Thursday 19 November 2026 · 10:00am
Seaside Sleuth
Eighteen 91, Brunswick Street, Whitby, YO21 1RB
Jess Kidd interviewed by Kate Fenton
Event Sponsorship
For businesses and individuals
Sponsorship perks:
- 2 free tickets to the event(s) you sponsor
- Your business name and website linked from our Events page
- Several mentions across our social media and email marketing in the run up to the event
- A public ‘thank you’ in the opening remarks at the event(s)
- A mention in our printed programme (provided you sponsor an event before our print deadline at the beginning of November)
- The option to display a roller banner at the venue hosting the event(s) you choose to sponsor, and…
- That warm fuzzy feeling that comes from knowing you’ve supported an amazing community event!
Sponsorship is £200 per event. Payment is taken securely by Stripe. Your sponsorship is confirmed once one of our organisers has approved it, and we will email you either way.
56 of 57 events are still looking for a sponsor. Thank you to the 1 business already supporting us.
Thursday 19 November 2026 · 10:30am
The Wirefolk of Whitby
Flowergate Hall, Flowergate, Whitby, YO21 3BA
Emma Stothard and Tim Kelly
Thursday 19 November 2026 · 12:00pm
Different Minds, Deadly Mysteries
The Coliseum Centre, 1B Victoria Place, Whitby, YO21 1EZ
Sarah Hilary and Matt Baker in conversation
Thursday 19 November 2026 · 1:30pm
Queens of Goth
Flowergate Hall, Flowergate, Whitby, YO21 3BA
Laura Purcell in conversation with Amanda Mason
Thursday 19 November 2026 · 1:30pm
Show, Not Tell
Whitby Library, Windsor Terrace, Whitby, YO21 1EY
Writing Workshop with Julie Noble
Thursday 19 November 2026 · 3:00pm
The Golden Hours - The Cazalet Chronicles: A Literary Legacy
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Louisa Young interviewed by Kate Fenton
Thursday 19 November 2026 · 3:00pm
ALL ABOARD! Tales from a Yorkshire Steam Railway
Eighteen 91, Brunswick Street, Whitby, YO21 1RB
Paul ‘Piglet’ Middleton - Interviewer to be confirmed
Thursday 19 November 2026 · 5:00pm
A Deadly Dance
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Mark Billingham interviewed by Luca Veste
Thursday 19 November 2026 · 7:00pm
Caught in the Sticky Resin of a Poem
Jet Black Jewel Hotel & Cafe Bar, 10 Skinner Street, Whitby, YO21 3AH
Jenny Hill with Bob Butterfield
Thursday 19 November 2026 · 7:00pm
Proper: Si King
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Interviewed by Kate Fenton
Sponsored by Yorkshire Payroll Services Ltd
Thursday 19 November 2026 · 8:30pm
Zaffar Kunial: One of Britain’s Most Exciting Poetic Voices
Eighteen 91, Brunswick Street, Whitby, YO21 1RB
Award-winning poet Zaffar Kunial comes to Whitby Lit Fest for a captivating celebration of language, identity and place.
Friday 20 November 2026 · 10:00am
Out of Colditz
Eighteen 91, Brunswick Street, Whitby, YO21 1RB
David Lascelles interviewed by Kate Fenton
Friday 20 November 2026 · 11:00am
Valley Press: A Poet’s Journey
The Coliseum Centre, 1B Victoria Place, Whitby, YO21 1EZ
Jamie McGarry and Charlotte Oliver
Friday 20 November 2026 · 11:30am
It’s me, it’s Cathy!
Flowergate Hall, Flowergate, Whitby, YO21 3BA
Essie Fox and Jess Kidd, chaired by Amanda Mason
Friday 20 November 2026 · 11:30am
From Dickens to Depp: Bringing Dickens to the Screen
Whitby Museum, Whitby Museum, Whitby, YO21 1RE
Lucinda Hawksley and James Clarke
Friday 20 November 2026 · 11:30am
Our Lizzie: Songs, Stories and the Sea
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Meet Elizabeth Alice Hawksfield — Whitby fishlass, working woman and the inspiration behind Sara Dennis’s new creative project.
