THE UK’S LARGEST CHILDREN’S LITERATURE FESTIVAL RETURNS WITH A STAR-STUDDED LINEUP
BARNES CHILDREN’S LITERATURE FESTIVAL
SATURDAY 21ST & SUNDAY 22ND JUNE 2025
– 2025 LINE UP –
DAVID WALLIAMS|AXEL SCHEFFLER|STEPHEN & ANITA MANGAN|CRESSIDA COWELL
MC GRAMMAR|ADAM KAY & HENRY PAKER|THE BROTHERS MCLEOD|RAMZEE|
ANDY DAY & STEVEN LENTON|AARDMAN ANIMATIONS|ROSS COLLINS|LYDIA MONKS
|M.G LEONARD|JANICE HALLETT|
Barnes becomes the children’s books capital of the UK once more when the Barnes Children’s Literature Festival returns on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 June with more than 100 inspiring events, workshops and performances for young book fans and their families.
Bestselling children’s author, David Walliams will appear at the festival for the first time; Cressida Cowell, the superstar creator of the How to Train Your Dragon books and Hollywood film series and the book rapping sensation, MC Grammar, star of Sky Kids’ hit show Wonder Raps, are just a few of the big names on their way to beautiful Barnes Pond.
Festival favourite, Axel Scheffler illustrator of The Gruffalo, returns to the festival for his 11th appearance! Million-selling former NHS doctor, Adam Kay with Henry Paker will have the kids in stitches. CBeebies superstar Andy ‘Dinosaur Adventures’ Day and Steven Lenton; the funniest brother-sister duo, Green Wing comedian Steven and Anita Mangan, will appear among so many more.
There will be plenty of fun for graphic novel and comic fans too from the creator of the hilarious Grimwood series AND the Festival’s 2025 poster, Nadia Shireen; the author illustrator of the smash hit Loki series, Louie Stowell; Marvel artist, RAMZEE and the BAFTA-award winning, The Brothers McLeod.
Barnes is always committed to programming a few special treats that audiences are unlikely to see elsewhere and this year this includes the first children’s festival appearance by internationally bestselling crime writer Janice Hallett (The Appeal etc) with her debut children’s title, A Box Full of Murders and an appearance from Global TED talker Gavin Pretor-Pinney with Cloudspotting for Beginners. Katie Kirby, creator of much-loved Lottie Brooks series; Jasbinder Bilan and recent Waterstones Book of the Month author, M.G. Leonard, will all talk about their new books for children aged 8+.
THE 2025 BARNES CHILDREN’S LITERATURE FESTIVAL LINEUP
Clockwise from LR: Anita & Stephen Mangan, David Walliams, Axel Scheffler, Cressida Cowell, Adam Kay, MC Grammar, Andy Day
· The Festival will headline with events from bestselling authors David Walliams; Cressida Cowell; MC Grammar; Stephen and Anita Mangan; Adam Kay; Andy Day and Steven Lenton
· Appearances fromaward-winning, stellar illustrators: Axel Scheffler; Lydia Monks; Ross Collins; Catherine Rayner and Rachel Bright
· 2025 Festival branding from the award-winning and all-round talent Nadia Shireen
· Bestselling talents M.G. Leonard; Abi Elphinstone; Jasbinder Bilan and Emma Carroll promise adventure; storytelling; historical facts and writing tips for middle-graders
· The festival programme will be launched by Andy Griffiths, superstar author of the Treehouse series at Richmond Theatre on Saturday April 26th
· First children’s festival appearance by bestselling crime author Janice Hallett, who wrote The Appeal, with her debut children’s title, A Box Full of Murders
· Barnes Children’s Literature Festival includes the largest free literature festival Primary Schools’ Programme in the UK, providing 21,000 completely free places for state primary school children all over Londonfrom 19 May – 18 June 2025
Festival media partners The Week Junior return with their thought-provoking workshop for young journalists which sold out in ten minutes in 2024, and a brand-new event – the Great Debate – will offer a chance for children to polish their debating skills with advice from the magazine’s journalists.
There will be Manga illustration masterclasses with Chie Kutsuwada and a skateboard drawing club with cult artist Ed Syder where every child designs their own skateboard to take home. Children can also get involved in creative writing, comedy, art and craft, puppetry, live music, film, clay-mazing workshops with Aardman Animations. There are lots of free things to do too including LEGO, chess, yoga, pop up performances and circus acts.
Last year Barnes Children’s Literature Festival saw book sales of £30,000 over the public weekend and sold 10,000 tickets to just over 100 events.
Tickets are now on sale and this year’s Festival will be launched by award-winning and bestselling Australian author Andy Griffiths at Richmond Theatre as part of his UK tour – the ultimate Festival kick-off event!
Festival director, Amanda Brettargh said “In eleven years we’ve grown from a conversation at the school gate to become the UK’s largest dedicated children’s book festival. As well as celebrating all our favourite authors and illustrators, we’re always pushing the boundaries of traditional literature festivals to create more space for the family-friendliest fun. It’s what keeps us going – and growing! Because every year we discover all these brilliant new books, or we’ll see an event that has gone down a storm somewhere else, and we’ll think ‘oh they’re just going to love that!’ It’s the best job in the world!”
About the London Primary School Programme
The Festival opens with its London Primary Schools Programme: 12 days of free events for state school pupils all over the capital starting at Twickenham Stadium on Monday 19 and Tuesday 20 May, followed by the Soho Theatre Walthamstow (21 May), Genesis Cinema inBethnal Green (22 May), Battersea Arts Centre (4 June), The Lyric Hammersmith (5 June), The Beck Theatre in Hayes(6th June), The Rose Theatre in Kingston(9 June), Wandsworth Civic Centre (12 June), and The Questors Theatre in Ealing (16 June) and Barnes (17 & 18 June.). It will provide over 21,000 free places this year.
This year the Schools’ Programme includes both our current and former Children’s Laureates, Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Joseph Coelho, Carnegie Medallist Katya Balen, the British Book Award winner SF Said, the Sainsbury’s Children’s Book Prize winner, Serena Patel, the UK Librarian’s Association Book Award winner Jeffrey Boakye, BookTrust Writer in Residence Patrice Lawrence, the Children’s Poetry Prize winner, Matt Goodfellow and Professor Peter Lantos, Holocaust survivor and educator, among many, many others.
For full details on the 2025 Barnes Children’s Literature Festival as well as ticket details, please visit https://www.barneskidslitfest.org/
Kelly Lacey & Love Books Tours 