Whitby is set to welcome a wave of literary talent this autumn as it launches its first Whitby Lit Fest, running from Thursday 6 to Sunday 9 November 2025 across the historic North Yorkshire coastal town.
From Lee Child to Miriam Margolyes, Sir Alan Ayckbourn to Steph McGovern, the festival’s debut programme reads like a roll call of British cultural heavyweights. More than 50 authors, playwrights and poets will descend on Whitby for four days of talks, performances and bookish celebrations.
Whitby Lit Fest 2025
The crime-writing phenomenon Lee Child will take centre stage to discuss Exit Strategy, his 30th Jack Reacher novel, as well as his first autobiographical essay collection, Reacher: The Stories Behind the Stories. He’ll appear in conversation with Rob Rinder, the barrister-turned-broadcaster and bestselling novelist, whose thrillers draw on his years in the courtroom.
Theatre lovers will be treated to Sir Alan Ayckbourn, one of Britain’s most celebrated playwrights, offering an intimate look at his craft and career. Meanwhile, national treasure Miriam Margolyes brings her latest book The Little Book of Miriam to life in conversation with Lucinda Hawksley, the great-great-great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens. Hawksley will also host a Dickens-themed dinner at the White Horse and Griffin, the historic coaching inn where the Victorian author once stayed.
The festival programme embraces every corner of the literary map: Steph McGovern introduces her debut crime thriller Deadline; Yvette Fielding, of Most Haunted fame, unveils her Whitby-set children’s tale The Vampire of Whitby; and Shaun Usher, the creator of Letters of Note, will discuss his new anthology Diaries of Note.
Nature and place are celebrated with Rob Cowen, whose The North Road has been hailed as a genre-defying masterpiece, and gothic Whitby takes centre stage in talks by Amanda Mason and Paul Magrs, whose supernatural Brenda and Effie mysteries are set in the town itself.
Festival-goers can also expect live podcast recordings, folk music inspired by literature, children’s storytelling workshops, and appearances from poets including Wendy Pratt and Harry Gallagher.
“Whitby is ripe for a festival that honours its literary legacy,” says festival chair Lois Kirtlan. “From the haunting ruins of the Abbey to its ties with Dracula, the town is ready to inspire a new wave of readers and writers.”
Tickets for Whitby Lit Fest
Tickets can be purchased here.
Things To Do in Whitby
To discover what you can do in Whitby, read Mark Bibby Jackson’s article: Whitby and the North York Moors.
