Festival of Libraries 2026

Manchester City of Literature’s Festival of Libraries is a county-wide celebration of Greater Manchester’s 133 libraries. It returns between Wednesday, 10 – Sunday, 14 June 2026.

The award-winning festival is supported by Arts Council England. It features a vibrant programme that highlights the library network’s full offer, across wellbeing, culture and creativity, digital and information, and, of course, reading.

Community, creativity and cultural exchange

The festival allows everyone to celebrate the important community and cultural roles of libraries across Greater Manchester. It encourages children, young people, migrant communities and vulnerable groups to use the diverse library service offer creatively. Partner libraries around the city host performances, exhibitions, concerts, art installations, workshops, writing classes, and family friendly activities. Writers, artists, illustrators and musicians are commissioned to respond to the vital role libraries play to the people of Manchester.

Previous guests at Festival of Libraries include:

• Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock
• Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage
• actors, Maxine Peake and Christopher Eccleston
• musicians, Jordan Stephens and Guy Garvey
• drag performer, Cheddar Gorgeous

Festival of Libraries has also hosted events in collaboration with other UNESCO City of Literature cities. This includes Quebec City (Canada), Tartu (Estonia) and Nanjing (China). The partnerships celebrate the exchange of ideas, arts, and cultures. 

A city‑wide celebration of reading and inclusion

The Festival of Libraries programme takes place across all ten boroughs of Greater Manchester in internationally renowned institutions from the county’s rich tapestry of heritage libraries. This includes Central Library, with its impressive status as the busiest public library in the country. Chetham’s Library, The Portico Library, the John Rylands Research Institute and Library, and Manchester Poetry Library are also featured in the programme. Greater Manchester’s vital local libraries will also host a range of events within their communities. This all reflects Manchester’s status as a UNESCO City of Literature.

Almost all of the events at Festival of Libraries are free to attend, or operate a ‘Pay What You Can’ ticket policy. Festival of Libraries won Best Event at the Manchester Culture Awards 2024. It was also named the second Most Inclusive Literature Festival by Inclusive Books For Children in 2025.

Schools and colleges across the North West can further celebrate the power of reading by entering Educate Awards’ School Library of the Year category. This award recognises outstanding library spaces that inspire learning, literacy and a lifelong love of reading.