Blackburn with Darwen Children’s Literature Festival June 2026

8th – 20st June 2026

About the festival

This will be the 9th festival that we have held in Blackburn with Darwen. The festival will run from 8th to 20th June. This year spans five libraries. Blackburn Central, the beautiful Darwen Carnegie Library. Cherry Tree Library, Mill Hill and Roman Road. In addition darwen Library Theatre and the Exchange in Blackburn.

Children’s Literature Festivals was the idea of Blackburn born author Christina Gabbitas. There are over 350 literature festivals in the UK, with less than 10% solely centred on children. With falling literacy levels and England being ranked bottom of the table in the developed world for literacy amongst 16-19 year olds in a 2016 report , Christina thinks we should be concentrating on children in early years and primary to instil interest and a love of books.

Blackburn Children’s Literature Festival is set to encourage children from all cultures , backgrounds, and abilities, to read and write.

We believe that reading is not just fantastic educationally, but socially and emotionally too.

What’s On

June 9th – 20th

Schools Fest in all five libraries, Cherry Tree, Mill Hill, Roman Road, Darwen and Blackburn Library

Local Schools in Blackburn with Darwen are being invited to attend the libraries for read aloud interactive sessions by our authors and illustrators

Local schools in Blackburn and Darwen will be attending read aloud interactive sessions live from Darwen Library and Blackburn Central Library. More information about the authors involved can be found further down the page.

Festival Initiative

Believe in Magic

The festival and initiative this year is being supported by Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Councillor Phil Riley, Actress Jenny Agutter who plays Sister Julienne in the popular series Call The Midwife, and Cynthia Johnston Lecturer in the History of the Book who Christina took inspiration from. Christina is inviting children and young people up the age of 16 to write poetry or prose about their favourite place or space in Blackburn or Darwen. A£200 Waterstones voucher for the Blackburn with Darwen school with the most entries, followed by £100 voucher for the individual winner and £50.00 for a runner up. The initiative is open until 25th August winners are to be judged by Councillor Phil Riley, Christina Gabbitas and Blackburn with Darwen Libraries.

Phil Riley commented. ““I want this festival to continue to grow. With all the digital distractions available in the modern world, it’s never been more important to introduce children to the wonders of reading and to harness the skills we have on our doorstep. The festival is clearly loved by the school children and teachers because it such high quality. What’s really impressiveabout the Believe in Magic book is the strong focus on our rich local history, pride and spirit of people who live and work here.”

This is ahead of Christina writing a sequel to the ‘Believe in Magic’ story in 2020, originally commissioned by Blackburn BID that saw Imtiaz and Peggy travel back in time on the magic Lambeth rope, that had accolades from Call The Midwife Actress and Patron of Children’s Literature Festivals charity Jenny Agutter OBE, who said, “Christina sent me a copy of the book whilst we were filming socially distanced at the time, I’m looking forward to the sequel. The Believe in Magic story is terrific, E Nesbit and Lewis Carroll with Narnia thrown in, it’s a wonderful way to have children discover the relevance of history. I’m sure the whole festival will be a huge success.

Meet the authors involved

Richard O’Neill MBE, Author, Storyteller

Richard O’Neill MBE is a multi-award-winning author, storyteller, and educator based in the North of England. Richard’s published work spans major educational and literary publishers including Child’s Play, Pearson, Scholastic, Oxford University Press, Harper Collins...

Angus Baskerville, Author & Magician

My journey began in 2014 after studying at the world-famous Davenports Magic School in London. A year later, I joined the Leamington & Warwick Magic Society, and in 2020, I achieved one of the greatest honours in the world of magic — becoming a Member of The Magic...

Jocelyn Stevenson, BAFTA winner & Author

Jocelyn Stevenson is a BAFTA winning British American writer and producer for children's shows. She has worked on some of the best loved children's shows including Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam, Fraggle Rock and Sesame Street. She currently resides in London and her...

Adisa The Verbaliser – Poet

Adisa is an internationally acclaimed poet whose craft transcends traditional boundaries. Blending the art of performance and conversation, with a rich tapestry woven from his Afro-Caribbean heritage and the nuances of growing up in the UK. Adisa's verses serve as a...

Sarah Surgey – Author

Sarah Surgey is a children's author whose background is a blend of freelance writing on Nordic culture, adult crime fiction writing, Early Years teaching and children's mental health awareness. She is the author of 10 children's books and whilst based in the UK, she...

Michael Rosen

About Michael Rosen Michael Rosen is one of Britain’s best loved writers and performance poets for children and adults.  His first degree was from Wadham College, Oxford and he went on to study for an MA and a PhD. He is currently Professor of Children’s Literature...