Travel uncertainty and spiralling costs are being blamed for the cancellation of the Alderney Literary Festival.
The organisers have announced this year’s event won’t be going ahead with doubt cast on next year’s plans too.
The 2026 Festival was expected to have been held in early spring, in line with previous years where it was positioned in the ‘shoulder months’ to encourage visitors to travel to Alderney while it was quieter.
However, the organisers have said it is proving impossible to commit to bringing over guest authors, support staff, and visitors with fewer flights available.
Aurigny – which operates all commercial flights between Alderney and Guernsey and the UK – has said its 2026 flight schedule is similar to previous years.
“Aurigny’s flight schedules and fares on the routes between Alderney and Guernsey continue to operate similarly to previous years,” said a spokesperson. “The airline works closely with many community event organisers that reach out asking for additional schedules or assistance.”
The Alderney Literary Festival was launched in 2014 and has been held every year since, except for 2021 when covid lockdowns were still in place.
Founder, Isabel Picornell said over the past decade the Festival has won international acclaim for bringing together leading historical authors and historians.
“This has been a difficult decision to make.
“The problem is we have reached the stage where it is not possible to get the guest authors and professional support staff, as well as our regular festival goers with 80% coming from off-island, here on schedule,” she explained.
“We have many world-renowned authors wanting to come to Alderney, along with regular visitors from overseas, including Guernsey and Jersey, so this news will disappoint a lot of people.”
Ms Picornell said further uncertainty around the future of Alderney’s runway means that the 2027 Festival could suffer the same fate because it is not known when, or even if, the airport will close for the essential work to take place.
In the meantime, The Literary Trust is hoping to organise more single-author events as an alternative.
This includes the upcoming visit of Andrew Lownie who will be launching the updated edition of his biography of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson in Alderney on May 30.
‘Entitled: the rise and fall of the House of York’ explores the former couple’s relationship, and their friendships and business dealings as well as their royal and charitable activities.
While in Alderney, Mr Lownie will be in conversation with broadcaster, podcaster and event host Jo Durant.
Tickets are £10 each, available online and from the Alderney Visitor Centre.