Festival bookmark Literature celebration will be held online

ONE of the biggest events in the county will be held online this year. Every year Cheltenham Literature Festival sees crowds of people descend upon the town to catch a glimpse of a whole host of literary celebs.

However that is not to be this year as the festival will be held online.

Director of Festivals Ian George said: “We are recreating the spirit of the Festival online and sharing the joy of books with thousands of people across the globe who can’t meet in person in Cheltenham this year.

“Since lockdown, when we have all needed culture and creativity more than ever, Cheltenham Festivals has committed to bring its Festivals digitally to homes all over the world, for free.

“As the COVID-19 crisis means we are faced with losing vital box office income from our biggest Festival of the year, we hope that our devoted audiences and friends will keep donating generously so that we can continue our work.”

The Festival will, however, present 100 live-streamed events with a socially-distanced live audience in Cheltenham Town Hall and the Everyman Theatre.

The events will be streamed via the Cheltenham Festivals website through a digital hub, where the audience can interact with speakers and other Festival-goers.

Visitors to the hub can navigate the virtual Festival site, browsing in the bookshop and exploring activities for book-lovers of all ages.

Back in 2019 the likes of Louis Theroux, Tan France, Rob Brydon, Debbie Harry and Daisy May and Charlie Cooper all attended the festival.

And this year the programme will feature ‘content unique to Cheltenham, along with some of the biggest names in publishing this autumn including award-winning authors of fiction and non-fiction, poets, spoken word artists and new voices who will ‘delve into a range of topics including travel and adventure, food and drink, lifestyle, history, art and religion.’

The full line-up will be announced on Friday, August 28 and the Festival will run from Friday, October 2 to Sunday, October 11.