At least 25% of the programme is free, as part of a commitment to widening access to the arts. The 2024 festival marks the fourth year of the five-year theme, Read the World.

The festival is celebrating its anniversary by exploring some of the most famous works of literature published since 1949. Literary anniversaries to be celebrated include Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell and Love in a Cold Climate by Nancy Mitford. 75 years of NATO will be examined, and there will be talks on current hot issues such as the age of AI and the future of the NHS. The festival will celebrate significant figures in its history, such as founder John Moore, who is recognised with a literary walking tour inspired by his Brenham Trilogy.

Fiction highlights include a virtual appearance from Barbara Kingsolver, and in person: Alan Hollinghurst, Rebecca F Kuang, Paula Hawkins, Jodi Picoult, Richard Osman, Marina Hyde, Lorraine Kelly, Fearne Cotton, Julian Clary, Richard Ayoade, Richard Coles, Ian Rankin, David Nicholls, and Nick Hornby. Curator Rónán Hession will celebrate Irish fiction.

Panel discussions include Kate Mosse, Robbie Millen and Laura Hackett on 50 years of the Sunday Times bestseller lists, Ben Macintyre, Charles Cumming and Ava Glass on the evolution of books about spies, and Alexander Armstrong, Andrew Hunter Murray and Michael Rosen on which two characters from classic literature would create a brilliant relationship.

Dame Judi Dench will discuss her book Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent, and Michael Palin returns to the festival to talk about his diaries 1999-2009. Lynda La Plante discusses her memoir, Helen Fielding talks about Bridget Jones, and Rupert Everett will talk about his career. Other familiar faces include Celia Imrie, Geri Halliwell, Miriam Margolyes, Miranda Hart, and Neneh Cherry.

Children’s and YA authors and illustrators appearing include Kes Gray and Jim Field, Sue Hendra, Catherine Rayner, George Webster, Sophy Henn and Steven Lenton. In middle-grade, Cornelia Funke returns to the world of Inkheart, and Frank Cottrell- Boyce and Nadia Shireen take part in a live podcast with Lauren Child, with other appearances from authors including Kieran Larwood, Sam Sedgman, Harriet Muncaster, and Alex T Smith. Curator Danielle Jawando has created a bumper YA programme, including Elle McNicoll, Laura Bates, Natasha Bowen, Andy Darcy Theo, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, Krystal Sutherland, and Rosie Talbot.