Chiswick Book Festival Tickets Go on Sale
Jeremy Hunt, Lyce Doucet and Kathy Lette among authors participating
A selection of the participating authors in the 2025 Chiswick Book Festival
July 8, 2025
The Chiswick Book Festival will return for its 17th edition from 10 to 15 September, offering a varied programme of talks, workshops, walks and family events across multiple venues in the heart of Chiswick. Organised by St Michael & All Angels Church, the festival is a non-profit community event supporting literacy and arts-based charities, and has raised more than £150,000 since its inception in 2009.
This year’s line-up includes politicians, journalists, historians, novelists and entertainers. Notable participants include Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, former Labour minister Alan Johnson, journalists Lyse Doucet, Reeta Chakrabarti, and Jeremy Vine, author and broadcaster Kathy Lette, as well as artist Axel Scheffler.
The six-day schedule begins with an online book club event featuring Abigail Dean discussing The Death of Us. Thursday includes a showcase of local authors and a panel on Jane Austen’s legacy with novelist Gill Hornby and actors Phyllis Logan and Kevin McNally.
The main weekend programme takes place from Friday to Sunday, centred on venues around Turnham Green, including St Michael & All Angels Church, ArtsEd Theatre, Chiswick Cinema, and Theatre at the Tabard. Topics range from politics and history to memoir and crime fiction. Jeremy Hunt will reflect on the UK’s international role post-Brexit, while Alan Johnson discusses his biography of Harold Wilson. Lyse Doucet presents her new book on Afghanistan through the story of Kabul’s Inter-Continental Hotel, and Joan Smith offers a reassessment of women in Imperial Rome.
Workshops on memoir writing, social media branding, and handwriting analysis are offered alongside guided literary walks through Chiswick and talks on historical topics such as the D-Day deception plan and the cultural history of The Guardian.
The festival also features a children’s programme, held at local venues including Chiswick Library, the Catholic Centre, and Orchard House School. Events include storytelling with Axel Scheffler, comic strip workshops with Kev F Sutherland, and talks on topics ranging from astronomy to adventure fiction. A poetry prize-giving event for young writers also forms part of the weekend’s schedule.
Proceeds from the festival support St Michael & All Angels Church and three literacy charities: Read for Good, Koestler Arts (which promotes creative writing in the criminal justice system), and Read Easy Ealing (offering adult literacy support). A charity drinks event will be held on Saturday evening to raise further funds.
Most venues are within walking distance of Turnham Green tube station. Tickets for all events can be purchased online via the festival website. Waterstones Chiswick will be on hand to sell books, with many authors available for signings after their talks.
The festival’s continued success is supported by a network of volunteers, local businesses, and cultural institutions, including ArtsEd, Chiswick House & Gardens Trust, and Chiswick Cinema.
For programme details and to buy tickets, visit the festival's web site.
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