The official Daphne du Maurier website, approved by her Estate
Fowey Literary Festival News ››
The du Maurier Fowey Literary Festival 2026
***Important news***
Due to circumstances beyond their control, the dates of The du Maurier Fowey Literary Festival 2026 will be slightly different.
Routinely, the festival has always been in the week including Daphne du Maurier’s birthday on 13th May.
In 2026, the festival dates will be one week earlier than usual, and so will be from Friday 1st until Saturday 9th May 2026.
Please make a note of this in your diaries and book your accomodation early, as the new dates include a bank holiday, which is likely to mean that there will be more people in Fowey that usual during Festval week.
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The du Maurier Fowey Literary Festival Quiz – 2nd October 2025, 7.30pm
In the Fowey area on 2nd October?
Love Quizing?
Come and join in the du Maurier Fowey Literary Festival Quiz on Thursday, 2nd October
at the Fowey Gallants Sailing Club.
The quiz begins at 7.30pm (tables need to be booked in advance).
£2.00 per person (maximum of 6 people per team)
There are great prizes to be won, and you will be supporting a great charitable cause.
To book your table, email: bar@foweygallantssc.co.uk
Fowey residents and visitors, all very welcome, so come along and have a great evening.
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Change is in the air at the du Maurier Fowey Literary Festival
Lynn Goold has been involved with the literary festival in Fowey since 1995, when it was first mooted as an idea, and during the two years of planning which led to the very first Daphne du Maurier Festival in May 1997.
After so many years of service, carrying out a range of roles, but as Chair for the last few years, Lynn is stepping down. Lynn’s hard work and commitment has shaped the festival into the much-loved event it is today. Although she will no longer be Chair, she is going to continue to work as a Trustee, so the festival will still be able to continue to benefit from her wealth of experience.
Stepping into the role of Chair is Paula Pearson, a familiar face to many as a long-standing supporter of the festival, first as a visitor, then as a volunteer and more recently as a Trustee. With fresh energy, exciting ideas and a deep love of both literature and the community, Paula is looking forward to leading the next chapter of the festival story.
Did you know that the du Maurier Fowey Literary Festival was Cornwall’s first, and now longest-running, literary festival, originally known as the Daphne du Maurier Festival of Arts and Literature? But, of course, it can only thrive with the help of all its wonderful supporters.
If you would like to get involved as a volunteer, sponsor or benefactor, or if you have ideas and feedback to share, Paula would love to hear from you. You can email her at paulapearson@foweyfestival.com.
September 2025.
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Please Support for the du Maurier Fowey Literary Festival
Many of you will be aware that Literary Festivals all over the country are having a difficult time financially. This is clearly a sign of the times and the underlying feeling of a lack of security in the country and the wider world. It is at times of insecurity that we need to be able to enjoy small treats and to invest in things that take our minds off our worries. So, Literary Festivals are a much-needed part of our lives, particularly at the moment.
The du Maurier Fowey Literary Festival is being affected financially just as much as many others across the country. Whether you volunteer with the Festival, have taken out a Friends membership, or contributed to the Festival's ongoing fundraising campaign, all of this helps to stage the Festival and to the extremely important continuation of the schools' literary programme.
Here at the Daphne du Maurier website, we ask you if you could make a small donation to help the du Maurier Fowey Literary Festival at this difficult time. It is really straightforward; you just need to click on this link and give whatever you feel you can.
https://checkout.square.site/merchant/TKCXWYYDQVVQS/checkout/4GR7YM4MQ2IOZYE7DRU3OKCI?src=webqr
Your Support means a great deal, thank you.
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A Brief History of Our Literary Festival in Fowey
The first festival programme
A literary festival has taken place in Fowey for many years, the first being The Daphne du Maurier Festival of Arts and Literature in May 1997. This was a community initiative which had the full support of the du Maurier Browning family and was timed to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Daphne's birth.
From then on it became a tradition that 13th May, Daphne's birthday, would always be included within the dates of the festival.
That first festival provided the pattern for the future, with du Maurier-related walks, exhibitions, talks, plays and music events. There was a national one-day conference on the subject of Daphne du Maurier and the Romance of Place, with speakers including Avril Horner, Sue Zlosnik and Helen Taylor.
The conference was repeated on a much bigger scale in 2007 to celebrate Daphne du Maurier's centenary when a three-day international conference was held and concluded with a visit to Ferryside for all the delegates.
Over the years that followed, the Daphne du Maurier Festival of Arts and Literature grew under the direction of a small team of people from Restormel Borough Council led by Jonathan Aberdeen. The centrepiece of the festival was a beautiful festival village built on land belonging to Fowey Community College just beyond Fowey Hall Hotel.
When the festival in Fowey began, it was a rare and special event that thrived through the good years of the 2000s. But, as the decade drew to a close, a vast range of literary festivals all over the country gave people a greater choice of venue, and politics and the recession began to play their part in what was to become quite a struggle for survival.
With the inception of a unitary authority in the county, Cornwall Council could no longer justify supporting the du Maurier Festival in isolation; funding was reduced and shortly after ceased. However, a local group of enthusiastic people got together, incorporated the concept of the festival into a charity, and the Fowey Festival of Words and Music was born.
The festival became an altogether smaller event, located in various venues around the town, and, despite misgivings from many people, both local and visitors, has proved in the last few years to be very successful and financially sound.
Despite two years when the festival had to be cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival continued to grow in strength and content under the direction of Brenda Daly and its board of trustees. It is enjoyed by all who come.
The formula continued to be one of walks, exhibitions, talks, workshops, and music events, but now it also includes an Art Trail, which gives local artists the opportunity to open their homes and studios to show and sell their work. Another popular addition is the Secret Gardens Programme, through which local people open their gardens to festival goers.
The festival also always makes a point of focusing on children through its school outreach programme.
In 2016, the name of the festival was tweaked slightly to reflect more accurately what the festival did and became the Fowey Festival of Arts and Literature.
In November 2024, the festival announced that there were to be two new Festival Patrons and a new logo, naming the festival The du Maurier Fowey Literary Festival. The new Patrons are Christian Browning – Film Director and Photographer, son of Daphne du Maurier and Iain Dale - British broadcaster, author, political commentator and former publisher and book retailer.
In the summer of 2025, Lynn Goold stepped down as Chair of the du Maurier Fowey Literary Festival. She continues to be a Trustee, so the festival will continue to benefit from her wealth of experience. Stepping into the role of Chair is Paula Pearson, a familiar festival face who has been involved with the festival for some years as a visitor, then as a volunteer, and more recently as a Trustee. She brings a fresh energy, exciting ideas, and a deep love of both literature and the community. She is looking forward to leading the next chapter of the festival story.
We can now confirm that the dates of the next Fowey Literary Festival are 1st - 9th May 2026. We will bring you news of what you can look forward to and link you with the festival website so that you can keep up to date with all festival news.