We’re really excited to be bringing all these books, authors, and events to Eye!
Join our mailing list for updates on our plans, buy tickets for our headline events, and look out for our posts on Instagram, BlueSky and Facebook!
Friday 19th June
We’re starting our festival with an Open Mic night – your chance to take part in our celebration of local writing talent!
7pm, Cafeye
Poetry Open Mic Night
Pay What You Can
With Suffolk poets Virginia Betts and AJ Deane
Join us to perform your poems, or come along to listen – our Open Mic night is for everyone! We’re celebrating local poets and giving you the chance to take part and share your writing. Whether it’s your first time at the mic, or you’re a regular performer, we’d love to welcome you to the opening event of our festival.
No need to book. Pay What You Can on the night. Cafeye is generously hosting the event at no cost, so all we ask is that you support the café by buying drinks and snacks during the event.
Saturday 20th June
Saturday is our celebration of the King’s Official birthday. We know we’re a week late, but that’s not going to stop the party! We’ll also be celebrating performance poetry and storytelling, and delving into Suffolk folklore ahead of the Summer Solstice tomorrow.
9am-11am, Eye Library
King’s Birthday Craft Activities for kids
FREE!
We’re celebrating the King’s Official Birthday! Join local author and educator Elisabeth Sherriff in the library to decorate your own royal crown.
No need to book. FREE event (donations to the library welcome). Children under 8 must be accompanied by an adult.
11am-3pm, Community Centre
King’s Birthday Family Picnic
FREE!
We’re having a party! Bring a picnic and a blanket, join us for tea and cake, and celebrate the King’s Official Birthday with us!
We’ll have storytelling for kids and grown-ups, birthday-themed children’s activities, and more.
No need to book. FREE event. The Community Centre bar will be open, and the WI will be selling tea, coffee, and unmissable homemade cakes. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult.
11am-3pm, Community Centre
Children’s and YA Book Fair
FREE!
We’re filling the Community Centre hall with books for children and teenagers! Meet the authors, pick up signed copies of their books, and discover your new favourite stories.
Look out for author readings, storytelling, and the chance to win just-published books from East Anglian children’s publisher Epic Tales.
No need to book. FREE event. Part of the King’s Birthday Family Picnic. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult.
12 noon-2.10pm, Various Venues
Fast Foreword Storytelling Trail for Grown-ups
FREE!
Actors from QuirkHouse Theatre will be performing stories by local authors on our Storytelling Trail for grown-ups! Join them for a tour of the town, and enjoy listening to fantastic original short stories from ten East Anglian writers.
| 12 noon | Bank Arts Centre |
| 12.30pm | Eye Library |
| 1.00pm | Queens Head (Pub Garden) |
| 1.30pm | Cafeye |
| 2.00pm | Community Centre |
No need to book. FREE event. Join the trail at any time, and stay for two stories or follow the actors to their next venue to hear more! If you’d like to support the trail, please consider buying a drink or food at the Bank Arts Centre, the Queens Head and Cafeye – they have all generously allowed us to perform in their venues with no charge. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult.
4pm, Banks Arts Centre
Poetry Workshop with John Hegley
For ages 16+
BARGAIN! Tickets only £15!
| Don’t miss this amazing opportunity – your chance to join legendary performance poet John Hegley for an exclusive creative workshop! Two hours of exercises designed to relax and stretch the mind, with opportunities to share your marvellous creations, and marvel at others! The session includes word games with fishes, expressions of gratitude, the drawing of cars and mandolin playing. |  |
No experience needed, just experiences! For ages 16+. Reserve your tickets in person at the Bank Arts Centre, or book online.
