The heart and soul of our charity’s mission. Bringing authors and children together in fantastic interactive events to inspire a love of reading.

BookFest Chichester 2026 will be coming to a school near you between 6th and 8th October

BookFest Chichester 2026 will be coming to a school near you between 6th and 8th October

Our BookFests

'The lack of book ownership prevents many children from accessing the lifelong academic and economic benefits of reading for pleasure.' NLT

We are passionate about increasing the accessibility of books and stories and encouraging children to read widely.

Our BookFests bring authors into schools to enthuse and inspire the children, to answer their many and varied questions and sign a book for each child to keep.

Recent research by the National Literacy Trust shows that, ‘at least 400,000 children may not have the privilege of owning their own book and are missing out on a host of associated benefits.’

Holding the festival in schools means we can reach children directly. In 2024 alone, we gave over 5400 signed books to participating children and we are working to grow that number each year.

Our Authors

Previous BookFests

Previous BookFests

  • Children's BookFest Chichester 2025

    7th - 9th October 2025

  • Children's BookFest Bognor 2025

    4th and 5th February

  • Children's BookFest Chichester 2024

    8th - 10th October 2024

  • Children’s BookFest Bognor 2024

    6th - 7th February 2024

  • Children’s BookFest Chichester 2023

    3rd - 5th October 2023

  • Children’s BookFest Bognor 2023

    7th - 8th February 2023

  • Children's BookFest Chichester 2022

    October 2022

  • Children's BookFest Chichester 2021

    October 2021

  • Children's BookFest 2019

    October 2019

Support the BookFest

From sponsorship and donations to opportunities to fundraise there are many ways to get involved.

Each year Children’s BookFest ensures that thousands of local children are gifted new books. Your support makes all the difference!