‘Curating the London Literature Festival was a dream come true’: Dua Lipa looks back on her festival debut
The singer and Service95 Book Club founder brought Zadie Smith, Patti Smith, Mustafa and other literary names to the Southbank Centre for a series of sold-out events during the festival’s 19th edition.
Dua Lipa has reflected on her experience curating the 2026 London Literature Festival, which wrapped up at the Southbank Centre on 1 November as part of the venue’s 75th anniversary celebrations.
The Grammy and Brit Award-winning singer brought together an eclectic mix of writers, artists and thinkers for 13 days of conversations, performances and events, including three sold-out appearances at the Royal Festival Hall. Lipa sat down with bestselling author Zadie Smith, poet and musician Mustafa, and artist and writer Patti Smith, with each event drawing an audience of 2,700.
The wider programme featured author and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nadia Murad, an exploration of rhythm and sound in writing with Kae Tempest, and an evening dedicated to Re-Writing Male Tenderness. There was also a discussion on the growing threats to free expression, presented with English PEN, a showcase of translated fiction and an interactive storytelling session from community publishing project Authors of the Estate.
Reflecting on the festival, Lipa said she had been able to meet some of her “all-time literary heroes” while sharing the experience with a full-house audience in her hometown.
She added that bringing readers and writers together for “collective moments of joy, reflection and gratitude” was at the heart of the Service95 Book Club, which she founded.
Ted Hodgkinson, Head of Literature and Spoken Word at the Southbank Centre, praised Lipa’s “fresh curatorial eye” and the breadth of the programme, saying it had brought people of all ages together around a shared love of literature.
Lipa also thanked the Southbank Centre team for being “the perfect partners”, closing her reflections with a nod to Patti Smith: “These moments are my bread of angels.”
Featured image: Madison Phipps
Elena Leo is the Culture & Lifestyle Editor of Ikon London Magazine.
