Black British Book Festival returns to Barbican on October 4 with four headline conversations and a full day of programming

# What's happening

Sunday, October 4, 2026. This is the festival's fifth edition and centers four headline conversations staged in the Barbican Theatre, with a full day of events across five other venues inside the centre.

# Headline lineup and schedule

Barbican Theatre hosts the day's four headline events. The schedule in the article lists:

• 1:00pm — Candice Carty-Williams: an unfiltered conversation on love, mess, and the cultural role of Queenie.
• 3:00pm — Corinne Bailey Rae: a reflection on two decades of reinvention since Put Your Records On and a new picture book adaptation of the song, in conversation with Gemma Cairney.
• 5:00pm — Wretch 32: a session making the case for bars as literature.
• 7:00pm — The Black Poetry Shutdown: a spoken-word takeover featuring Malika Booker, Jah Digga, SANITY, Kadija Sesay, Rachel Long, and others.

# Venues and program strands

Five additional Barbican spaces contribute to the day's programme:

• Cinema 1: panels on racism in Britain with Stuart and Lee Lawrence, a headline talk with space scientist Maggie Aderin, and a live book club with NAO.

• Frobisher Auditorium 1 and 2: discussions on Black speculative fiction, wealth-building, online audience growth, long-term love, the women who built Black publishing in Britain, and a session introducing a new Black British Book Festival × Pan Macmillan initiative for discovering new voices.

# Focus areas and partners

The festival covers literature, music, science, wellness, and craft. Pan Macmillan is named as the publishing partner and headliner sponsor. The programming mixes headline conversations, practical industry sessions, debut-author stories, live performances, children's activities, and community marketplace space.

# Tickets and access

• Festival Pass: £24 — includes one headline event plus all non-headline programming.
• VIP Pass: £49 — includes access to all four headline events.

# Why this matters for attendees

The schedule combines high-profile conversations with hands-on sessions for writers and industry-minded attendees. Families can attend children's storytelling and craft sessions. Those interested in publishing can attend masterclasses and practical sessions aimed at book deals and discovering new voices.

# Quick logistics

The festival takes place entirely within the Barbican Centre on October 4, 2026. Multiple rooms run simultaneously, so pick sessions in advance if you want to see specific speakers or workshops.