Gibraltar's Gibunco literary festival hailed a major success

The 2025 Gibunco Gibraltar Literary Festival, held from 10 to 16 November, has been declared a success by its director and team, on behalf of the Ministries of Culture and Tourism.

Over 2,500 tickets were issued for the event, which featured more than 60 authors, both local and international. This year's edition was organised by the Gibraltar Tourist Board and Gibraltar Cultural Services on behalf of the Ministries of Culture and Tourism.

The talk by headliner Sir Jeremy Hunt was the most well attended, with an audience of over 300 people. Over 15 events were sold out, with some of the most popular being talks by Alice Mascarenhas, Christian Hook, The Crime Panel, Sir Vince Cable, Wayne Sleep, Alex Partridge, Jenny Kleeman, Dr Paul Cooper and the library tour by Manolo Galliano.

The promotion around the event this year saw international traction with features and interviews on the BBC, while local media helped with promotion and offered opportunities to authors. The online campaign also saw the launch of the festival's new website, which had a very positive impact, attracting hundreds of new followers. The prelude events also helped build excitement ahead of the main programme.

Festival director Seamus Byrne said it was a pleasure to have led the festival, adding: "I'm currently overwhelmed with the positive feedback received, all testament to the hard work of the organising team. We are already working on the 2026 edition, extending the platform further for local authors, and aiming to make the event even bigger and better."

There has been great praise from the authors too. Terri Apter, author of Grandparenting, commented on the festival being "the most inclusive and well managed festival I have ever attended." Justin Rollins, author of The Lost Boyz, commented: "It has inspired me to get writing again." Former politician Sir Vince Cable described it as "better than any other festival I have been to, and I have been to a lot." James Mayhew, who headlined the schools' programme, added it was one of, if not the best festival he has been to, and thanked the warmth and welcome of the community and staff.

The festival was held at some of Gibraltar's most prestigious heritage venues, including the City Hall, John Mackintosh Hall Theatre and Grand Battery House, which was used for the first time. The festival hub was the Gibraltar Garrison Library, which hosted the Green Room, one of the event spaces and the festival bookshop.

The weeklong festival included a stimulating schools' programme which saw over 2,000 students attend various talks and presentations by local and international authors. Students related to authors through their storytelling and books and learnt about literature and writing.

A new chapter will begin on 9th November 2026, where the public can join in for another week of tales and literary adventures.

For more information online visit www.gibraltarliteraryfestival.gi or follow on Facebook and Instagram @gibraltarliteraryfestival.