Cambridge has always been a city of stories. They fill its libraries and bookshops, echo through its colleges and, every spring and winter, bring some of the most interesting writers and thinkers of the moment to the city for Cambridge Literary Festival.

This November, the Cambridge Literary Festival Winter Festival returns on 21–22 November 2026, with two days of conversations spanning literature, poetry, politics, history, economics and the natural world.

As a proud hotel partner of Cambridge Literary Festival, we have a particular affection for the weekend. Books and ideas are very much at home at University Arms, so consider this our insider’s guide to a literary weekend in Cambridge, including a few names we think are well worth adding to your festival itinerary.

Who to see at Cambridge Literary Festival 2026

The Winter Festival welcomes a formidable collection of novelists, poets and literary figures to Cambridge, including Elif Shafak, Patrick Gale, A.K. Blakemore and Lynda La Plante.

One event we are particularly looking forward to brings together two former Children’s Laureates, Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Michael Morpurgo. As the National Year of Reading draws to a close, the two writers will reflect on a subject to which they have devoted much of their lives: inspiring children to read.

Classic literature is represented by Emily Wilson, whose acclaimed translations have introduced Homer to a new generation of readers, while literary critic and biographer Hermione Lee turns her attention to the life of Booker Prize-winning novelist Anita Brookner.

Poetry lovers, meanwhile, should seek out Alice Oswald, who will share her manifesto for the oral tradition.

And there is Deborah Levy, who returns to Cambridge to deliver her much-anticipated Room of One’s Own Lecture, postponed from the festival earlier this year.

Our advice? Allow yourself to be led slightly off course. Some of the best festival discoveries tend to be the conversations you hadn't originally planned to attend.

Big ideas beyond the bookshelf

Part of the appeal of Cambridge Literary Festival is that its definition of literature is pleasingly expansive.

Professor Mariana Mazzucato makes her festival debut to discuss The Common Good Economy, her new book exploring how our economies might be reshaped around people and planet.

Literary critic and cultural historian Jonathan Bate takes us into greener territory with The Garden, exploring gardens from palace estates to city allotments – and what these spaces have come to mean to us.

There is more from the natural world when Mark Cocker and Cathy Haynes discuss finding wonder in nature, while Delhi-based writer Neha Sinha considers the intimate and often overlooked ways in which nature inhabits our cities.

There is even something for oenophiles. In a festival first, Julia Harding, editor of the latest edition of The World Atlas of Wine, will host a wine tasting.

Books and a good glass of wine? We can think of worse ways to spend a November weekend.

Conversations looking out at the world

The programme also brings some of the most consequential international stories of the moment into focus.

Ukrainian writers Andrey Kurkov and Sasha Dovzhyk take part in conversations considering the war in Ukraine and its consequences. Dovzhyk will join journalist Charlotte Higgins to discuss the role of art and culture in resistance.

Human rights journalist Zahra Joya, who left Afghanistan after the Taliban returned to power in 2021, appears with journalist Karen Bartlett, winner of the 2026 Orwell Prize for non-fiction for The Escape from Kabul.

Closer to home, Laura Kuenssberg discusses Pay Attention, her examination of the forces and personalities that have shaped contemporary Britain.

Finally, Professor of American Literature Sarah Churchwell brings the festival to a close with a lecture considering the United States in its 250th year.

A hotel made for book lovers

Our partnership with Cambridge Literary Festival feels particularly fitting because the literary spirit of Cambridge has always found its way through our doors.

At the heart of University Arms is our Library, a warm, mahogany-panelled retreat lined with books, deep armchairs and Chesterfields gathered around the original fireplace. Its collection has been thoughtfully curated by celebrated London bookseller Heywood Hill, creating the sort of room where a five-minute pause can all too easily turn into an afternoon.

Our partnership with Cambridge Literary Festival brings another dimension to the shelves. Each season, a specially selected collection of titles from the Festival joins our Library, inviting guests to discover the authors, stories and ideas at the heart of the programme. It is a lovely way for the conversations taking place across Cambridge to continue within the hotel and for the spirit of the Festival to live on long after the final event.

There is something rather lovely about hearing an author speak during the Festival, then returning to the hotel and finding their work waiting on the shelves.

The literary thread continues upstairs, where our individually designed suites are named in honour of celebrated Cambridge alumni, from Lord Byron and Christopher Marlowe to Charles Darwin, with their own miniature libraries, curated by Heywood Hill around each namesake.

It means that staying at University Arms during Cambridge Literary Festival feels less like leaving the Festival behind at the end of the day and more like allowing the conversation to continue.

Stay for the Story

For those looking to make a little more of their Cambridge Literary Festival weekend, our Stay for the Story: A Reading Retreat offers the perfect way to turn a visit into a literary escape.

Created for book lovers, the two night retreat is an invitation to slow down, switch off and rediscover the pleasure of uninterrupted reading. Your stay includes breakfast each morning, a specially curated reading list and personal reading journal, a one-to-one consultation with our Book Butler, dedicated reading time in the Library with a complimentary drink, and a leisurely late check out.

For those ready to embrace the experience completely, you can even entrust your phone to our Book Butler for the duration of your stay, leaving little to interrupt you beyond the difficult decision of what to read next.

It feels particularly fitting during the Cambridge Literary Festival; two days spent discovering new writers and ideas, followed by the time and space to settle into a good book of your own.

What is a Book Butler?

For guests who aren't quite sure where to begin, there is our Book Butler.

Tell us about the authors you love, the subjects that fascinate you or simply what you are in the mood to read, and our Book Butler can hand pick a selection from the Library to be delivered to your room or suite.

How we would spend a literary weekend in Cambridge

The secret is not to over plan it. Start with breakfast at Parker’s Tavern before heading out for your first festival event. Leave a little time between talks to explore on foot. Cambridge is made for wandering, and in November its historic streets, college courts and hidden corners take on a particularly atmospheric late autumn charm.

Make a detour into one of the city's bookshops and order coffee somewhere you haven't tried before. Back at University Arms, there is always the Library when you need a quieter interlude and Parker’s Tavern when the day's conversations call for continuing over dinner and drinks.

So make a weekend of it. Come for the writers, discover a few new books, wander Cambridge between events and let us take care of the rest. And if you leave the festival carrying rather more books than you arrived with, you'll be in good company.

Cambridge Literary Festival 2026 FAQs

When is Cambridge Literary Festival 2026?

The Cambridge Literary Festival Winter Festival takes place on 21–22 November 2026, bringing two days of talks, conversations and events with leading writers and thinkers to the city. University Arms is a proud hotel partner of Cambridge Literary Festival, making it an ideal place to stay if you are planning to make a weekend of your visit. Discover our rooms and suites and plan your Cambridge Literary Festival stay.

Where should I stay for Cambridge Literary Festival?

For a stay that continues the literary theme, University Arms sits in the historic heart of Cambridge, overlooking Parker’s Piece. As a hotel partner of Cambridge Literary Festival, books are an important part of life here: our Library features a collection curated by Heywood Hill alongside seasonal titles selected from the Festival, while several of our individually designed suites have their own miniature libraries. Explore University Arms and start planning your literary weekend in Cambridge.

Can I book a literary break in Cambridge?

Yes. Our Stay for the Story: A Reading Retreat is a two night Cambridge break created especially for book lovers. It includes a one-to-one consultation with our Book Butler, a curated reading list and personal reading journal, dedicated reading time in the Library with a complimentary drink, breakfast each morning and late check-out. It makes a particularly fitting addition to a weekend at Cambridge Literary Festival, or an excuse for a reading escape at any other time.