Stroud Book Festival 2026 is less than six weeks away, and organisers are urging readers to book soon after reporting strong early ticket sales across the programme.
The festival team shared the update on September 25, 2026, saying the event had been shaped by months of reading, planning, discussion and organisation. Tickets are now available for all 2026 events, while several are already selling quickly.
Festival programme includes Sally Hayden event
One of the events highlighted by the organisers is This Is Also A Love Story, featuring Orwell Prize-winning journalist and author Sally Hayden. The festival says Hayden has reported from dozens of turbulent locations around the world, including Lebanon, where she has spent many months living on the frontline of wars in the Middle East.
Her book was prompted by a wish to look beyond the darkest news and focus on acts of kindness, resilience and care. The book introduces readers to Ukrainian couples separated by war, survivors of the Rwandan genocide supported by “artificial families”, and a Nigerian mother who went to extreme lengths to protect her daughter from abduction by Boko Haram.
In the book’s prologue, Hayden considers whether news might be understood differently if stories about people in crisis were more often told through the prism of love. The festival has also directed readers to an interview with Hayden by Caroline Sanderson, its programme director, for further information about the book.
Children’s workshop will combine stories, writing and art
The programme also includes Patchwork Stories, a workshop for children aged six and above led by Sita Brahmachari, author of The Tale That Time Sews.
The session will combine interactive storytelling, creative writing and art. Children will explore Brahmachari’s book, illustrated by Jane Ray, before using their own family stories to create either a patchwork artwork or a threaded poem.
The festival says the workshop is inspired by Brahmachari’s work at the Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants. The Tale That Time Sews is described as an intergenerational story about family, friendship and love, with the workshop inviting children to trace those connections through their own experiences.
The finished pieces will be hung on a golden thread, giving the session a practical creative outcome as well as a focus on storytelling.
How to book Stroud Book Festival events
Readers can browse the festival’s printed brochure or view the programme online. Tickets are available through The Sub Rooms website, by phone from 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 says tickets for some events are being sold through other providers, so readers should check the individual event information before booking.
The organisers thanked returning festival-goers for their support and said they were grateful to the audience whose response helps the event continue each year. The latest announcement forms part of a run of 2026 updates, following the release of the full programme, the announcement of the first authors and the publication of the festival brochure.
With tickets already selling well and the opening date less than six weeks away at the time of the announcement, prospective attendees are being encouraged to book early to avoid disappointment.