Wednesday, 4 October 2023 Contact us

March 2021: Festival update

Update for 2020 ticketholders on credits and future events

Dear festival friend

I cannot thank you enough for your continuing patience and understanding following the postponement of the 2020 Oxford Literary Festival. In particular, the generous response of all those who donated their 2020 ticket prices was deeply appreciated.

I am writing to update you on the situation for future events and how that affects you as a 2020 ticketholder. I am pleased to say that, thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, partners, and donors, we are planning to return in October this year for a series of events that will lead up to a new festival between Friday March 25 and Sunday April 3, 2022.

I hope that those of you who have applied for credits will use them to attend events in the autumn and next spring. We remain open to applications for credit from 2020 ticketholders.

Please kindly see the information below updating on events and explaining how you can claim a credit or donate your tickets to the festival.

We expect to post future events on our website in September. You can sign up here to receive email alerts about future festival events if you are not already signed up.

With best wishes

Sally Dunsmore
Festival director


Donations
We have been overwhelmed by your messages of support and offers to donate tickets. We are extremely grateful for your support, which will help to keep the festival alive.

You can still donate your ticket by simply allowing it to lapse. Your support means a great deal to the festival, and we thank you in advance.

Using and applying for credits
Many of you have applied for credits, and we hope you will use them to attend events in the autumn and at future festivals. The pandemic has impacted us longer than we originally expected. For that reason, we will extend the validity of all credits a further year until September 2024. You will be able to use them at the next three festivals.

Applications for credits will remain open for the foreseeable future. If you would like a credit for future events, please send an email to credit@oxfordliteraryfestival.org and specify:

  • the amount you are claiming in credit

  • the relevant booking references on your 2020 tickets

    Future events
    Most of the future events will be new events. The passage of time means we are unlikely to reschedule many 2020 events. We have, however, managed to reschedule the Chris Packham, Alexander McCall Smith and Iain McGregor events. Tickets held for those events remain valid, and we will inform ticketholders of the new dates shortly.

    Refunds
    The festival’s difficult financial position has not changed since March 2020. Regrettably, we have no option to refund customers. The festival can only offer credits for future events. The only other choice for the festival, as a small registered charity, would be to go into administration.

  • FT Weekend Title partner University of Oxford Netflix European Union Delegation of the European Union to the United Kingdom Cultural Relations Platform Supporter of the festival's Voices of Europe programme BBC World Service International radio partner Owen Mumford Supporter of programme of science and medicine and annual science and innovation award Bodleian Libraries Festival cultural partner Oxford Martin School Festival ideas partner Spanish Embassy Event generously supported by the Spanish Embassy Cervantes Institute, London Republic of Panama Event generously supported by Republic of Panama Italian Embassy Supporter of Italian programme The Dorchester Hotels Collection Festival London hotel partner International Literary Properties Supporters of the festival green room Blackwell’s Festival on-site and online bookseller The Randolph Hotel by Graduate Hotels Sponsor of the festival crime fiction programme The Feathers Hotel Woodstock festival hotel John Roberts Lady Hatch Patron donor for the programme of Irish literature and culture Emily Rose and James Marrow Supporters of the programme of American literature and culture Miles Young Masumi and Jonathan Dobson George Warren Pank Koria CEO of Project People Lucian Hudson Carole and John Allen David Isaac Jill Dunsmore Mary and Cecil Quillen Supporters of the programme of American literature and culture Anna Hunter Marlene Hauser Exeter College Exeter College: college home of the festival New College Worcester College Worcester College Lincoln College Lincoln College St Cross College St Cross College Trinity College Trinity College Pasture to Plate Compassion in World Farming Symington Wines of the Douro Valley Princeton University Press Prestige publishing partner TORVA Books which change you, your mind, your world Transworld Doubleday Doubleday Bantam Jewish Book Week Partner of Jewish programme Foodbuy Thje Menu Partners Institute of Hospitality Project People Royal Academy of Arts British Academy Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies Racalia Olive Oil Olive oil from Sicily The Oxford Times Regional media partner BBC Radio Oxford Local radio partner Bear Ram Elk Festival Digital Strategy & Web Design Paul Bloomfield Ltd University of Oxford Alumni Office Alumni Office Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies Conference Oxford Felicity Bryan Associates CAV Oxford Critchleys Accountants to the festival The Sheldonian Theatre Oxford University Images Oxford University Images Oxford Brookes University Siren Communications Siren Communications - corporate consultants OX magazine Ox in a Box K T Bruce Photography K T Bruce Photography The Litmus Partnership Schoolreaders Chêne Bleu Wines of Provence La Leccia Flip through Flanders Literature Ireland Confucius Institute Pusey House James Currey Society The Wild Geese

    2023

    2022

    FT Weekend Oxford Literary Festival sponsors, donors & partners

    FT Weekend Title partner University of Oxford Netflix European Union Delegation of the European Union to the United Kingdom Cultural Relations Platform Supporter of the festival's Voices of Europe programme BBC World Service International radio partner Owen Mumford Supporter of programme of science and medicine and annual science and innovation award Bodleian Libraries Festival cultural partner Oxford Martin School Festival ideas partner Spanish Embassy Event generously supported by the Spanish Embassy Cervantes Institute, London Republic of Panama Event generously supported by Republic of Panama Italian Embassy Supporter of Italian programme The Dorchester Hotels Collection Festival London hotel partner International Literary Properties Supporters of the festival green room Blackwell’s Festival on-site and online bookseller The Randolph Hotel by Graduate Hotels Sponsor of the festival crime fiction programme The Feathers Hotel Woodstock festival hotel John Roberts Lady Hatch Patron donor for the programme of Irish literature and culture Emily Rose and James Marrow Supporters of the programme of American literature and culture Miles Young Masumi and Jonathan Dobson George Warren Pank Koria CEO of Project People Lucian Hudson Carole and John Allen David Isaac Jill Dunsmore Mary and Cecil Quillen Supporters of the programme of American literature and culture Anna Hunter Marlene Hauser Exeter College Exeter College: college home of the festival New College Worcester College Worcester College Lincoln College Lincoln College St Cross College St Cross College Trinity College Trinity College Pasture to Plate Compassion in World Farming Symington Wines of the Douro Valley Princeton University Press Prestige publishing partner TORVA Books which change you, your mind, your world Transworld Doubleday Doubleday Bantam Jewish Book Week Partner of Jewish programme Foodbuy Thje Menu Partners Institute of Hospitality Project People Royal Academy of Arts British Academy Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies Racalia Olive Oil Olive oil from Sicily The Oxford Times Regional media partner BBC Radio Oxford Local radio partner Bear Ram Elk Festival Digital Strategy & Web Design Paul Bloomfield Ltd University of Oxford Alumni Office Alumni Office Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies Conference Oxford Felicity Bryan Associates CAV Oxford Critchleys Accountants to the festival The Sheldonian Theatre Oxford University Images Oxford University Images Oxford Brookes University Siren Communications Siren Communications - corporate consultants OX magazine Ox in a Box K T Bruce Photography K T Bruce Photography The Litmus Partnership Schoolreaders Chêne Bleu Wines of Provence La Leccia Flip through Flanders Literature Ireland Confucius Institute Pusey House James Currey Society The Wild Geese