Ealing young artists Wanted! 

Young artists across the borough are being invited to design artwork that will be featured at one of the UK's biggest celebrations of LGBTQ+

What a treat it has been for book lovers across the borough this spring!

The Ealing Book Festival has just wrapped up with record-breaking attendance — more than 3,400 visitors joined the five-day celebration, with nearly 3,000 tickets sold, a remarkable leap from 1,900 the previous year. The programme featured 26 events, with celebrated names including Anthony Horowitz, William Boyd, Jung Chang, Simon Jenkins and Mary Portas drawing some of the festival's biggest audiences ever to the University of West London.

The University also hosted a Local Authors' Showcase, where 20 Ealing-based writers shared their work with an enthusiastic crowd, compered by radio presenter Jojo Silva.

It wasn't just the big names that made this year special — it was the sense of community running through every event.

An inaugural Family Day held at Southall's Dominion Centre further broadened the festival's reach across the borough.

Festival chair Catherine Jaquiss described this as one of the most exciting programmes yet, with new partnerships at the University of West London and Questors Theatre welcoming significantly larger audiences.

And with summer on the horizon, there is plenty more to look forward to. The Ealing Summer Festivals are returning to Walpole Park with live music, comedy, jazz and blues, running from 23 July to 2 August. Ealing's cultural calendar has never felt more alive, and the best is surely still to come