Dua Lipa to Curate London Literature Festival, Aiming to Engage Youth with Free Events and Workshops
March 30, 2026
The London literature festival at the Southbank Centre has announced Dua Lipa as this year’s curator, with events running from October 21 to November 1 and linked to her Service95 book club.
The festival will feature a mix of established and emerging writers, with a significant portion of free programming and efforts to engage younger audiences through workshops and collaborations.
Festival artistic director Mark Ball praises Lipa as a global cultural force whose passion for writing and speaking helps broaden reading to new audiences.
While organizers promise a balance of established voices and newcomers and some free events, the exact lineup and ticket details have not yet been announced.
A National Literacy Trust survey cited in the coverage notes a decline in reading for pleasure among 8- to 18-year-olds, underscoring the festival’s focus on youth engagement through workshops, gaming collaborations, and inclusive programming.
Dua Lipa has previously bonded with fiancé Callum Turner over reading Hernán Díaz’s Trust, illustrating how books influence her personal life.
Beyond curatorship, Lipa is pursuing new music and appears in the A24 film Peaked, sharing the screen with Emma Mackey, Laura Dern, and Simone Ashley.
The festival’s broader literary ecosystem includes the Service95 Book Club podcast, which features conversations with authors like Ocean Vuong, Patrick Radden Keefe, and Mark Ronson.
Dates for the festival are set for late October into early November, with a plan to release the full schedule and ticketing details on the festival website as the event approaches.
Earlier Spin coverage and related collaborations contextualize Lipa’s broader entertainment footprint supporting the festival’s cultural reach.
Summary based on 35 sources
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Sources

Yahoo Entertainment • Mar 30, 2026
Dua Lipa To Curate 2026 London Lit Fest
Yahoo News UK • Mar 30, 2026
Dua Lipa to curate 2026 London Literature Festival at Southbank Centre
The Guardian • Mar 30, 2026
Dua Lipa to curate London literature festival at Southbank Centre
AOL • Mar 30, 2026
Dua Lipa To Curate 2026 London Lit Fest