Dua Lipa has been announced as curator of the 2026 edition of the London Literature Festival, taking place at the Southbank Centre as part of its 75th anniversary celebrations.
Commenting on her curatorship, Dua Lipa said:
“Reading has anchored me through every chapter of my life – from being the new kid at school in a new country to finding quiet refuge on tour. Curating the Southbank Centre’s London Literature Festival is a dream come true. I’m thrilled to indulge one of my greatest obsessions: books and the brilliant minds behind them. I can’t wait to dive into the imaginations of some of my favourite authors in one of London’s most iconic cultural spaces.”
Now in its nineteenth year, and the longest-running literature and spoken word festival in the capital, the London Literature Festival returns this October with a programme shaped by Lipa’s wide-ranging literary interests. Her curatorial contribution will focus on the opening weekend, presenting a series of events developed in collaboration with her Service95 Book Club — the reading platform she launched in 2023 as part of her broader cultural project, Service95.
Known for its intimate conversations between author and reader, the book club has seen Lipa champion both globally recognised writers and emerging voices. That same approach will carry through into the festival, bringing together a mix of established authors and rising literary talent, alongside a strand of free public programming designed to widen access and participation.
Her appointment arrives at a moment when reading culture faces renewed challenges. Recent findings from the National Literacy Trust reveal a sharp decline in reading for pleasure among young people, with just one in three children aged eight to eighteen now reading in their spare time. In response, the festival will place particular emphasis on engaging younger audiences, with workshops, gaming collaborations and participatory events that position storytelling as both social and immersive.
Books and reading belong to us all and Dua is the ultimate champion of the role they can play in our lives. From her thoughtful interviews with writers to her appetite for arresting new voices, Dua’s passion and insight have sparked a global conversation around books and shone a light on reading as a creative and collaborative act.
In the National Year of Reading, we’re delighted to be collaborating with Dua for the Southbank Centre’s London Literature Festival, to draw fresh audiences into our iconic spaces. It promises to be a momentous year for the festival and a highlight of our 75th anniversary.
Ted Hodgkinson, Head of Literature & Spoken Word at the Southbank Centre
Set across the Southbank Centre’s expansive riverside site, the festival forms part of a wider anniversary programme that includes major moments across art, music and performance — from a large-scale site takeover led by Danny Boyle, Paulette Randall, Gareth Pugh and Carson McColl, to Harry Styles’ Meltdown festival and a major exhibition by Anish Kapoor at the Hayward Gallery.
Alongside its London programme, the Southbank Centre’s anniversary year will extend nationally, reaching audiences across more than forty towns and cities throughout the UK.
Previous guest curators of the London Literature Festival include Self-Esteem, with past participants spanning figures such as Ai Weiwei, Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai, Margaret Atwood and Philip Pullman — a lineage that positions Lipa within a broader tradition of cross-disciplinary cultural voices shaping the festival’s direction.
Dua Lipa’s London Literature Festival will run from 21st October to 1st November 2026, with the full programme and ticket details to be announced in the summer. MORE: southbankcentre.co.uk/london-literature-festival
For more information about the Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary celebrations, visit the 75th Anniversary page here.
About
Every year, the Southbank Centre’s London Literature Festival brings together readers of every age to celebrate the power of the written and spoken word. Now in its 19th edition, it is the longest-running literature festival in the city that celebrates prestigious authors alongside rising literary stars and cultural icons. Whilst serving as a major gathering of voices from around the UK and the world, the festival also honours the multi-faceted literary communities in London. Dua Lipa curates the festival following Self-Esteem’s curation in 2025. Headliners in previous years include Ai Weiwei, Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai, Margaret Atwood, Philip Pullman, Tom Hanks and Yulia Navalnaya. The Southbank Centre’s London Literature Festival is generously supported by Bukhman Philanthropies.
Founded by Dua Lipa, the Service95 Book Club is the cultural and intellectual heart of Service95: a global cultural platform and community built around the belief that books, ideas, and the conversations they spark make us more informed, more empathetic, and more alive to the world.
The Book Club is where Dua brings her personal reading life into public view: monthly reads chosen straight from her bookshelf, paired with reviews, contextual essays, and author interviews that go far beyond the surface of the page. Her conversations — with writers from around the world, including Margaret Atwood, Olga Tokarczuk, and Ocean Vuong — have earned her recognition from The Telegraph as “one of Britain’s foremost literary tastemakers”. The Book Club podcast launched to critical acclaim, named among The Guardian’s Best Podcasts of the Week and ranked as one of Spotify’s Best Video Podcasts of 2025.
It is, at its core, a place where reading is treated as a community act — and where the right book, at the right moment, can change how you see everything.
A Department for Education initiative, in collaboration with the National Literacy Trust, The National Year of Reading 2026 is the biggest campaign in a generation designed to help more people (re)discover the joy of reading and make it part of their everyday lives. literacytrust.org.uk
