London Literature Festival Opens With Dua Lipa as Curator This Weekend

The London Literature Festival is the centrepiece of a busy culture weekend in the capital. Running at the South Bank until 1 November 2026, this year's edition is curated by pop star and Service95 Book Club founder Dua Lipa. Her line-up includes a conversation with Zadie Smith about Smith's 2000 novel White Teeth on 24 October, a sit-down with Sudanese-Canadian singer-songwriter Mustafa about his poetry publication NOUR on the same day, and a discussion with Patti Smith about her memoir Bread of Angels on 25 October.

Theatre options are equally strong. Jordan Fein's revival of Stephen Sondheim's fairytale musical Into the Woods has transferred from the Bridge Theatre to the Noël Coward, where it runs until 9 January 2027 — the show's first West End run since 1991. Kate Fleetwood returns as the Witch, while John Dagleish and Laura Pitt-Pulford are new in the roles of the Baker and his Wife. Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, in a new adaptation by Conor McPherson, stars Kristin Scott Thomas and Stephen Mangan, and Anne-Marie Duff leads Helen Edmundson's thriller Some Woman, running until 21 November.

Elsewhere, the Museum of Youth Culture in Camden Town is hosting God Save The Queens, a landmark exhibition celebrating the women of the punk movement, running until 22 November. On 25 October, Trafalgar Square holds London's biggest Diwali event, with an expected 35,000 visitors, traditional dance from over 200 performers, street food, and a dedicated Children's Zone.