Friday 20 November 2026 · 12:30pm
Inside Independent Publishing
The Coliseum Centre, 1B Victoria Place, Whitby, YO21 1EZ
Chris Hamilton-Emery, R.A. Marno and Christiana Spens
Friday 20 November 2026 · 1:00pm
Entitled: The Royal Biographer Who Took Down a Prince
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Andrew Lownie interviewed by Kate Fenton
Friday 20 November 2026 · 2:00pm
HarperNorth – How to Get into Publishing
The Coliseum Centre, 1B Victoria Place, Whitby, YO21 1EZ
Do you want to get into publishing, either as an author or working in the industry itself?
Friday 20 November 2026 · 2:30pm
What the Dickens?
Eighteen 91, Brunswick Street, Whitby, YO21 1RB
Elly Griffiths interviewed by Lucinda Hawksley
Friday 20 November 2026 · 2:30pm
A Trio of Poets: Good Things Come in Threes
Flowergate Hall, Flowergate, Whitby, YO21 3BA
Prof John Whale, Rachel Bower, and Matt Howard
Friday 20 November 2026 · 3:00pm
Writing Workshop: Thrutopia with Kate Evans
Whitby Library, Windsor Terrace, Whitby, YO21 1EY
What future are you imagining? Thrutopia is a new and developing genre, part of the Cli-Fi stable, which imagines a more sustainable future
Friday 20 November 2026 · 5:00pm
From Page to Screen
Eighteen 91, Brunswick Street, Whitby, YO21 1RB
Matt Baker, David Quantick & Louise Willder
Friday 20 November 2026 · 5:00pm
Sleepers in the Snow
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Joanne Harris interviewed by Robert Edgar
Friday 20 November 2026 · 7:00pm
The Weight of Angels
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
John Boyne interviewed by Steph McGovern
Friday 20 November 2026 · 7:00pm
The North Sea: A Seaside Pilgrimage
The Coliseum Centre, 1B Victoria Place, Whitby, YO21 1EZ
Alistair Moffat
Friday 20 November 2026 · 9:00pm
An evening with poet Harry Gallagher & folk duo Miggins Fiddle
Flowergate Hall, Flowergate, Whitby, YO21 3BA
Join widely published poet Harry and his friends Miggins Fiddle for what promises to be a wonderful evening of poetry, stories and music.
Friday 20 November 2026 · 9:00pm
Sweet Dreams: Night Baby
Eighteen 91, Brunswick Street, Whitby, YO21 1RB
Lucie McKnight Hardy with Amanda Mason, chaired by Rob Edgar
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 10:00am
Lifeboat at the End of the World
The Coliseum Centre, 1B Victoria Place, Whitby, YO21 1EZ
Dominic Gregory interviewed by Ceri Oakes and Emma Ryan of The Whitby Anchor.
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 10:30am
Children’s Writing Competition featuring Corinne Bailey Rae
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Celebrate the creativity of Whitby’s young writers as we reveal the winners of our Children’s Writing Competition, open to local schoolchild
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 11:00am
Story Sleuthing: Theresa Tomlinson in conversation with Julie Noble
Flowergate Hall, Flowergate, Whitby, YO21 3BA
What happens when writers turn historical detective and uncover the stories hiding in plain sight?
