Dua Lipa is stepping into a new role this fall. The Southbank Centre has announced that the GRAMMY and Brit Award-winning global superstar and founder of the Service95 Book Club will curate the 2026 London Literature Festival, running October 21 through November 1. Lipa will lead events during the opening weekend of October 24-25 and contribute programming throughout the festival in partnership with her Service95 Book Club. “Reading has anchored me through every chapter of my life,” she says. “Curating the Southbank Centre’s London Literature Festival is a dream come true. I’m thrilled to indulge one of my greatest obsessions: books and the brilliant minds behind them.”
The festival marks its 19th edition as part of the Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary year, taking place during the National Year of Reading. It is the longest-running literature and spoken word festival in London, with previous headliners including Ai Weiwei, Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai, Margaret Atwood, Philip Pullman, Tom Hanks, and Yulia Navalnaya. Self-Esteem held the curator role in 2025. Lipa’s programming will feature a mix of established and emerging writers alongside an array of free events, with a national program reaching one million people across more than 40 towns and cities in all four nations of the UK.
Launched in 2023, Service95 Book Club sees Lipa select a monthly book and sit down with its author for an accompanying podcast. Her advocacy extends beyond the platform itself, with a particular focus on marginalized readers facing barriers to books, including those affected by book bans or incarceration. Bringing that passion to one of London’s most iconic cultural institutions is a natural next step for an artist who has consistently operated well beyond the boundaries of pop music.
This is a significant cultural moment, and the full program will be one worth watching closely as it comes together.