The Big Book Weekend – Online

Join The Arts Council and BBC Arts for a free online literature festival from 8-10 May 2020. The Big Book Weekend will broadcast interviews, discussions, and conversations over the first May bank holiday weekend. Developed and curated by authors Kit de Waal and Molly Flatt and hosted by publishing start-up MyVLF, they’re currently on the lookout for literature festivals of any size to join the project.

The Big Book Weekend is a three-day virtual festival that brings together the best of the cancelled British festivals, with a range of events ‘sponsored’ by the relevant festival, featuring the authors and other artists that would have appeared. It has been co-founded by the authors Kit de Waal and Molly Flatt, is supported by the BBC and Arts Council England, and will be hosted by startup MyVLF.

As well as keeping book lovers in touch with the artists and festivals they love, it offers an opportunity to engage with a whole new audience who may have previously been unable to attend a literary festival due to geography, access or cost. We are deeply committed to ensuring that the BBW reflects all of the communities across the UK, and the widest choice of reading tastes.

Where will it happen?        

The MyVLF website acts like a ‘real’ venue but is infinitely more flexible and expandable. It is a virtual event space with a 2D site overlay for easy navigation and use.

The event space will be totally free to enter, with just an email required for sign up. This is used to allow people to have their own ‘bookbag’, from which they can download free book excerpts and other assets. It is also a safeguarding mechanism for the chat room monitoring of members.

As part of the venue, there is a virtual Exhibition Hall. Here every festival ‘sponsor’ can have its own stand to showcase information and content, and link to its website and social presences.

MyVLF also has a virtual Bookshelf. Here, we can load images of digital books from the authors being featured on each day. These can link out to pages on the festival or author websites, on which the festival or author can nominate a local independent bookshop from their region where attendees can buy the books.

Find out more by clicking here.