Bookfest 2025: An Incredible Festival

September in Shipston has a particular kind of magic. The summer is coming to a close, but the town comes alive with stories. Our 2025 festival ran from Saturday 20th to Sunday 28th September, and we're still smiling about it.

Nine Days of Stories Across the Town
One of the things we love most about Bookfest is that it lives across Shipston rather than in one place. Over nine days, 23 events took place in St Edmund's Church, the Townsend Hall, Shipston Library, the Scout Hut, the Bower House, the schools and more. The town itself becomes part of the experience, which really matters to us. We want the Bookfest to feel like something that belongs to everyone here and not something that happens at a distance.

We opened the week with pop-up poetry performances from Shipston's young poets, including an unforgettable rendition of Chocolate Cake by Michael Rosen which set the joyful tone of the week.

Highlights from the Programme
On our first Saturday evening, the Bookshop Band, presented in partnership with the Shipston Proms, offered something a little different: music and books woven together in a way that reminded us how close those two things really are.

Later in the week, David Larbi brought something genuinely special to St Edmund's Church. His session focused on his book, Frequently Happy: 52 Mindful Moments to Bring Hope and Joy, and combined poetry, reflection and practical journalling prompts in a way that felt unhurried and generous. David has a gift for making space in a room, and, though the audience came as strangers to each other, he really brought everyone together in that shared experience – leaving us feeling a little lighter than when we arrived.

Ben Miller brought a different kind of energy and a very happy crowd with a special family event that brought people of all ages together. Ben is an author as well as an actor and comedian, and he has a particular warmth when it comes to talking about stories with children and families. We loved seeing so many people come along for that one.

Sandeep Mahal joined us for a literary lunch at the Bower House — a wonderful partnership event. Sandeep, who has served on the boards of the Women's Prize for Fiction and World Book Day, brought insight and warmth to a conversation about books, access and what it means to champion reading at every level of society.

David Price discussed his extraordinary personal project: recreating one of the most iconic aircraft in British history, chronicled in his well named book How to Build a Spitfire.

Not everyone comes to Bookfest as a reader. We also welcomed Helen Yendall for a creative writing workshop, Starting to Write Fiction, which gave participants practical tools and a bit of encouragement to get going.

The Community at the Heart of It
Shipston Bookfest isn't just about the headline events. It's about the free children's sessions, the schools’ programme, and the launch party where local authors and creatives filled the Townsend Hall on the opening evening. It's about the people who came to their first ever ‘book-ish' event, and the people who've been to every single one we've put on.

Thank You
None of this happens without an enormous amount of effort from our wonderful volunteer team, our sponsors and supporters — including Warwickshire County Council, the Stour Valley Lions, the Midcounties Co-op — and every single person who came along, told a friend, or helped make something happen.

Thank you to every author who made the trip to Shipston and gave so generously of their time and stories. And thank you to this town, which has taken Bookfest to its heart in a way that still moves us.

We'll be back in September 2026. We hope to see you there.

Shipston Bookfest is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit festival celebrating books, stories and the joy of reading. Find out more and get in touch with us here.