Dua Lipa has been announced as the curator of this year’s London Literature Festival at the Southbank Centre, bringing a pop-cultural edge to one of the capital’s leading autumn literary events.
Pop star to lead a festival lineup of heavyweight writers
The festival, now in its 19th year, will run from 21 October to 1 November. As curator, Dua Lipa has assembled a programme that pairs her profile as a globally recognised performer with a roster of established literary and cultural figures, including Zadie Smith, Patti Smith and the writer-musician Mustafa. Several events will feature Lipa herself conducting interviews.
On 24 October, Lipa will sit down with Zadie Smith to discuss Smith’s debut novel White Teeth (2000), a work that launched the writer’s career when she was 24. The conversation is billed to reflect on “learning to live with an artistic legacy earned at such a young age” and to explore how the novel’s characters might be read in Britain today.
The following night, Lipa will interview Patti Smith about her memoir Bread of Angels, which charts the musician and poet’s life, including her marriage to Fred “Sonic” Smith and her return to music after his death. The festival will also host a variety of international voices, including the Sudanese Canadian artist Mustafa and Nobel peace laureate Nadia Murad.
Programme highlights and themes
Festival organisers say the season will combine literature with music and discussion, reflecting Lipa’s wider cultural interests through her Service95 platform and book club. The event will also include:
- a translated fiction showcase;
- a poetry-and-music evening with Kae Tempest;
- Censorship Live!, a collaboration with English PEN on the threats to free expression.
Other scheduled features include talks with Ta-Nehisi Coates and Tareq Baconi discussing Baconi’s new work on Palestine, plus a conversation with Nadia Murad on her memoir I Choose My Beginning. The line-up signals a blend of high-profile literary names and politically engaged programming.
"Curating the programme has been a true joy," Dua Lipa said, adding that she wanted to bring together "some of the most exciting writers, poets and thinkers from around the globe."
Mark Ball, the Southbank Centre’s artistic director, praised Lipa’s involvement and her cultural reach, describing her “deep curiosity” — comments that underline the institution’s intent to broaden the festival’s audience while retaining a serious literary remit.
From pop playlists to literary platforms
Dua Lipa has steadily built a reputation beyond music as a reader and cultural entrepreneur. Her Service95 book club, launched in 2023, has showcased long-form interviews and monthly selections featuring major contemporary authors, including Margaret Atwood and George Saunders. Last month she curated a permanent collection of 100 banned and challenged books at the Livraria Lello bookshop in Porto, Portugal.
Her curation of the Southbank festival is the latest example of a crossover between celebrity cultural capital and established institutions. Organisers hope her profile will draw new and younger audiences to festival events while maintaining the gravitas provided by contributors such as Smith and Murad.
Practical information for Londoners
The festival runs across the Southbank Centre’s venues for 11 days, between 21 October and 1 November. Attendees should expect a range of ticket prices and event formats, from author interviews to combined music-and-poetry evenings. Demand is likely to be strong for headline events involving Dua Lipa and Zadie Smith; advance booking is recommended.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Festival dates | 21 October – 1 November |
| Curator | Dua Lipa |
| Key interviews | Zadie Smith (24 Oct), Patti Smith (25 Oct) |
For Londoners who work in or visit the cultural quarter, the festival will offer late‑evening events and a chance to see internationally recognised writers and performers in conversation. It also illustrates the Southbank Centre’s ongoing strategy of programming that intersects literature, music and public debate.
As the capital’s autumn calendar fills, the Southbank offering will be one to watch: a mainstream pop star steering a major literary festival is not common, but organisers and collaborators say they hope that the mix will expand the audience for serious literary conversation without diluting the festival’s intellectual aims.
Tickets and the full programme are expected to be available via the Southbank Centre’s website.
