Cuckfield Bookfest

Welcome to Cuckfield Life’s Cuckfield Bookfest event page. Here you will find our most recent information for everything Bookfest.

As a community interest group, Bookfest relies on the generous support from sponsors, benefactors and friends to help them host brilliant writers and new talents every year.

See also, Cuckfield Bookfest


Quick update

26th September - Literary Quiz, The Talbot, Cuckfield
3rd October - Ockenden Manor Supper, Ockenden Manor, Ockenden Lane
4th - 5th October - Literary events (Queen’s Hall, The Talbot and Holy Trinity Church)

We are very excited to announce that Steve Richards, highly regarded political columnist, journalist, author and presenter, will be joining us for supper at Ockenden this year, on Friday, 3rd October. He will be delighting us with political gossip, plots and intrigues, and a few choice impressions along the way. If you can’t make the supper, Steve will also be on stage on Saturday morning to talk about his new biography of Tony Blair.

Joining Saturday’s political commentary from Iain Dale and Jonathan Sumption’s analysis of the state of democracy today, we have a diverse programme with a refreshingly optimistic take on environmental action in Isabel Losada’s, The Joyful Environmentalist. A special event discussing the work of James Baldwin celebrates the centenary of the African American writer’s birth, with three of the contributors to Encounters with James Baldwin. Crime fans won’t be disappointed either, as Jessica Bull returns Jane Austen to the detective scene in A Fortune Most Fatal and Ciar Byrne introduces us to her second Woolf & Bell mystery.

Sunday elevates the emotional stakes with Anne Sebba’s deeply moving account of The Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz, a meticulously researched exploration of music’s role in survival during humanity’s darkest chapter. History enthusiasts will be equally gripped by Lucy Hughes-Hallett’s The Scapegoat, chronicling the meteoric rise and fall of George Villiers, the first Duke of Buckingham, while Phil Craig examines the uncomfortable truths of WW2’s aftermath in 1945: The Reckoning.

Children’s events this year include Storytelling with Debutots, using dramatic play, music, games and wrap-around sensory activities to exercise imaginations and develop confidence, and a drawalong session with local author/illustrator and animation director Steve Lenton.

And as a reminder, if you belong to a book group and are looking for your next book to read, our Big Book Group on Sunday evening is Sweat by Emma Healey.
Tickets will go on sale for Friends and Benefactors on Saturday 16th August, and general booking opens Saturday 23rd August. Find out more https://cuckfieldbookfest.co.uk/
We hope you can join us!

Cuckfield Bookfest 2025 dates

We’ll be back next year over the weekend of October 3rd – 5th so do please put the date in your new diary now!

As usual, the Cuckfield Festival management team has been busy planning the programme for 2025. After a quiet January, life got busy in February and we now have several authors lined up.

First up, at 10am on the Saturday morning, is Iain Dale coming to talk about his book on Mrs Thatcher, which is published in June. Iain said he thought 10am might be too early for an audience but we assured him that the people of Cuckfield love a political theme to start proceedings, particularly if it’s Iain delivering it.

Also on Saturday, we have a new venue for a session – Holy Trinity Church. Church Going by Andrew Ziminski is a stonemason’s guide to the churches of the British Isles. This book is a celebration of Britain’s most important and iconic buildings and the historic Holy Trinity Church is the perfect place for this session.

In 2004, Baroness Lola Young became one of the first Black women members of the House of Lords. Eight Weeks tells the powerful story of her determination to defy the odds; she has been an actress, an academic, an activist and campaigner for social justice and a crossbench peer. She is also a very beguiling speaker.

Jonathan Sumption’s latest book, The Challenges of Democracy and the Rule of Law has just been published and is already highly praised. We are particularly lucky to have him as he is very much sought after.

The book selected for the Big Book Group on Sunday evening is SWEAT by Emma Healey whose first book Elizabeth is Missing sold many thousands of copies all over the world. SWEAT is a novel exploring obsession, revenge and control and it will provide lots of points for discussion.

Lots more authors pending at this stage and as usual there will be something for children. Details of all events in due course and the website is the place to go for more information. www.cuckfieldbookfest.co.uk

Bank holiday bloc party returns to Rose & Crown, Cuckfield

By James Clark

I think this must be our fourth consecutive Bloc Party held at the Rose and Crown. Every year, we welcome hundreds of people to our special event and each year we are overwhelmed by the response.
This year nothing has really changed. Our objective remains much the same as it’s always been; the aim of which is to bring people from the community together and for everyone to enjoy a fun day out.

As in previous years, there will be a bunch of food trucks serving high quality street food and a large selection of drinks will be available inside and in the outside bar, all from local breweries, vineyards and distilleries.
And please let’s not forget about the music and all the bands that will be performing throughout the day and well into the night.

We’ve also put a lot of effort and work into our beer garden of late, and it really is looking pretty good. So, by the time the party arrives, we should be equipped with a new ping pong table and a number of jovial garden games to keep people busy while they’re enjoying the summer weather and sharing a few drinks.

On a final note, as before, we’ll be donating a portion of our takings from the event to a designated charity. Date for diary: Bank Holiday Monday, 25th August. Gates open at midday. No tickets. No reservations.

Cuckfield's Big Summer Picnic this July

Click to enlarge

Get ready for a fantastic afternoon of fun, music, and community spirit as Whiteman’s Green prepares to host its 2025 big summer picnic.

The free event, courtesy of Cuckfield Parish Council and in partnership with Haywards Heath Rugby Club, promises something for everyone. From live music to family-friendly activities - it’s the perfect way to spend a sunny Sunday with friends and neighbours.

There will be live entertainment from the brilliant Band of Dads (B.O.D.) who will be playing throughout the afternoon, setting the perfect soundtrack for your picnic and friendly blanket gatherings.

Kids can enjoy fairground rides and special activities, plus there’s a free Skate Jam—so don’t forget to bring some cash!

You will also be able to tuck into an array of delicious offerings from a variety of food and drink stalls. And the newly opened clubhouse bar will also be serving up refreshments throughout the day plus running a BBQ.

To help ease congestion on Staplefield Road, we are encouraging people to walk to the event where possible. We are offering drop-off slots for anyone attending with belongings between 10.30am and 12.30pm.

Disabled parking is available in advance by reservation only at kate.west@ cuckfield.gov. uk - please don’t forget to send us your name and car registration.

Extra bins will be available on the day, but we’d really appreciate it if you could please take your rubbish home with you to help us keep the green clean and free of any litter.

The special event will take place on Whitemans Green (in front of the clubhouse) on 20th July from 1pm – 5pm. It’ll be a wonderful opportunity for you to connect with the community, relax with your family, and celebrate summer in style. We look forward to seeing you there.