Dua Lipa to Curate London Literature Festival at Southbank Centre

Grammy and Brit award-winning artist Dua Lipa will curate the 2026 London Literature Festival at the Southbank Centre. The appointment comes as part of the Southbank Centre’s celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of the opening of the Royal Festival Hall.

The festival, which is now in its 19th year, is scheduled to run from 21 October to 1 November 2026. Lipa will curate the event in partnership with her Service95 Book Club, integrating a selection of both established and emerging writers into the programme.

As part of her curatorship, Lipa will lead a series of specific events during the festival’s opening weekend on 24 October and 25 October. The broader festival programme will include dozens of events across various venues at the Southbank Centre site, featuring readings, discussions and conversations with cultural observers and authors.

Integration with Service95

Lipa launched the Service95 Book Club in 2023 as an extension of her cultural platform, Service95. The book club has focused on spotlighting diverse literary voices through monthly selections and long-form interviews.

Through the platform, Lipa has previously conducted podcast interviews with authors such as Olga Tokarczuk, George Saunders, and Margaret Atwood. Her curatorship of the London Literature Festival extends this work into a physical event space, providing an array of free programming alongside the main scheduled events.

Reading has anchored me through every chapter of my life – from being the new kid at school in a new country to finding quiet refuge on tour. Curating the Southbank Centre’s London literature festival is a dream come true. I’m thrilled to indulge one of my greatest obsessions: books and the brilliant minds behind them.

Dua Lipa

The Southbank Centre’s artistic director, Mark Ball, noted that Lipa’s global reach and passion for literature have helped inspire a new generation of readers.

Dua Lipa is a global cultural force with millions of fans around the world, and her passion for the written and spoken word has inspired a new generation of readers

Mark Ball

Cultural Context and Programming

The 2026 festival coincides with the UK’s National Year of Reading. The London Literature Festival remains the longest-running celebration of its kind in the capital, focusing on both the written and spoken word.

The Southbank Centre is utilizing 2026 for several high-profile artistic takeovers. In addition to the London Literature Festival, the centre announced that British pop icon Harry Styles will curate the 2026 edition of the Meltdown festival.

Full details regarding the lineup and specific event dates for the London Literature Festival are expected to be released in Summer 2026, at which point tickets will go on sale.