5pm, The Hexagon
Author Panel: Suffolk Magic and Folklore
Tickets £10
| Explore the hidden and magical side of stories from Suffolk. Join three local authors, Helen Fisher, Julia Blake, and Gerry Donlon (AKA Bards Aloud), all inspired by local folklore, strange stories, and ancient tales of the deep, dark woods. Hosted by Foreword Festival Director Rachel Churcher. Bring your curiosity and your questions for the panel, and be ready for mysteries, surprises, dark secrets, and a shiver down the spine … Helen Fisher, Julia Blake, and Gerry Donlon will be signing and selling their books after the panel. |  |
7pm, Bank Arts Centre
Performance Poetry Night
BARGAIN! Tickets only £15!
| We are absolutely thrilled to be bringing BAFTA-winning writer, poet, TV and film producer Henry Normal to the Foreword Book Festival in Eye! He’s been selling out theatres across the UK with his unique brand of hilarious poetry. He’ll be supported on the night by a dream team of poets: Tim Barlow, James Domestic, and Nancy T, all compered by a local poet and author – Eye’s very own AJ Deane. |  |
Reserve your tickets in person at the Bank Arts Centre, or book online.
Sunday 21st June
Sunday is Suffolk Day, and Father’s Day! We’re celebrating both with today’s book events.
10am-12 noon, The Bank Arts Centre
Illustration Workshop
Details TBC
11am-4pm, Eye Town Hall
Suffolk Day Book Fair
FREE!
| Meet your local authors at our Suffolk Day Book Fair, featuring 20+ authors from Suffolk, Suffolk-based books, and plenty of bookish treats and gifts. Browse books, chat to the people who wrote them, pick up signed copies, and discover your new favourite read! Don’t forget to treat yourself to tea, coffee, and cake from the Eye-based Scot & Folk coffee van outside – he’s bringing extra supplies, just in case! |  |
FREE entry.
12.30pm, The Hexagon
Father’s Day Event: Suffolk Food Stories
Tickets £10
| Join four Suffolk authors for our Father’s Day lunchtime panel on food, drink, cooking, and the joy of sharing meals with friends and family. Panel host Georgy Jamieson be talking about where to eat in Suffolk with Adam Tully, author of Suffolk Story; how to cook amazing fusion food with award-winning chef Lilian Hiw; farm-to-table cooking, Tanzanian style, with chef Beata Osborne; and the meaningful relationships we develop through sharing meals, with food educator Bee Farrell. |  |
Book Online – Tickets £10. Perfect for foodie dads and aspiring chefs!
2.30pm, The Hexagon
Father’s Day Event: Eat, Sleep, Read, Play Football!
Tickets £10
| Join three football-obsessed children’s authors at this all-age family event for Father’s Day! Ever wondered about the funniest thing that’s happened on a football pitch? Or how it feels to follow your footballing dreams? And what about the history of your favourite club? If football is your passion, this is the event for you. Bring Dad, bring your football-mad kids, and bring your questions for our amazing authors, James Campbell, Mitch Johnson, and Rob Parker. |  |
Book online – Tickets £10. You’ll have the chance to meet the authors, and buy their signed books, after the event!
4.30pm, The Bank Arts Centre
Writing Our Countryside
Tickets £10
| Meet Richard Negus – former soldier and professional horseman, who now lays hedges for a living. He writes about British rural life for The Daily Telegraph, and co-hosts a weekly podcast – Countryslide – covering British rural life. Patrick Galbraith is a columnist for Country Life and The Critic. His first book – In Search of the One Last Song – was called the most important book on the Countryside in years. |  |
Reserve your tickets in person at the Bank Arts Centre, or book online.
7pm, The Bank Arts Centre
An Evening With Ashley Hickson-Lovence
BARGAIN! Tickets only £10!
| Join us for an evening with our brilliant headliner, Ashley Hickson-Lovence – winner of The East Anglian Book Award 2024, The YA Diverse Book Awards 2025, and nominated for The Black Excellence Award for Outstanding Contribution to Literature in 2025. Ashley will be talking about his groundbreaking work with Eye-based author and Foreword Festival co-founder, Jackie Carreira. |  |
Reserve your tickets in person at the Bank Arts Centre, or book online.
Don’t forget to join our mailing list for updates on our plans, buy tickets for our headline events, and look out for our posts on Instagram, BlueSky and Facebook!