Cheltenham Literature Festival Free Programme: Get Involved!
The wait is nearly over, the highly anticipated Cheltenham Literature Festival is back and applications to take part in an internationally renowned Literature Festival are now open.
We are looking for writers and performers to be a part of three different programmes: Local Voices, VOICEBOX and Lit Crawl. These will take place during the Festival (10-19 October).
Local Voices
We're always looking to include Gloucestershire voices in all elements of the Festival programme. We want to showcase unpublished writers as well as those who have been writing and creating for years. For any aspiring writers and performers out there, the Cheltenham stage could be the perfect place to debut your work.
There are opportunities to be part of panel events, non-fiction writing, community, poetry and much more. We may showcase local writing through short form pop-up readings in our cosy festival cafes or we may invite you to be part of a Local Voices open mic night. This could be a reading, poetry, spoken word, music, storytelling, the list goes on. If you’re from Gloucestershire and have a story to tell we want to hear from you!
VOICEBOX
Aimed at 18-30s, VOICEBOX turns up the volume on young people, amplifies big ideas and harnesses the power of arts and culture to create change. Its in-person, free-to-attend programme takes place in a dedicated space at the Cheltenham Literature Festival in October.
From short talks, discussion groups and workshops to spoken word, music and comedy, VOICEBOX brings together big names, rising stars and community changemakers to celebrate and explore content spanning new and early-career writing, the arts, wellbeing, politics, pop culture and society.
Through VOICEBOX we want to showcase the brave, fresh, original voices who are changing the conversation. Whether you’re a creative wanting to share your work or an organisation that cares about empowering young people, we’d love to hear from you!
Lit Crawl ...around town programme
Lit Crawl returns! Like a younger, rebel sister to our main Festival, Lit Crawl is a riotous night of ideas and creativity that celebrates the edgier side of bookish programming. The Lit Crawl fills the town with free literature events and performances, supported by Cheltenham BID.
Charging into its seventh year in Cheltenham, the crawl was created in San Francisco in 2004 and now in Boston, Brooklyn, Portland, Chicago, New Zealand and beyond, Lit Crawl blends a bar crawl with bookish content held in some surprising spots around town. Thousands of Festival-goers join us across Cheltenham to sample everything from flash fiction to ghost stories, music to comedy, pop-up readings to spoken word.
Please let us know what you have been working on or what performances you would like to showcase at the Festival below, applications are now open until Midday on Monday 19 May.
How to apply for Cheltenham Literature Festival …around town 2025
In order to apply, please complete the application form below and, if successful, we will be back in touch to confirm your slot.
