Summer Festival 2026: Roots and Routes
We're incredibly excited for our summer festival this year. With our theme "Roots and Routes", we'll be celebrating a variety of stories through conversations with authors, creative workshops, exhibitions and more. Check out all the events we have available below!
Wednesday 10 June
Junior Atelier Book Art Workshop. 3:45pm, Nicky's Atelier. Tickets for £14 on their website.
Children will explore nautical themes and mysterious stories to bring their imaginations to life, through storytelling and making art with the written word.
Roots and Routes Art 
Contest Exhibition (10th - 14th). The Library Cafe. Free entry.
Check out entries for this year's Art Contest!
Thursday 11 June
Matthew Myerscough: In Search of Sea Dragons. 5pm, Books on the Hill. Tickets for £5.
Recounting his journey from novice to expert, In Search of Sea Dragons follows Matthew’s adventures at lesser-known sites in South Wales, Somerset and North Yorkshire, where he makes jaw-dropping discoveries and searches for his dream find – a complete ichthyosaur.
Friday 12 June
David Olusoga: In Conversation with Nikesh Shukla. 7pm (doors open), Curzon. SOLD OUT.
Specialising in the history of the British Empire, Olusoga's expertise on a subject which feels pressingly current will produce fascinating historical insight into where Britain finds itself today. The evening will be hosted by author, journalist, and screenwriter, Nikesh Shukla.
Saturday 13 June
Bandstand Takeover: music, poetry, performance and more. 11am-4pm, Bandstand / Seafront. Free - donations appreciated!
Pop-Up Exhibition: Talks4Change: Bristol Bus Boycott. 11am-4pm, Vintage Bus Bandstand / Seafront. Free - donations appreciated!
At 12, Julz Davis (Curiosity UnLtd) hosts a discussion with special guests directly connected to the Bristol Bus Boycott, sharing their lived experiences and personal reflections.
Adam Scovell: The Unquiet Landscape
2pm, Riff Corner. Tickets for £6.
Adam Scovell is a writer and filmmaker from Merseyside. The Unquiet Landscape explores the uncanny nature of rural landscapes and works by writers, artists and filmmakers who were equally inspired by England's unquiet lands.
Horatio Clare: We Came By Sea
5pm, St John's Hall. Tickets for £6.
Horatio Clare is the acclaimed author of works spanning travel writing, memoir, nature writing and children’s literature. At LitFest, Clare will discuss We Came By Sea, offering audiences an opportunity to engage with one of Britain’s most distinctive contemporary voices.
Fiona Williams: House of Broken Bricks - Belonging & Identity
12:30pm, Riff Corner. Tickets for £6
Fiona Williams is a British novelist whose work explores belonging, identity, and the quiet tensions of contemporary rural life. Her debut novel, The House of Broken Bricks, was widely praised for its lyrical prose and deeply observed portrayal of community, class, and migration in modern Britain.
Tim Pears: The West Country Trilogy
1-2pm, Walton Park Hotel. Tickets for £6
In conversation, Tim Pears will discuss his West Country Trilogy: The Horseman (2017), The Wanderers (2018) and The Redeemed (2019). Tim Pears is the author of eleven novels Tim Pears is the author of eleven novels, including In a Land of Plenty (made into a ten-part BBC series).
Margaret Elphinstone: Lost People
2:30pm, Riff Corner. Tickets for £6
Margaret Elphinstone will be reading from her novel 'Lost People' which focuses on hope and renewal in an unspecified world of trauma and devastation. She will be discussing themes of exile, displacement and journeys through liminal places which permeate 'Lost People'.
Myths with Marcus
Fun Family Folktales. 3:30-4:30pm, Walton Park Hotel. Tickets for £6 or family of 4 for £20.
Join Marcus Fagon for a lively journey into the rich storytelling traditions of Africa and Europe. Perfect for families, and anyone who just likes stories!
Finding Meaning with Myths. 5-6pm, Library. Tickets for £15.
Marcus will explore reconnecting with our ancestors, making sense of our lives through the timeless tales that have been shared for generations.
The Marbles + Discussion with Professor Dan Hicks
6:30pm, Curzon. Tickets from £10.50 on Curzon website.
The Marbles is a compelling new documentary examining one of history’s most controversial cultural disputes—the removal of the Parthenon Marbles—and the ongoing campaign to return them to Greece. Professor Dan Hicks is Professor of Contemporary Archaeology at the University of Oxford, Curator at the Pitt Rivers Museum.
