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FREE - Children’s & Young People's Literature FestivalView the full lineup of authors and events: https://bit.ly/CYPLitFest25
Swansea University has announced the return of the Children’s and Young People’s Literature Festival, taking place on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 October 2025 at Swansea’s National Waterfront Museum.
The two-day festival will feature storytelling and story-making sessions in both English and Welsh, offering families, schools, and young readers the opportunity to engage with a wide range of contemporary authors and illustrators from Wales and across the UK.
Headlining this year’s programme is bestselling novelist and founder of the Women’s Prizes, Kate Mosse. She will be joined by Manon Steffan Ros, winner of the 2023 Carnegie Medal; Alex Wharton, poet, performer and current Children’s Laureate Wales, and Hanan Issa, National Poet of Wales.
The programme also includes Caryl Lewis, multiple winner of the Literature Wales Book of the Year Award; Lesley Parr, winner of the Tir na n-Og Award (2022, 2024) and Wales Children’s Book of the Year (2023); and 2025 Tir na n-Og winners Claire Fayers and Liz Hyder.
Joining them are a host of other award-winning and prolific children's and young adult authors, including: Meleri Wyn James, Rebecca F. John, Huw Lewis-Jones, Lee Newbery, Angie Roberts, Emma Smith Barton, Sion Tomos Owen, Darren Chetty and Helen and Thomas Docherty. Together, they will deliver an inspiring programme designed to spark creativity and encourage a lifelong love of books and reading.
In addition to author events, the festival will host free drop-in creative stations each day between 11am and 3pm. Activities will include colouring, story writing, bookmark making, drawing, and face painting. No booking is required for these sessions
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The festival is organised by Swansea University’s Cultural Institute and DylanED programme, in partnership with the Rhys Davies Trust, Storyopolis, Cover to Cover, and Literature Wales’ Inspiring Communities Fund.
Dr Elaine Canning, Director of the Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize and DylanED educational programme, said: "I am delighted that we're bringing the second edition of the children's and young people's literature festival back to Swansea this October. With a fantastic line-up of the very best authors from across Wales and the rest of the UK, we're looking forward to welcoming families and friends to an exciting weekend of storytelling, story making, creative stations and much more. Special thanks to all our partners and Swansea University student interns for making this possible through shared vision, passion and energy.”
The full programme and booking details for author events are available at: https://bit.ly/CYPLitFest25
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
National Waterfront Museum, Zero Net, Oystermouth, Swansea, SA1 3, United Kingdom
Tickets
