Latitude Festival Unveils 2025 Literary Line-Up Including The Booker Prize and More

Latitude Festival will return to Henham Park, Suffolk, from 24 to 27 July 2025, ushering in a bold new chapter for literature, ideas, and live conversation. This year, the Listening Post and the newly expanded Latitude Bookshop host an exhilarating programme of bestselling authors, acclaimed podcasters, cultural commentators, and original thinkers. 

From powerful spoken word and sharp political insight to live podcasts and literary deep-dives, the Listening Post offers a front-row seat to the stories and ideas shaping our world. Meanwhile, the Latitude Bookshop becomes a vibrant space for readings, signings, and intimate Q&As. Curated to complement the Listening Post, it celebrates the written word in all its forms, including fiction, memoir, essays, and radical ideas, and invites festivalgoers to discover, debate, and delve deeper into today's most vital conversations.

Melvin Benn, Latitude founder and Festival Director, said, "Latitude Festival has long been a place where creativity sparks conversation, and in 2025, we are amplifying our literary presence like never before. An expanded Listening Post and a fully programmed Bookshop reinforce our commitment to storytelling, bold ideas, cultural discourse, and live performance."

Across the weekend, audiences can expect a rich mix of thought-provoking storytelling, fearless journalism, and standout comedy. From page-turners to punchlines, Latitude 2025 brings together the sharpest minds and biggest voices for a weekend of conversation, connection, and creativity

Latitude Festival's Listening Post returns for 2025 with an extraordinary line-up of voices from the worlds of literature, film, politics, art, and performance. Across the weekend, audiences can expect a rich blend of live podcasts, powerful spoken-word, thought-provoking panels, and unforgettable conversations with cultural icons and rising stars alike.

Among this year's most anticipated talks is an exclusive look behind the scenes of the Booker Prize Foundation, as novelist, critic and judge for the 2025 Booker Prize Chris Power sits down with Gaby Wood, Chief Executive of the Booker Prize Foundation. With the 2025 longlist announcement just days away from Latitude, the pair will delve into what it takes to read like a judge, from tackling 150 books in seven months to re-reading the final contenders multiple times in pursuit of a single winner. Wood reflects on the unique chemistry that shapes each judging panel, and why literary excellence is only part of the equation:

Gaby Wood, Chief Executive of the Booker Prize Foundation, says:

'At the Booker Prize Foundation, our aim is to bring the world's best fiction to as many readers as possible, so we are excited to be partnering with Latitude for the first time. Selecting the judges for the Booker Prize each year must be a bit like the balancing act of programming a festival - we seek talent from across the cultural world, choosing the panel based not only on their literary expertise and tastes, but on their potential alchemy: how their personal experiences will inform their ability to work with one another to choose a longlist that can offer something to many different kinds of reader.

'The one thing all judges need is the ability to read widely, closely and quickly - on average our judges read 150 books in seven months to select their longlist, before re-reading those 13 books twice more to choose their shortlist and winner. One of the things judges get asked the most by the public is how they tackle the reading. Which is why I'm delighted that just a few days ahead of the Booker Prize 2025 longlist announcement, I will be in conversation with novelist, short story writer, literary critic, broadcaster and Booker Prize 2025 judge Chris Power at Latitude, catching up on how his judging year is going, discussing what he thinks makes a prize-winning book, and sharing tips on how to read like a Booker Prize judge.'

Bringing humour and heart in equal measure, comedian and writer Adam Buxton returns to Latitude to celebrate the release of his new memoir, I Love You, Byeee: Adventures in Rambleland. In his signature rambling style, Buxton reflects on parenthood, ageing, Bowie, and grief. He'll be joined on stage with a musician for an off-the-cuff conversation that blends big laughs with warm reflection. This special session will be recorded live for Virgin Radio.

Film lovers are in for a treat as broadcaster and critic Anna Smith brings her award-winning podcast Girls on Film to the festival for a live episode. She's joined by a powerhouse panel of actor-director Romola Garai, the endlessly entertaining Susan Wokoma, and the inimitable Jane Horrocks. Together, they'll unpack the ways women are portrayed on screen, how representation shapes reality, and the personal stories that have fuelled their careers in film.

Audiences can look forward to intimate, thought-provoking moments with two special sessions that explore the personal and political power of words and ideas. In The Poetry Exchange: Poems as Friends, actors and poets Michael Shaeffer, Roy McFarlane, and Hannah Jane Walker invite festivalgoers to reflect on the poems that have offered comfort, sparked change, or simply helped make sense of the world. Meanwhile, in Elfonomics, comedian Elf Lyons teams up with her economist father, Dr Gerard Lyons, to the arts can teach us about economics - and why everyone should be an artist.

The Independent joins the Listening Post for the first time with a live conversation set to dive deep into the cultural and political issues shaping today's world. Full details are under wraps, but expect fearless journalism and a headline guest from the festival's music line-up.

