The annual festival celebrates Greater Manchester’s 133 libraries and highlights the role they play in civic life, not only as places for books and reading, but as vital spaces for wellbeing, creativity, learning, digital access, heritage and social connection. Events will take place across all ten boroughs of Greater Manchester, with almost all activities free to attend or operating on a Pay What You Can basis.
This year’s programme includes family-friendly events, interactive workshops, exhibitions, performances, arts and crafts, writing activities and public discussions. Festival highlights include Look for a Book, which returns during May half-term with 500 copies of Put Your Records On, the first picture book from musical artist Corinne Bailey Rae, hidden across the city region for children and families to discover.
The 2026 festival also includes the Inspired By Libraries programme, celebrating the power of libraries through conversations with public figures whose lives and careers have been shaped by reading, creativity and access to knowledge. Guests include DJ Paulette, Divina de Campo, Bobby Seagull MBE and comic artist, illustrator and author Mollie Ray, who will take part in events across Manchester, Oldham, Altrincham and local schools.
Through Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants programme, £89,980 has been awarded to support Festival of Libraries in highlighting the full offer of Greater Manchester’s library network.
Play Festival of Libraries 2026 Trailer on YouTube Manchester is one of the UK’s UNESCO Creative Cities, having joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a City of Literature in 2017. The designation recognises Manchester’s rich literary heritage, its diverse contemporary writing and publishing scene, and its commitment to using literature to widen participation, support creativity and connect communities.
The Festival of Libraries brings this UNESCO designation to life by connecting internationally renowned institutions - including Manchester Central Library, Chetham’s Library, The Portico Library, Manchester Poetry Library and the John Rylands Research Institute and Library - with local libraries across Greater Manchester. The festival demonstrates how libraries support inclusive cultural participation, provide access to knowledge, and help people of all ages engage with stories, ideas and creativity.
The festival has grown significantly since its launch in 2021. In 2025, more than 21,500 attendees visited 64 venues across the city region, with libraries hosting 140 events over five days. Festival of Libraries won Best Event at the Manchester Culture Awards 2024 and was named the second Most Inclusive Literature Festival by Inclusive Books for Children in 2025.
Matt Rabagliati, at the UK National Commission for UNESCO said:
“Manchester’s Festival of Libraries is a brilliant example of what a UNESCO designation can do locally: connecting culture, creativity, learning and community life across a whole city region. As a UNESCO City of Literature, Manchester shows how libraries can be places of imagination, inclusion and civic participation, supporting people not only to access books and information, but to tell their own stories and shape the cultural life of their communities.”
For more information and to explore the full programme, visit the Manchester City of Literature website or contact your local library.
