Stroud Book Festival has urged readers to book soon, with the 2026 festival launch less than a week away and some events already close to selling out.
In an update published on 31 October 2026, the festival said tickets remained available for most events. It highlighted four sessions for readers still deciding what to attend, covering migration, memoir, grief and football.
Migration, memoir and grief
The festival’s Migration Stories event will examine how migration has shaped Britain beyond the current news cycle. Writers Horatio Clare and Colin Grant will discuss their work on the subject.
Clare’s book, They Came By Sea: Stories of a Greater Britain, follows journeys between Dover and Calais and conversations with migrants arriving in small boats, as well as local people supporting them. Grant’s What We Leave We Carry: Migration to Britain brings together accounts of people originally from elsewhere who have helped shape British culture, including an Iranian taxi driver in Shropshire and a Romanian police officer in Edinburgh.
The festival describes the session as an opportunity to explore the long history of migration to Britain and the experiences often missed by dominant headlines.
Actor and writer Mark Haddon will discuss his memoir, Leaving Home. Haddon is known for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, but his latest book looks back at his childhood in 1960s and 1970s Northamptonshire.
The memoir describes growing up with a sister and parents who, according to the festival, were not well suited to parenting. It combines memories, photographs and Haddon’s artwork while considering nostalgia, the past people are relieved to leave behind, and why those feelings can sometimes overlap.
Another featured guest is actor and writer Greg Wise, known for roles in Sense & Sensibility and The Crown. He will discuss his book Grief Talking with author and palliative-care doctor Rachel Clarke.
The event will explore Wise’s view that death and grief are part of being alive. The festival says the discussion is intended to be reassuring and life-enhancing rather than simply sombre.
“Grief Talking” is not at all miserable. It’s profound and helpful.
That description comes from Katie Jarvis’s interview with Wise in Cotswold Life, quoted by the festival.
Interactive football event for families
Children aged seven and over who enjoy football are being invited to Football GOAT, an interactive event with author Matt Oldfield and former professional footballer Seth Burkett.
The pair will revisit major moments, goals and rivalries from an unforgettable season. The session will include facts, statistics, stories and audience participation, with Oldfield and Burkett debating which teams and players deserve to be named the football GOATs of the year.
The festival says young attendees will be able to make their own case, making the event particularly suited to football-minded families and children who enjoy debating the sport.
How to book Stroud Book Festival tickets
Tickets for almost all Stroud Book Festival events can be booked online through the Sub Rooms website, by phone through the Sub Rooms Box Office on 01453 796880, or in person at the box office.
The box office is open from Tuesday to Saturday, between 10am and 4pm. The festival warns that tickets for a small number of events are being sold through other providers, so prospective attendees should check the event information on the Stroud Book Festival website.
The festival team’s update was signed off on 31 October 2026, ahead of the 2026 programme launch.