Picoult, and Ian Rankin, you will find famous faces including Judi Dench, Monty Don, Caitlin Moran, Anton du Beke, Lorraine Kelly, Fearne Cotton, and Geri Halliwell adding some celebrity sparkle to the proceedings. They can even boast a royal connection with Queen Camilla’s son, Tom Parker Bowles on the line-up.

People of a political persuasion can fill their boots at the festival too with events featuring the likes of William Hague and Anthony Seldon, Jess Phillips, and even the marmite of all men - former Prime Minister, Boris Johnson. Whether your passions lie with sport, art, history or food - The Deeply Unserious Wine Club anyone? - this event celebrating the written word has you covered.

Every year, the Montpellier Gardens echo with the sound of children, excited to be out of the classroom and meeting some of their favourite authors. The programme of events for young people is vast, including family events throughout both weekends and events for schools and home educators during the week. The 2024 line-up includes Greg Jenner of Horrible Histories fame, nature expert Hamza Yassin, children’s novelist Jacqueline Wilson, How to Train Your Dragon author Cressida Cowell and complete legend, Michael Rosen - if your little person is yet to see him in person then make sure you add it to their bucket list, you will not be disappointed.

I could go on. And on. And on. There are a million reasons to visit the Cheltenham Literature Festival this year, and next year and the year after that. Instead, I will urge you to check out the programme, get your tickets and use it as an excuse to buy lots of new books to enjoy in those glorious moments of solitude when it’s just you and the pages in front of you.

Me? I’m off to buy tickets to author and illustrator Mariajo Ilustrajo's ‘I Love Books’ event for me and the kids. It sounds right up my street.