It's long been known that pop star Dua Lipa has great taste across the board – in fashion, in music, in men, in holiday destinations. But most of all, she has unparalleled taste in books. She's of course a voracious reader herself (though God knows where she finds the time in between arena shows and beach-side holidays), but she's also the founder of her own book club Service95, where she sits down with authors from Margaret Atwood to Roxanne Gay to recent Booker Prize winner David Szalay. But now she's taking her reading career one step further – as the curator of this year's London Literature Festival.
This year marks the Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary programme, so Lipa's literary curation will feature alongside Harry Styles’s Meltdown (11–21 June), Goalhanger: The Rest Is Fest (4–6 September), and a major exhibition marking Anish Kapoor’s return to the Hayward Gallery (16 June–18 October).
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What is the London Literature Festival?
It's an annual literary event held at the Southbank Centre in London. Now in its 19th year, it features a wide range of talks, readings and discussions with both established authors and emerging voices. The festival brings together writers, thinkers and audiences to celebrate books and storytelling.
Last year, the festival was curated by Self Esteem, and previous curators include Ai Weiwei, Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai, Margaret Atwood, Philip Pullman, Tom Hanks and Yulia Navalnaya.
Who is on the program?
If anyone can get an incredible literary lineup, it's Dua Lipa. She will be holding three seperate conversations throughout the festival with Zadie Smith, Mustafa, and Patti Smith. Separately there will be a 'Translated Fiction' showcase that explores the fiction pieces to know about featuring Samanta Schweblin Nelio Biedermann, Gaël Fayeand Intan Paramaditha. There's also 'Fierce Sounds', which is an evening of sound in writing with Kae Tempest, Omar Musa, Sufiyaan Salam and Jacqueline Crooks. 'Rewriting Male Tenderness' is an in-conversation with Caleb Azumah Nelson and Tomasz Jedrowski. And there's also an in-conversation with Nobel Peace Prize winner and activist Nadia Murad.
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When is the festival?
The festival will run from 21 October to 1 November 2026.
How can I attend?
The festival will include a mix of ticketed and free events, so you can attend by booking tickets for specific sessions or joining free programming.
The full schedule now announced, you can find the free and ticketed details on the events on their website. Ticketed events will be available via members presale from 3 August at 10am (UK time), with general sale commencing 5 August at 10am (UK time).