Bringing insight and candour, journalist and broadcaster John Pienaar will take the stage to untangle the biggest political stories of the moment. Known for his sharp analysis and calm authority, Pienaar will guide audiences through today's political landscape with clarity, wit, and a few provocations along the way.

Elsewhere, Mark Kermode teams up with YouTuber and screenwriter Jack Howard for an entertaining and insightful conversation about cinema. Expect a fast-paced, genre-hopping discussion from two passionate film lovers as they debate everything from guilty pleasures to auteur theory, with plenty of laughs along the way.

Art critic Zarina Muhammad, better known as The White Pube, along with fellow critic Gabrielle de la Puente, joins the bill to discuss the pair's acclaimed book, Poor Artists. Blending fiction and personal testimony, Zarina will delve into the book that tells the story of a young creative navigating capitalism and compromise, raising vital questions about who gets to make art and at what cost.

Hayden Thorpe, the magnetic voice behind Wild Beasts, brings his signature blend of lyricism, mysticism and melody to the stage in a rare and unforgettable solo appearance.

The University of East Anglia presents a timely panel exploring the complexities of free speech in an increasingly fractured world. As debates rage on social media and in universities, this session brings together cultural commentators and academics to reflect on the boundaries between open expression and community protection.

Newscast, the BBC's flagship current affairs podcast, arrives for a live edition packed with insight, humour and context. Regular hosts will be joined by surprise guests to unpack the week's biggest headlines, and festivalgoers will get the chance to put their questions to the panel.

Author Irvine Welsh, best known for Trainspotting, sits down for a live recording of The Penguin Podcast. In a wide-ranging conversation about the objects that shaped his life and career, Welsh shares personal reflections on creativity, chaos, rave culture and political rage, all delivered with his trademark grit and surreal wit.

With lyrical power, spoken-word artist and mental health advocate Grace Willow brings an emotional and empowering performance to the stage. Her words cut through stigma and celebrate vulnerability as strength, reminding audiences that art can heal as much as it challenges.

From literary deep-dives to political fire-starters, rambling memoirs to cinematic reflections, this year's Listening Post is a must-visit destination for anyone who values stories, ideas, and the voices shaping our cultural moment.

The Latitude Bookshop is a vibrant hub of literary activity at the festival, offering a rich programme of talks, readings, and discussions that celebrate the power of storytelling in all its forms. Already announced, the Bookshop's 2025 season features three major partnerships: with broadcaster and nature writer Martha Kearney, the National Poetry Centre, founded by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage and Faber.

Simon Armitage said, "A festival isn't a festival anymore without the sound of poetry in the speaker systems and escaping from tents. In our selection of poets for Latitude, we've aimed to reflect the rich variety of contemporary work - stage, page, stand-up, sit-down, singing, ranting, whispering, thinking...writing! Come along and hear and see them - and bring your hands with you because you'll want to applaud.'"

Faber will take over the Bookshop on Saturday, celebrating their rich literary heritage with events featuring a remarkable lineup of artists and music innovators sharing stories of creativity and cultural influence. Artist and musician Cosey Fanni Tutti discusses her boundary-pushing career, from co-founding industrial pioneers Throbbing Gristle to exploring feminism and performance art, in conversation about her memoir Re-Sisters, which explores the radical voices of herself, electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire, and medieval visionary Margery Kempe.

Producer and cultural icon Joe Boyd, known for discovering Nick Drake, Pink Floyd, and Fairport Convention, will reflect on his influential memoir White Bicycles, sharing vivid stories from the 1960s music scene and collaborations with legends like Bob Dylan and Muddy Waters.

Broadcaster and music enthusiast Elizabeth Alker brings her cross-genre passion to Latitude, drawing on her BBC Radio 3 and 6 Music experience to explore music's transformative power in her memoir Everything We Do Is Music. Her storytelling highlights music's ability to heal, inspire, and connect across diverse backgrounds.

Grammy-winning producer Arthur Baker, a pioneer in hip-hop, electro, and dance music, will discuss his legacy and creative process behind iconic remixes for artists like Afrika Bambaataa and New Order. His memoir, Looking for the Perfect Beat offers an insider's view on the evolution of music production and remix culture.

The National Poetry Centre presents a vibrant and diverse line-up featuring Fawzia Muradali Kane, a Trinidadian architect and poet whose forthcoming collection Guaracara explores her Indo-Caribbean heritage and the legacy of the cane sugar industry; Desree, an award-winning spoken word artist and writer whose debut collection Altar challenges the concept of sacrifice and has been named a Poetry Book Society recommendation for 2025; Ellen McAteer, poet, songwriter, and founder of Glasgow's "Tell It Slant" poetry bookshop, known for her debut collection My Deep and Gorgeous Thirst; Christy Ku, a London-based poet and facilitator celebrated for her work with the BBC, Sky Arts, and Barbican, and founder of BESEA Poets, a platform amplifying British East and South-East Asian voices; and Geraint Ellis, a Barbican Young Poet and former Scottish National Slam finalist whose work has been recognised by multiple prestigious awards.