Wolverhampton Literature Festival events at Wolverhampton Arts Centre

This February, stories step off the page and into the spotlight as Wolverhampton Literature Festival returns to the city. Taking place from 6–8 February 2026, the festival brings together writers, musicians, broadcasters and audiences to celebrate literature, culture and the voices that shape them.

We’re delighted to be presenting three events at Wolverhampton Arts Centre as part of this year’s festival. Each one offers a different way into storytelling. Memoir, music, photography and cultural history, all told live, in the room, with that shared sense of attention you only really get from a good audience and a good story.

The festival opens here on 5 February with Francis Dunnery and England’s Tales of the Council House Kid. A powerful and deeply nostalgic theatre show, this is part performance, part living memoir. Through vivid storytelling and songs that soundtracked his early years, Dunnery reflects on growing up in working-class Britain in the 1960s and 70s. It’s a portrait of council estates, camaraderie, grit and romantic dreams, told with warmth, humour and honesty. Old songs sit alongside new ones, bringing past and present together in a way that feels personal but widely recognisable.

On Friday night, Dave Rowntree joins the festival in conversation to talk about No One You Know. Known to many as the drummer of Blur, Rowntree is also the quiet observer behind a remarkable photographic record of the band’s earliest days. Armed with a camera, he documented Blur’s rise from the inside, capturing moments that were never meant for the spotlight. This event offers a rare insight into what it’s really like to be in a young band at the very start of something big, told by one of the few people who truly saw it all unfold. Expect stories, audience questions, selected images and the chance to pick up a signed copy of the book.

The weekend closes on Sunday with Stuart Maconie and With A Little Help From Their Friends. Everyone knows a Beatles song, but Maconie looks beyond the hits to explore the wider story. How four lads from Liverpool became a defining cultural force, and how the people around them shaped that journey. Blending music history with personal encounters and sharp observation, Maconie brings depth, humour and fresh perspective to a story that still says a lot about who we are as a nation.

Three nights, three distinct voices, all presented with Wolverhampton Literature Festival.