Lake District Book Festival To Launch in Cartmel in 2026

Bringing the World to the Lakes & the Lakes to the World...

Earlier this week, Cartmel Racecourse in general and its grandstand building in particular rumbled to the sound of bold ambition as novelist & creative director Charlotte Fairbairn, alongside historian & journalist Christopher de Bellaigue, unveiled plans for a brand new literary festival based in the South Lakes in Cumbria.

Hosted by the Holker Group and the Cavendish family, The Lake District Book Festival will feature big names and less big names, historians, journalists, thinkers and writers of all voices. It will take place in part in Cartmel Priory and for the rest, within the wonderful, tree-lined setting of the racecourse. It is to be an annual event, coming to Cartmel for the first time in the second weekend of June 2026.

Director of The Lake District Book Festival, Christopher de Bellaigue spoke of the core mission of the festival - to focus on the spoken word as much as the written, and for younger generations, to bring value to books and reading. He also spoke of his experience at other literary festivals:

“Writing is a highly solitary activity and authors love talking shop and meeting other authors. We will engineer an atmosphere where all authors feel cherished and can enjoy meaningful encounters between each other and with the public.”

Producer Charlotte Fairbairn - the Creative Director at Lowther Castle - said after the launch:

“From working at a privately owned visitor attraction, I have learnt that the public very much appreciates the personal touch. To sniff a little humour, to taste a spot of humility, to know that signs or interpretation or displays have not been done by a robot but by somebody with a beating heart - visitors really respond to this. Our ambition with the festival is to create an event that is joyful and yet serious, witty and cool, ambitious and yet generous.”

Lucy Cavendish who heads the Holker Group added:

“To bring together big-name authors with up-and-coming people we feel passionate about who would benefit from having a platform, and to add to all this an education programme, is something we are very excited to support.”

Nick Devenish, the vicar of the 12th century Cartmel Priory, echoed the sentiment:

“Everyone in the village I have spoken to is overwhelmingly positive about the possibilities of this festival. That more people may come and appreciate this corner of our blessed land is to be celebrated. We can’t wait to welcome friends old and new.”


To find out more, please visit:

www.lakedistrictbookfestival.co.uk.