Dua Lipa To Curate London Literature Festival Opening Weekend with Service95 Book Club

Dua Lipa will curate the 2026 London Literature Festival at Southbank Centre. The pop star will help shape events during the opening weekend and throughout the 11-day program. The festival runs from Oct. 21 through Nov. 1, marking its 19th year as the longest-running literature and spoken word event in the capital.

The GRAMMY and Brit award winner will lead programming for Oct. 24-25 through her Service95 Book Club. Her role comes as part of Southbank Centre's 75th anniversary celebrations and the U.K.'s National Year of Reading.

"Reading has anchored me through every chapter of my life — from being the new kid at school in a new country to finding quiet refuge on tour," said Dua Lipa in a statement, per The Guardian. "Curating the Southbank Centre's London Literature Festival is a dream come true. I'm thrilled to indulge one of my greatest obsessions: books and the brilliant minds behind them."

The singer launched Service95 Book Club in 2023 as part of her global culture platform. Each month, she selects a book and interviews the author for the club's podcast. Past conversations have included Margaret Atwood, George Saunders and Olga Tokarczuk.

Mark Ball, artistic director at Southbank Centre, called the performer "a global cultural force with millions of fans around the world." He said her "passion for the written and spoken word has inspired a new generation of readers."

Ted Hodgkinson, head of literature and spoken word at the venue, said the collaboration aims to "draw fresh audiences into our iconic spaces." He mentioned that her work has "sparked a global conversation around books."

Organizers plan to blend established writers with emerging voices. Free events will be part of the lineup to widen access. The full program and ticket details will be announced this summer.

Recent findings from the National Literacy Trust show just one in three children aged eight to 18 now read in their spare time. The festival will reach out to younger audiences through workshops and other interactive programming.

Self-Esteem curated the 2025 edition. Previous headliners include Ai Weiwei, Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai, Philip Pullman, and Tom Hanks.

The anniversary program also features Harry Styles curating Meltdown festival from June 11-21, a large-scale site takeover by Danny Boyle and collaborators on May 3, and an Anish Kapoor show at Hayward Gallery from June 16 through Oct. 18. The celebrations will reach more than one million people across 40 towns and cities in all four U.K. nations.