Oldham Library hosts free, family-friendly StoryFest this Saturday

Oldham Library hosts a free, family-friendly day of author talks, illustration workshops and interactive activities this weekend.

StoryFest returns to the library on Sat 11 Jul, welcoming children and families for a day packed with storytelling and creativity and providing opportunities to meet some of the UK’s best-loved children’s authors, poets and illustrators.

Running from 11am until 3pm, the free event will feature interactive sessions throughout the day, with visitors encouraged to come dressed as their favourite literary characters or in their best festival outfits.

This year’s programme features Carnegie-nominated author Ben Davis and former BookTrust Writer-in-Residence Rashmi Sirdeshpande, as well as Holly Sterling, who was highly commended in the Macmillan Prize for Illustration, and award-winning poet Dommy B, who also starred in CBeebies’ Rhyme Rocket.

They will be joined by popular poets and performers Liz Million and Paul Cookson, as well as critically acclaimed poet James Carter and local author Deborah Bradbury.

StoryFest will also mark the launch of this year’s Summer Reading Challenge, delivered by Oldham Libraries in partnership with The Reading Agency. With the 2026 theme “Read to the Beat”, children are invited to set their own reading goals, such as reading to a sibling or visiting their local library.

Those who complete the challenge will receive a certificate and medal to take back to school. Children can sign up during the challenge period (Sat 11 Jul – Sat 12 Sep) at any library across the borough, as well as at Gallery Oldham.

Subnum Hariff-Khan, head of Heritage, Libraries and Arts at Oldham Libraries, said: “Oldham StoryFest is a brilliant opportunity for children and families to come together and enjoy the magic of books. Hearing directly from the people who create these wonderful stories can spark children’s imagination and inspire them to discover reading for pleasure. We’re proud to welcome so many talented writers and illustrators to Oldham and look forward to seeing families making the most of everything the festival has to offer.”