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 11:30am
The Metal Detectorists
Whitby Museum, Whitby Museum, Whitby, YO21 1RE
Eleanor Bruce and Lucilla Gray in conversation with Gabby Richardson
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 11:30am
Daffodil Days
Eighteen 91, Brunswick Street, Whitby, YO21 1RB
Helen Bain interviewed by Claire Malcolm
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 1:00pm
A Brief History of the Coast in 100 Objects
Whitby Museum, Whitby Museum, Whitby, YO21 1RE
Sally Coulthard in conversation with Kate Fenton
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 1:00pm
Hugh Bonneville: Rory Sparkes and the Spy Who Loved Tea
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Family event, ages 7+
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 1:00pm
Bolder Not Older
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Nicky Hambleton Jones interviewed by Suzy Walker
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 2:00pm
Shooting Time: Ian Macdonald – North by North East
The Coliseum Centre, 1B Victoria Place, Whitby, YO21 1EZ
Renowned North East photographer Ian Macdonald has spent more than 50 years documenting the people, landscapes and industries of the region,
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 2:30pm
There’s Been a Murder, Pet
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Ann Cleeves interviewed by Alison Graham
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 2:30pm
Young Adult: Dark Hearts & Dangerous Heroines
Flowergate Hall, Flowergate, Whitby, YO21 3BA
Naomi Kelsey and Heather Askwith
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 3:30pm
Michael Gambon: The Authorised Biography
Eighteen 91, Brunswick Street, Whitby, YO21 1RB
Jasper Rees, interviewed by Nick Ahad
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 3:30pm
Working-Class Podcast: Wuthering Heights
The Coliseum Centre, 1B Victoria Place, Whitby, YO21 1EZ
Claire Malcolm, Richard Benson & Ali Naushahi
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 5:00pm
We’ve Always Been Here: The North Yorkshire Edition with Suzanne Elvidge &
Jet Black Jewel Hotel & Cafe Bar, 10 Skinner Street, Whitby, YO21 3AH
Queer history is North Yorkshire history – and some of its stories are stranger, more moving and more surprising than you might imagine.
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 5:00pm
Riding the Wave
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Dr Sian Williams interviewed by Suzy Walker
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 7:00pm
Complicit
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Peter Oborne and Alex Thomson
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 7:00pm
Crime, Courts and Cold Nerves
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Louise Minchin and Jo Murray in conversation with Lucinda Hawksley
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 7:00pm
Eftwyrd: Rebirth
Flowergate Hall, Flowergate, Whitby, YO21 3BA
An Anglo-Saxon Epic Bob Beagrie with Russ Jenkins
Saturday 21 November 2026 · 8:30pm
Open Mic Night: An evening of poetry
Flowergate Hall, Flowergate, Whitby, YO21 3BA
Compere - Bob Beagrie
Sunday 22 November 2026 · 10:30am
Patron Spotlight - Rob Shearman with Simon Murgatoyd
Whitby Museum, Whitby Museum, Whitby, YO21 1RE
For the first year, the festival’s Honorary Patron, Sir Alan Ayckbourn, has selected a writer to feature in a Patron Spotlight event.
Sunday 22 November 2026 · 10:30am
Jack Mackay: The Haunting of Old Splinter
Flowergate Hall, Flowergate, Whitby, YO21 3BA
Be careful what you wish for…
Sunday 22 November 2026 · 11:30am
Full Circle
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Peter Oborne’s Full Circle: A History of Cricket co-authored with Richard Heller, a sweeping global history exploring cricket's evolution.
Sunday 22 November 2026 · 11:30am
The Land of Mist and Magic
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Philip Parker in conversation Sarah Clegg
Sunday 22 November 2026 · 12:00pm
Yorkshire’s Amazing Dinosaur Coast
Whitby Museum, Whitby Museum, Whitby, YO21 1RE
Roger Osborne & James McKay
Sunday 22 November 2026 · 1:00pm
‘Flight’ by The Hull to Scarborough Line
Flowergate Hall, Flowergate, Whitby, YO21 3BA
How should we live, in a world where disillusion and exploitation seem paramount?
Sunday 22 November 2026 · 1:30pm
A Road Less Travelled
Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff, Whitby, YO21 3EN
Ben Aitken and Tom Sykes
Sunday 22 November 2026 · 1:30pm
Raiders of the Lost Archive - Simon Murgatroyd
Whitby Museum, Whitby Museum, Whitby, YO21 1RE
What happens when a priceless piece of cultural history disappears?
Sunday 22 November 2026 · 3:00pm
Still Running After All These Tears
Flowergate Hall, Flowergate, Whitby, YO21 3BA
Lisa Jackson in conversation with Suzy Walker
Sunday 22 November 2026 · 3:00pm
Elementary, My Dear
Whitby Museum, Whitby Museum, Whitby, YO21 1RE
Jack Anderson and Martin Edwards