Million-selling author Kes Gray has been added to the lineup for the Isle of Wight Story Festival, which will take place this coming February.
Returning to Quay Arts from Thursday 18th to Saturday 20th February 2027, the Isle of Wight Story Festival will celebrate all forms of storytelling, from theatre to music to novels.
Topping the bill for 2027 will be Jamie Smart, the comic artist best known for his Bunny Vs Monkey graphic novels, and Kes Gray, who has sold more than three million copies of his Oi Frog books, which are primarily aimed at young children.
Kes will be returning to the festival, after a sold out appearance in 2024, to speak about the lesser-known but hilarious stories he has written.
Local authors join the lineup
Also announced are local authors Holly Medland, Andrew Lee and Andrew Clemson, who join the previously confirmed Chitra Soundar and Kieran Larwood.
Theatre and illustration
Away from the books, Treehouse Theatre will present The Elves and the Shoemaker, an immersive, interactive, exciting peep into a cosy little workshop, where kindly shoemakers have gone to bed, sadly leaving their very last piece of shoe leather out on the bench.
Illustrator Neal Layton, who has collaborated with celebrated author Michael Rosen, will talk about Bing, Bang… and BOING, an exhilarating, rhythmic reading of his exciting new collaboration with author Andy Stanton, best known for his Mr Gum books.
Bailey: Much more interactive
Speaking about the additions to the lineup, Story Festival co-organiser Sue Bailey said,
“It’s great to see more names added to the lineup for the IW Story Festival. Kes Gray is such a funny and entertaining author of brilliant books and with him and Neal Layton’s Bing Bang Boing, it’s going to be a fun festival. The IW Story Festival is not only about authors, it is much more interactive. From learning how to draw graphic novels, to joining in with stories about trolls, we cannot wait for February!”
£3 tickets for families
In a first for the festival, to make the event as affordable as possible for families, tickets for almost all of the IW Story Festival events have been capped at £3 plus a booking fee, with Jamie Smart’s Newport Minster talk capped at £5 plus booking fee.
Tickets are available from Quay Arts box office and IWStoryFestival.com
