What's on in Gloucestershire

Cheltenham Festival of Literature

Oct 2009 (annual)

Cost: Various

Hours: Various

Cheltenham's huge annual literary festival features talks and workshops with some of the biggest names in the business, creative writing courses, literary walks, performers and special themed events.

More than 400 novelists, storytellers, poets, politicians, artists and filmmakers visit the picturesque Gloucestershire town every year for the Cheltenham Festival of Literature - recent visitors have included Gordon Brown, Tony Benn, Phillip Pullman, Kate Adie, Julian Barnes, Harold Pinter, Alexei Sayle and Douglas Hurd.

Each year Cheltenham Festival of Literature has a theme - 2008's focus is on family, asking how family shapes us and our world as well as how we live, write and read. Star turns in 2008 include Julie Walters, Roger Moore, Richard Attenborough, Dawn French, Anthony Sher and Tony Curtis. Special Family Fun Days with juggling, favourite characters from children's books and bouncy castles, leading names from the Royal Shakespeare Company and other events are all housed in the Festival Village in Imperial Square.

Firm details are normally confirmed quite late, so for the latest news of this year's programme, please visit the Cheltenham Festival of Literature website.

Cheltenham

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