Events For Kids & Young People
This year has been dubbed the National Year of Reading by the National Literacy Trust. Reading expands minds, builds confidence and fuels creativity. Yet with more distractions and less time, reading for pleasure is in decline across many groups, particularly children and young people.
This year our extensive free programme of events for children and young people spans all four days of the festival and includes interactive storytelling for babies and toddlers, graphic novel workshops with Jack Noel (Dad Bot), a myths and legends session for children aged 8+ with Kevin Crossley-Holland, and adventures in fiction with Nat Harrison and Emma Swan. And a very special guest author TBA (Saturday 14th September 2026).
To make this offering accessible our supporters Bury St Edmunds Town Council are helping us to make tickets for under-18s for all events are free of charge, with a nominal £2.50 charge for their accompanying adults (all under 14's must be accompanied).
Events are open to all but we have added age guidance for those events with a specific focus.
There are three storytelling events for babies and pre-schoolers on Thursday 9th and Friday 10th daytimes, with local author Harriet Howes and sensory storytelling inspired by the hugely popular That's Not My... series.
For young readers we have four events designed to engage children of all reading abilities with mind-expanding stories of different genres and the opportunity to meet inspiring authors. We have graphic novels, adventure and mystery stories, as well as a couple of well known names.
Young People 12+ are welcome to attend all of our events across the programme Free Of Charge (those under 14 must be accompanied by an adult) and we have a curated a selection of events specifically with them in mind including A Year of Creative Thinking with Paddington the Musical Writer & Director Jessica Swale, Poetry Open-Mic events where they can share their own work, and a host of fiction events including a Romantasy & New Adult Fiction Panel, award winning author Abi Daré and panel events about Football in fiction and the best of Modern Love stories.
These events are fantastic for curious minds, adventurous book worms and offer an opportunity to engage with authors of note.
