THE 2025 BATH CHILDREN’S LITERATURE FESTIVAL WELCOMES OLD FRIENDS AND NEW

Bath Children’s Literature Festival welcomes friends old and new to its fabulous 18th year of bringing the magic of books to life for our family audience.

Over TEN days we will be offering over 90 live events including Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce, festival favourites Liz Pichon, Rob Biddulph, The Gruffalo, and Cressida Cowell, and a series of FREE festival events for all the family.

This autumn’s festival will run from Friday 26 September to Sunday 5 October, bringing some of the biggest and best loved names in the world of children’s books to a family audience of thousands.

Ticket on sale dates:
Bath Festivals Patrons at 10am on Monday 14 July
Bath Festivals Friends and Members, and Longleat Members at 10am on Wednesday 16 July
General Sale at 10am on Friday 18 July.

Highlights for 2025

Join the Bafta-winning actor Rose Ayling-Ellis to hear about her book Marvellous Messages. Rose will share her inspirational heroes and talk about her career – from her early love of acting, to being the first deaf presenter of the Paralympics.

The Spectacular Phoenix Show draw-off with comic creators Neill Cameron, Laura Ellen Anderson and James Turner.

Have your pencils at the ready for big draw-along shows, with Tom Gates’ creator Liz Pichon and illustrator #DrawWithRob Rob Biddulph.

Pamela Butchart, whose hilarious stories about teachers and pupils are so popular in primary schools, will be bringing us TWO new books, fun, laughter… and crisps.

You’re invited to join the festival’s opener, Party at the Museum: Up Late at The Holburne Museum on Friday 26 September, 5pm to 9pm. This free event features our favourite book characters, Pokemon fun, art sessions and the Unicorn Academy Nail Bar.

FREE fun at Bath City Farm. Come and meet the animals of Noisy Farm and enjoy animal-themed storytime too.

Waterstones, Bath, our official bookseller, is hosting four illustrators in residence.

Young fans of book series can enjoy the Unicorn Academy, Skandar, Adventuremice and the Ministry of Unladylike Activity books by Robin Stevens.

For pre-schoolers, we have The Lion Inside with puppets, the lovable Bluey and The Gruffalo and masterclasses led by bestselling authors and illustrators.

Our interactive events include MC Grammar, fresh from his live show at Glastonbury, and how to play Dungeons and Dragons, plus the chance to make your own comic books, science based fun with Big Manny.

Join Paddington and Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville for a celebration of the power of books to keep the magic of childhood alive.

Save up to 15% on family tickets

And this year for the first time ever, festival goers will be able to save on tickets when booking multiple events.

Story Sampler, book three events – save 5%
Dip your toes into the magic with three events of your choice.
Great for first-timers or families who want a taste of the fun.

Chapter Bundle, book five events – save 10%
Build your own adventure with five inspiring events.
Ideal for keen young readers and creative explorers.

Festival Adventure, book eight or more events – save 15%
Immerse yourself in a world of stories across eight or more events. A brilliant choice for festival fans with big imaginations.

When you book tickets for multiple different events in one transaction the discount applies automatically across all eligible tickets. Please note, discounts do not apply to workshops and masterclasses, terms and conditions apply.

Share The Story

Can you help us to Share The Story with more children? Every year we try to reach more children and introduce them to the incredible world of books.

At the point of booking your tickets, you will be asked if you would be happy to donate to our fund. One hundred percent of your donation goes towards buying books for children who wouldn’t ordinarily attend the festival, and they can take a book away with them.

Our Schools Programme

Our Schools Programme takes place across the festival weekdays (Monday 29 September – Friday 3 October) and is specifically curated for schools and home-schooled families. We have 10 events jam-packed with all kinds of reading delights, and booking is organised directly through the schools themselves.

This year’s amazing authors and illustrators are Waterstones’ Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Robin Stevens, Martin Brown, Sue Hendra, Pamela Butchart, Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre, Ben Miller, Louis Stowell, Luke Scriven, and Joseph Coelho and Fiona Lumbers.

If you are interested in finding out how your school can get involved next year, please email: education@bathfestivals.org.uk.

Last year’s Schools Programme saw 51 schools taking part, involving more than 4,000 children from Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire.

Thanks for our headline sponsor

Bath Children’s Literature Festival is delighted to staged this year’s festival in association with Longleat.

“Books are an important part of our heritage and just as reading feeds the imagination and increases knowledge; here at Longleat we also encourage families to discover, explore, learn and create memories. We believe there is great synergy between ourselves and the festival and are delighted to be working closely with the organisers to create a new chapter in its history; we hope you enjoy being part of the story.”
Ceawlin Thynn – 8th Marquess of Bath

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For early release events, check out our What’s On page.