Wrexham’s Carnival of Words – a literary festival with a difference – takes place, for the twelfth consecutive year, from Friday 24th April until Friday 1st May 2026. As this year’s festival falls within Wrexham’s 150th anniversary of our Year of Wonder, we have included some special 1876 related literary events.

Friday 24th April 

Our opening evening will feature author Matthew Harffy who will talk about his western novel, Dark Frontier, and also about some of the famous events which took place during that fateful year – but in the Wild West.

On Saturday 25th April
The popular Readathon session will return with a focus on some of those famous publications from 1876 – 
Lewis Carroll’s Hunting of the Snark; 
Edward Lear’s Laughable Lyrics; 
and Mark Twain’s Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

Later in the week festival director, Dylan Hughes, will deliver presentations about Taliesin o Eifion and the Black Chair of the 1876 Wrexham Eisteddfod.