Borderlines Carlisle Book Festival 2026: Line-Up, Tickets and Parking

Borderlines Carlisle Book Festival returns from Tuesday 20 October to Sunday 8 November 2026, with twelve author talks, readings, poetry and family events across three central venues. Use our Carlisle destination guide to plan the rest of a city visit.

The programme ranges from Lee and Andrew Child discussing the new Jack Reacher novel to James Bond writers Charlie Higson and Vaseem Khan, Sarah Hall on her Lakeland Book of the Year winner Helm, global train travel with Monisha Rajesh and a Cumbrian family memoir discussed by Nicola Wilding and James Rebanks.

Borderlines 2026 at a glance

• Dates: 20 October to 8 November 2026
• Main festival weekend: Friday 6 to Sunday 8 November
• Venues: Old Fire Station, Tullie and Cakes and Ale
• Prices: free to £22; most one-hour Tullie talks are £10
• Under-25s: official event pages advertise a £2 saving on eligible tickets
• Closest parking for Tullie and Cakes and Ale: Fisher Street, CA3 8RE
• Railway station: approximately 15 minutes on foot from the festival venues

See the Borderlines parent Event for the programme occurrences.

Full Borderlines Carlisle programme

Tuesday 20 October: Lee and Andrew Child in Conversation

7.30pm, Old Fire Station. £22 for one ticket and one book, or £30 for two tickets and one book. The brothers discuss Chain Reaction on publication day. This high-demand session already has its own detailed Cumbria Guru coverage: see the Lee and Andrew Child Event.

Tuesday 27 October: Charlie Higson and Vaseem Khan

7.30pm, Old Fire Station. £12. Two official James Bond writers compare their new books, their relationship with 007 and the experience of adding to Ian Fleming's world. The Old Fire Station lists doors at 7pm and a one-hour event followed by a signing.

Friday 6 November: Poetry Open Mic Night

7.30pm to 9.30pm, Cakes and Ale. Free, but get a ticket. A supportive open-mic evening for new and experienced local poets. Free does not mean unlimited capacity, so reserve through the official page.

Saturday 7 November at Tullie

• 10am to 11am, £10: Tom McNally and David Felton discuss the people, histories and images in Forty Fells.
• 11am, £4: Animal Antics with Jake Hope, a story-and-activity session for ages 3 to 8. Book a free adult ticket for every accompanying adult because room capacity is limited.
• 12pm to 1pm, £10: Monisha Rajesh explores sleeper trains and slow travel in Moonlight Express.
• 2pm to 3pm, £10: Sarah Hall discusses Helm in the inaugural Gwenda Matthews Talk.
• 4pm to 5pm, £10: explorer Charlie Walker discusses his Siberian journey, arrest and memoir On Thin Ice.

Sunday 8 November

• 11am to 12pm, Tullie, £10: Karen Lloyd on Earthworks, nature, conservation and environmental justice.
• 1pm to 2pm, Tullie, £10: Alistair Moffat on Britain's civilian assassins and secret listeners during the Second World War.
• 3pm to 4pm, Tullie, £10: Cumbrian-born documentary maker Nicola Wilding discusses These Wild English with Lake District farmer and author James Rebanks.
• 4.30pm to 5.30pm, Cakes and Ale, £12: tea and cake with Lake District-based writer Kirstie Pelling and her romantic comedy Sink or Swim. Refreshments are included.

How to build a multi-event day

Saturday and Sunday are deliberately easy to combine because the talks are concentrated at Tullie, with sensible gaps between sessions. Book every event separately and do not assume one festival ticket provides access to the whole day.

On Sunday, the 4.30pm tea-and-cake session moves to Cakes and Ale on Castle Street. It is only a short walk from Tullie, but leave the 30-minute gap after the 3pm talk rather than lingering for too long at a signing.

Venues

Tullie

Tullie is on Castle Street, CA3 8TP, beside Carlisle Castle. Most main-weekend talks take place here. Explore the Tullie visitor guide for the museum, cafe and post-redevelopment access information.

Cakes and Ale

Cakes and Ale is at 17 to 19 Castle Street, CA3 8SY. It hosts the Poetry Open Mic and Kirstie Pelling. The festival says wheelchair access is through a side door down the Long Lane alley, with no steps. Contact the organiser in advance so the route can be arranged smoothly.

Old Fire Station

Old Fire Station is on Peter Street, CA3 8QP. It hosts the two October headline conversations. Check the individual door time and seating arrangement because this venue also runs standing music events with different access needs.

Parking

The festival identifies Fisher Street car park, CA3 8RE, as the nearest public car park to Tullie and Cakes and Ale, around two minutes away on foot. Its directions page quotes a tariff, but city parking charges can change. Check the entrance board and payment method rather than relying on an archived price.

Surrounding streets include one-hour disc-zone parking, which is unsuitable for most festival talks once arrival, queuing and signing time are included. Old Fire Station has a large public car park opposite; check the current evening tariff and closing arrangements.

Arriving by train

Carlisle railway station is around a 15-minute walk from the festival venues. The route crosses the city centre towards Castle Street. Allow longer if carrying books, walking with children or using a mobility aid.

Accessibility

Access differs between the three venues. Borderlines welcomes assistance dogs and asks visitors to make arrangements in advance. Email borderlinescarlisle@gmail.com if wheelchair space, a step-free entrance, a companion arrangement or another adjustment is essential.

Tullie publishes its own detailed access information. Old Fire Station has ground-floor access but seating layouts vary by event. Cakes and Ale uses the Long Lane side entrance for step-free access.

Tickets, books and signings

Book individual sessions through the official Borderlines event pages. Under-25 discounts are shown on the paid listings, usually as a £2 saving. The free Poetry Open Mic still requires a ticket, and the children's event requires free adult tickets for accompanying adults.

Books are expected to be available through the festival bookseller, with signings attached to selected talks. A signing can extend the visit beyond the advertised finish, so leave a buffer before trains, meals or the next session.

Where to eat

Cakes and Ale is part of the festival, while Tullie has its own cafe. Carlisle city centre offers additional food within walking distance, but the Saturday and Sunday gaps are short. Reserve a table only if the timing leaves enough room for queues and signings.

Final booking checklist

1. Book each talk separately.
2. Select the correct under-25 or family ticket where eligible.
3. Reserve the free Poetry Open Mic and free accompanying-adult places.
4. Check which of the three venues you need.
5. Allow extra time after a talk if you want a signed book.
6. Arrange access before the event where required.
7. Recheck live availability and any programme change before travel.

View the official Borderlines programme and ticket links.

Programme, prices, venues and access checked 6 September 2026.