Dua Lipa to Lead London Literature Festival 2026 as Guest Curator

Dua Lipa has been selected as the curator for the 2026 London Literature Festival, which will be held at the Southbank Centre. The festival is scheduled to take place from October 21 to November 1, 2026, as part of the venue's 75th anniversary celebrations. Now in its nineteenth iteration, this event represents the longest-running literature and spoken word festival in London. Lipa's curatorial role will concentrate on the opening weekend, featuring events developed with her Service95 Book Club, a reading platform she established in 2023. Her approach aims to highlight both well-known authors and emerging literary voices, alongside free public programming designed to increase accessibility. The festival will place special focus on engaging younger audiences through workshops, gaming collaborations, and participatory events, responding to recent National Literacy Trust findings showing a decline in reading for pleasure among youth. The Southbank Centre's anniversary program includes other major cultural events, such as a site takeover led by Danny Boyle, Paulette Randall, Gareth Pugh, and Carson McColl, Harry Styles' Meltdown festival, and an exhibition by Anish Kapoor at the Hayward Gallery. The anniversary activities will also extend nationally across over forty UK towns and cities. Previous guest curators of the festival include Self-Esteem, with past participants like Ai Weiwei, Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai, Margaret Atwood, and Philip Pullman. The full program and ticket details will be announced in the summer of 2026.