Hastings Book Festival returns to town this Friday (12 September)

Get ready for Hastings Book Festival

Hastings Book Festival opens on Friday 12 September and runs until Saturday 20 September with Nigel Planer taking the stage at The Observer Building. Erica Smith puts on her reading glasses.

Whilst The Observer Building will be the hub of activities over the two weekends that the festival spans, there are also fringe events taking place at the Hot Tap Theatre in St Andrews Mews, Hastings Library and Barnaby’s Lounge on weekday evenings. You can check out the main events on the festival website, and fringe events on Tim Barlow’s Fringe Substack.

The festival includes the launch of the long awaited anthology Poet Town – already reviewed by Ben Sumner for Hastings Online Times.

Festival highlights

Fri 12 Sept
Opening Night Special @ Hot Tap Theatre

Sat 13 Sept
WORKSHOP: Kiss Like Two Fish: the Art of The Short Story @ The Observer Building
FREE Family Fun @ Hastings Library
FREE Poet Town Photo Exhibition @ The Observer Building
Book Fair @ The Observer Building
WORKSHOP: The Therapeutic Power of Writing @ The Observer Building
Open Mic Night @ The Observer Building

Sun 14 Sept
WORKSHOP Soundtrack your story @ The Observer Building
Meet the Publisher @ The Observer Building
Self Publish and be Damned @ The Observer Building
WORKSHOP: Playwriting @ The Observer Building
Trix Worrell’s Film Night: The Warriors @ Electric Palace Cinema

Thu 18 Sept
Launch of Poet Town @ Observer Building

Fri 19 Sept
Helen Lederer: Not that I’m Bitter @ The Observer Building

Sat 20 Sept
Two men and a book: Wayne Holloway and Jez Smith in conversation @ The Observer Building
Who Killed Private Life? @ The Observer Building
Sister Sleuths: women writing crime @ The Observer Building
Nigel Planer: Young Once @ The Observer Building

https://www.hastingsbookfest.org/our-events

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Posted 21:55 Sunday, Sep 7, 2025 In: Literature