Having been a very late reader because no-one actually realised I couldn’t see the words on the page, children’s fiction feels especially important to me as an adult. Consequently, it’s my pleasure today to share details of a festival especially for children – Barnes Children’s Literature Festival.
Here are the details:
On Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 June 2025, the UK’s largest children’s literature festival, Barnes Children’s Literature Festival returns to London for its 11th year with more than 100 inspiring events, workshops and performances for young book fans and their families, taking place on beautiful Barnes Green in SW13.
Headline authors at the 2025 festival will include David Walliams, Cressida Cowell, Stephen Mangan, Adam Kay, Gruffalo illustrator Axel Scheffler, Janice Hallett, M.G. Leonard and MC Grammar.
Children can get involved in an endless number of exciting interactive activities including creative writing, comedy, art and craft, puppetry, live music, film, debating, clay-making workshops, yoga and more. There will also be Manga illustration masterclasses, skateboard drawing (where every child designs their own skateboard to take home), LEGO making, chess, pop up performances and even circus acts.
Highlights of the 2025 Barnes Children’s Literature Festival include:
· Multi-million selling author and comedian David Walliams who will be delving into what inspires his stories and best-loved characters like the infamous Gangsta Granny, bringing his hilarious new book about The World’s Worst Superheroes to Barnes, starring the bravest, strongest and silliest superheroes the world has ever seen!
· Award winning author and illustrator, Cressida Cowell, the creator of the How to Train Your Dragon series and DreamWorks film phenomenon, for the launch of How to Train Your Dragon School, her first novel in the Dragon world for ten years! Unmissable!
· The funniest author-illustrator, brother-sister duo Anita and Stephen Mangan will join the festival for fun and games, draw-alongs and silly sibling stories. The bestselling creators of The Fart that Changed the World are back with a hilarious new adventure, The Fart that Saved the Universe. Giggles guaranteed!
· Legendary author and illustrator Axel Scheffler returns drawing his most famous characters, including everyone’s favourite The Gruffalo, and some new delightful characters from his new book Welcome.
· Drop the mic! Award-winning teacher, Sky Kids superstar and viral book-rapping sensation MC Grammar will introduce his brand-new series, The Adventures of Rap Kid, with jam-packed with jokes, tunes, wicked rhymes, a rap battle, and the greatest dance-off of all time!
· Expert model makers Aardman Animations, known for Wallace and Gromit, Shaun the Sheep and Chicken Run will be sharing how to form their famous Aardman characters in hands-on workshops.
· BAFTA-award winning The Brothers McLeod, known for their Disney and Nickelodeon shorts and their animation work with Netflix, Disney XD, Channel 4 and BBC will introduce the wacky world of Knight Sir Louis with an entertaining and fun-packed event which includes drawing, comics and lots and lots of laughs.
· RAMZEE will host an interactive cartoon drawing workshop, sharing his experiences as a Marvel cartoonist, storyteller and how coming to the UK as a refugee inspired his book series, The Cheat Book.
Tickets are now on sale and this year’s Festival will be launched by award-winning and bestselling Australian author Andy Griffiths at Richmond Theatre as part of his UK tour – the ultimate Festival kick-off event!
Festival director, Amanda Brettargh said “In eleven years we’ve grown from a conversation at the school gate to become the UK’s largest dedicated children’s book festival. As well as celebrating all our favourite authors and illustrators, we’re always pushing the boundaries of traditional literature festivals to create more space for the family-friendliest fun. It’s what keeps us going – and growing! Because every year we discover all these brilliant new books, or we’ll see an event that has gone down a storm somewhere else, and we’ll think ‘oh they’re just going to love that!’ It’s the best job in the world!”
For full details on the 2025 Barnes Children’s Literature Festival as well as ticket details, please visit the website.
BARNES CHILDREN’S LITERATURE FESTIVAL
SATURDAY 21ST & SUNDAY 22ND JUNE 2025
English (US) · 