Europe’s largest celebration of Black literature is back! The Black British Book Festival, founded by Selina Brown, returns to London’s Barbican Centre on Sunday, October 4, 2026, for a fifth edition built around four headline conversations and a full day of programming spanning literature, music, science, wellness, and craft, headlined by publishing partner Pan Macmillan.

The Barbican Theatre carries the day’s four headline events. Candice Carty-Williams opens at 1pm with an unfiltered conversation on love, mess, and the cultural weight of Queenie. Corinne Bailey Rae follows at 3pm, reflecting with Gemma Cairney on two decades of reinvention since Put Your Records On, including her new picture book adaptation of the song. Wretch 32 takes the 5pm slot to make his case for bars as literature, and the day closes at 7pm with The Black Poetry Shutdown, a spoken-word takeover featuring Malika Booker, Jah Digga, SANITY, Kadija Sesay, Rachel Long, and more.

Beyond the headliners, five more venues fill out the day. Cinema 1 hosts 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. The Pit Theatre leans practical, with sessions on landing a book deal, a live murder mystery hosted by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, and debut-author stories from Salma Ibrahim, William Rayfet Hunter, and Musih Tedji Xaviere. Frobisher Auditorium 1 and 2 cover Black speculative fiction, wealth-building, online audience growth, long-term love, the women who built Black publishing in Britain, and a session on the new Black British Book Festival × Pan Macmillan initiative for discovering new voices.

Children’s programming runs throughout the Conservatory Terrace and Back of Curve Gallery, with storytelling and craft sessions from Jessica Wilson, Laura Henry-Allain MBE, Dean Atta, and Ella McLeod, plus a Penguin masterclass on publishing children’s books. A free Level G marketplace and a live set from garage and grime pioneers Heartless Crew round out the day. Festival Pass tickets are £24 (one headline event plus all non-headline programming); VIP passes are £49 and include all four headliners.