The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival: 74th year welcomes more than 600 speakers

The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival brought its 74th year to a close on Sunday (October 15) after ten days in the Gloucestershire town. The world’s longest-running literature festival saw more than 600 speakers across 500+ events, welcoming tens of thousands of visitors in a celebration of the written and spoken word.

From David Mitchell advocating for a reappraisal of Henry V to Judy Murray revealing women tennis players receive death threats from gamblers; former Boris Johnson advisor Cleo Watson claiming that Parliament is ‘an iceberg of sex’, and historian Tom Holland arguing Latin is no longer necessary in schools - Cheltenham was again the scene of expert commentary on the most urgent question facing society and culture, in the UK and globally.

Alongside its headline-grabbing main events, Cheltenham also continued to inspire the next generation of readers and writers. More than 12,000 school children from 109 schools in Gloucestershire and beyond, along with home educating families from far and wide, were welcomed throughout the 10 days as part of Cheltenham Festivals’ learning and participation programme.

Book sales at the Festival’s on-site Waterstones Children’s Bookshop hit a record high this year, suggesting this intentional programming around Reading For Pleasure is having an impact.

Nicola Tuxworth, head of programming for the festival, said: “As we head towards our 75th anniversary next year, we are reflecting on what the purpose should be of a Literature Festival in the twenty-first century. The answer lies, we think, in the appeal of – and need for – human connection: writers with their readers, readers with each other, and the festival with the community it serves and is rooted within. This is at the heart of everything we do.”

One quarter of the festival’s programme was free to attend. Over 100,000 tickets were issued for events across all of the venues and tens of thousands came to explore the festival village and free non-ticketed activities.

Cheltenham Literature Festival at centre of the UK cultural life

The Festival explored a range of questions facing the world today, with a programme that recognised Mental Health Awareness Day, examined the climate emergency, explored the future of AI, celebrated LGBTQ+ rights and discussed the new Words Matter policy which aims to end victim-blaming in police communications.

With high-profile speakers including politicians such as Theresa May and Nicola Sturgeon, leading literary lights such as Mike Gayle and Zadie Smith, and luminaries from the world of entertainment including Succession’s Brian Cox and Elton John’s lyricist Bernie Taupin, Cheltenham cemented its position once again at the forefront of contemporary debate.

Ali Mawle is co-CEO of Cheltenham Festivals, the charity that hosts the Literature Festival – as well as its Jazz, Music and Science Festivals – each year. She said: “Culture is at its best when it is at its broadest. Our goal every year is to bring as wide and vibrant an experience of literature, art and culture to as large a number of people as possible.

“In 2023, we have brought the joy of books to more school children than ever, sparked curiosity among a whole new generation of audiences and speakers, and – we hope – demonstrated the value of bringing people from all walks of life together to connect communities and inspire positive change. In 2024, we’ll be seventy-five years young – and we have some very special plans already. See you there!”