A BOOKISH festival celebrating Charles Dickens is returning to Worcester next month.
The Great Recitations Dickens Festival will take place at Script Haven, on High Street, on February 7 and February 8.
The bookshop has a blue plaque installed in recognition of the time Dickens visited Worcester to read “A Christmas Carol” as part of a tour in 1858 and visited the bookshop when it was the Swan Hotel.
To celebrate the link, a series of events will take place at Script Haven and in Cathedral Square, beginning with a parade led by the mayor from the Cornmarket – formerly the site of the Public Hall where Dickens read his beloved classic during his 1858 visit – up to the bookshop.
Renowned historian, author and Dickens’ great-granddaughter Lucinda Dickens Hawksley will explore the life and influence of her celebrated ancestor, with an opportunity for the audience to purchase copies of her books and enjoy themed refreshments. This will be followed by a performance by the popular “Don’t go into the Cellar!”, one of the UK’s finest practitioners of Victorian theatre, presenting Dickens’ famous unfinished story “Edwin Drood”.
Day two of the festival continues on February 8 with free games taking place in Cathedral Square before an event with Professor Christine Skelton, who will delve into the historical constructions of gender and masculinity during Dickens’ time, drawing on research compiled for her 2023 book, “Charles Dickens and Georgina Hogarth: A Curious and Enduring Relationship”.
The festival will conclude with a charity ball at the Old Palace in Worcester city centre, with further Dickens-themed performances and auctions in support of the Friends of Script Haven charity.
Leena Batchelor, Script Haven’s owner, said: “I’m incredibly excited that Great Recitations is back again, especially as we have a direct Dickens descendant joining us. It has been fascinating learning about Script Haven’s and Worcester’s connection to Dickens, something that we get asked about regularly by our customers and which I’m always excited to talk about.
“Like with all our festivals and events, we aim to make Great Recitations accessible, enjoyable, and fun for all, and I personally am incredibly grateful to everyone who has shown this festival their support.”
Visit scripthaven.co.uk/great-recitations-2025/ for more details.
