Ipswich Book Festival
2-4 October 2026
Venues for 2026 are still to be finalised.
We deliberately choose a mix of historic, cultural and unexpected spaces to encourage exploration of Ipswich. This strategy creates a festival atmosphere across the whole town. Past venues include:
The Hold
DanceEast
St Stephen’s Church
The Ipswich Institute
The Unitarian Meeting House
Ipswich Library
A Routemaster bus on the Cornhill
A vacant Superdry unit in a shopping centre
New map
coming soon
for 2026
The Venues
131 Fore St
Ipswich
IP4 1LR
Friars Street
Ipswich
IP1 1TD
Civic Drive
Ipswich
IP1 2AS
Northgate Street
Ipswich
IP1 3DE
Jerwood Dance House
Foundry Lane
Ipswich
IP4 1DW
13 Tower Street
Ipswich
IP1 3BE
The Ancient House
30 Buttermarket
Ipswich
IP1 1BT
St. Clement’s Arts Centre
Fore Street
Ipswich
IP1 1JZ
Ex Superdry Retail Unit
Buttermarket Shopping Centre
Ipswich
IP1 1SL
St. Stephen’s Church
St. Stephen’s Lane
Ipswich
IP1 1DP
A bus on the Cornhill
Cornhill
Ipswich
IP4 1DL
CHIp Studios
16 Turret Lane
Ipswich
IP4 1DL
Accessibility & Inclusivity
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Selection of free events, plus multiple low-cost ticketed sessions (£3.50–£12)
Reduced prices for children and students
A diverse programme representing a wide range of ethnicities, genres and neurodiversities
Daily free Author Showcases featuring a number of local writers per day
Mixed-ability workshops and accessible venues wherever possible
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Ipswich with its rich history, cultural heritage, is the setting for our book festival. Its streets, landmarks, and stories shape the festival’s identity, transforming local details into a vibrant literary celebration. Inspired by the town itself, the festival blends tradition and creativity, encouraging a community where authors, readers, and book lovers connect. Through books, Ipswich becomes more than a place, it becomes a story in itself, ever evolving, just like the festival itself. The Ipswich Book Festival will be held in multiple, accessible venues around the town, giving our visitors a chance to explore Ipswich.
Still have questions? Please reach out at anytime. If you’re feeling ready, go ahead and register for a workshop.
Your Questions, Answered
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Tickets for all our events are available through our website, ipswichbookfestival.co.uk but you can also call New Wolsey Theatre box office Monday to Saturday on 01473 295900 if you would prefer to pay over the phone or pop in and pay in person.
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Yes, we have lots of free events over the weekend, including a local authors showcase in the Ancient House on Saturday and Sunday. Events are marked as free on the listing.
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Not necessarily, your booking confirmation email will be sufficient to enable you to access events.
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Tickets for all events are available to buy online up to an hour before the event starts. We will be able to take tickets on the door at some events but to avoid being disappointed if the event is sold out, we suggest you buy in advance.
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Our events are taking place across many different venues across Ipswich town centre, and they can all be viewed on our map.
Please note the New Wolsey Theatre are our ticketing partners, only a few events take place at the theatre.
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Please arrive 15 minutes before the start time. A couple of our events have speakers running back-to-back, so we ask for some patience if you arrive and there are still some people inside.
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Yes. Please sit on the closest free seat to avoid distracting the audience or speaker.
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All events are around 45 to 60 minutes unless otherwise stated. We have tried to allow time for people to move between events. At the end of each speaker, there will be time for questions and book signings; you are welcome to leave and move to your next location at this point.
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As most of our venues are in the town centre, we are close to cafes and coffee shops, most of which will be open all weekend. There are cafes within venues, such as The Hold. We are happy for people to bring their own drinks into events.
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There are lots of options available over the weekend and parking is marked on our map or you can use this link https://www.parkopedia.com/
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Good question! Shopping, walking around our parks or waterfront, eating and drinking at some of our great pubs and restaurants… There is always plenty going on in Ipswich so please take a look at the business listings on https://allaboutipswich.com/ and event listings on https://ipswich.love/.
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Our team of volunteers are in red t-shirts so will be easy to spot at venues and events. They will do their best to help you and direct you to where you need to be! Our hub for the weekend is The Ancient House (Butter Market) so pop in for advice and help buying tickets.
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We have done our best to select venues that have good access for people with limited mobility. Please call the New Wolsey Theatre or email hello@ipswichbookfestival.com if you have any questions about a particular venue.
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At most venues there are toilets on site, at others there may be a short walk. Our volunteers will be able to direct you.
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Yes, if it is 48 hours before the event. We suggest you call the New Wolsey Theatre ticket office on 01473 295900 to discuss your options. You may of course need to pay the difference in ticket price.
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Up to 48 hours before an event New Wolsey Theatre will issue a credit to use against a future booking or exchange your tickets to another event at the book festival. Within 48 hours of the event, New Wolsey Theatre will offer to resell your tickets. If they are unable to resell your ticket you will not be refunded. Please note: If New Wolsey Theatre can issue you credit, this will be subject to a £2.50 administration fee per ticket.
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We will offer you an alternative session but if that is not acceptable, we will give you a full refund on the ticket you purchased.