New UK-wide indie book festival heading to Leeds for National Year of Reading

A new touring book festival celebrating independent authors and creative businesses is set to arrive in Leeds as part of a major national tour.

The Literary Escape Festival will visit the city as one of 14 stops across the UK, bringing together readers, indie writers and small makers under one roof.

More than 160 British independent authors are participating across the wider tour, which has already seen upwards of 2,500 tickets sold.

The event has been named as an official pledge partner for the Go All In campaign, a national initiative running throughout 2026 to mark the UK's National Year of Reading, which aims to encourage reading for pleasure and build stronger communities.

The festival will feature book signings, live reader reactions and face-to-face meetups, showcasing a massive variety of genres including crime, fantasy, romance, dark academia, historical fiction and poetry.

Children's stories, short stories and non-fiction will also be represented by the touring creators.

Organisers say previous events across England and Scotland have already attracted hundreds of attendees, drawing book groups taking day trips as well as readers travelling between cities to catch multiple stops.

Festival founder Laura Barnet said: "Previous events across Scotland and England have attracted hundreds of attendees, with readers describing the atmosphere as 'smiles everywhere' as they discover new books, authors and communities."

The tour, which is sponsored by community interest company The Book Whisperers, has already been featured across regional airwaves including BBC Radio Leeds.

The Literary Escape Festival comes to Left Bank Leeds on July 26, bringing together authors and small businesses or crafters under one roof. Tickets are available now at the official Literary Escape Festival website.