Find yourself absorbed in a true literary haven, surrounded by fellow book lovers on board the 2024 Literature Festival at Sea. This event, curated by the programming team of The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival, sees authors, poets, journalists, critics, and historians unite, bringing the spirit of the Festival to your voyage.

Discover a line-up that includes acclaimed crime writer Mark Billingham, Scottish novelist Chris Brookmyre and his co writer and wife, Marisa Haetzman, former US ambassador to the UK Matthew Barzun, and Sunday Times journalist Decca Aitkenhead , with more authors to be announced. The Literature Festival at Sea is a must for book lovers and free thinkers everywhere.

Enjoy a daily dose of news from Times journalists. Lose yourself in thought provoking conversation at Q&A sessions. Meet your favourite writers at intimate book signings. Listen as literary greats dissect everything from art and film to history and politics. You could fill every day on board with all kinds of literature based activities and experiences. And that’s on top of exploring the range of signature Cunard experiences you can already look forward to when you holiday with us.

Cunard has been in partnership with The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival since 2018, developing the Literature Festival at Sea on board Queen Mary 2’s Transatlantic Crossing.

On land, Cunard support a series of special author events at the world’s oldest literary festival that takes place in October every year, alongside the VIP Lounge in partnership with Cunard.