Wolverhampton Literature Festival 2026: Everything you need to know as popular event is set to return
It's a celebration of the written word, with poets, authors, comedians, commentators and artists all ready to talk about their works and meet fans of that work.
The Wolverhampton Literature Festival has become a staple of the city's cultural scene, with some very big names having appeared in the past to talk about their lives and works.
From Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford to the Queen of Ska Pauline Black to novelist Irvine Welsh and comedian Richard Herring, the festival has become a must-see event for lovers of literature in Wolverhampton and the surrounding area.
So, what are the events taking place between February 6 and February 8 and on days before the festival starts, who is coming to Wolverhampton and where can people see them?
More than 90 events are taking place across venues such as Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Wolverhampton Arts Centre, the Central Library and the Arena Theatre, with the majority taking place between Friday and Sunday.
A few events are taking place beforehand on Thursday as a way of getting the festival started, including ARTiculating HerStory, an open mic event organised by the Haven Wolverhampton which celebrates the courage and creativity that emerge from lived experience and South Asian Voices In Publishing, which brings together local South Asian voices in publishing from authors, journalists and illustrators.
Both events are taking place at the Art Gallery on Lichfield Street, which will be the main venue for the festival and will see the festival get underway at 11am on Friday, February 6 with Art Black Country, a look at how many colours have been used to make up the Black Country palette in different art forms.
There will be opportunities to discover poetry through Wolverhampton College Presents Blackout Poetry Workshop and learn about the city's entertainment history with Forgotten Wulfurians of the Entertainment World With Ned Williams, and also more hard-hitting discussions, such as The Escape from Kabul: The Afghan Women Judges Who Fled The Taliban & Those They Left Behind.
