It is with a very heavy heart that we have taken the decision to cancel the final events of this year’s Essex Book Festival. The safety of our audiences, artists and festival team is of paramount importance to us. While we will not be able to reschedule all of our events, we will do everything within our power to reschedule as many as possible. Indeed, the list is already growing of those artists and writers willing and able to return to Essex later in the year.

Despite the festival’s abrupt and premature ending we do feel fortunate to have enjoyed eighteen days and nights of exceptional events in venues across Essex, beginning with our wonderful launch event with Val McDermid at Anglia Ruskin University on 28th February, through to last night’s final events with Laura Purcell and Mark Ellis in Manningtree Library and Gray Library respectively.

For other news and updates, please monitor this page, social media, and email communication. We will be updating this webpage with further information as it comes.

In the meantime, we wish everyone the very best in this exceptionally difficult time.