Felixstowe Book Festival is going ahead this year but is moving to a new venue – one of the most iconic buildings in the town.

The festival will also be welcoming an added star attraction in a new look event which will blend live appearances with streamed online author talks at the festival’s new home in Harvest House.

Festival director Meg Reid said: “We were disappointed when we heard that our usual venue, The Orwell Hotel, was not able to host the festival this year but we are delighted that we are moving into one of the town’s most iconic buildings and thank the residents very much for agreeing.

“I am also very excited as, after many years of asking, Anthony Horowitz has been able to accept our invitation and will appear at 8.30pm on Friday, June 25 as part of the online festival.”

Ipswich Star: Anthony Horowitz will be doing a live streamed author talk at this year's Felixstowe Book FestivalAnthony Horowitz will be doing a live streamed author talk at this year's Felixstowe Book Festival (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

Harvest House is situated in the clifftop above the Spa Gardens and was built in 1903 as the prestigious Felix Hotel. It was used as offices for some years but was converted into apartments in the 1980s.

The beautiful Palm Court, dining room and conservatory will be where speakers such as festival patrons Esther Freud and Terry Waite will be speaking, along with JoJo Moyes, Salley Vickers, Liz Trenow, Toby Faber and Iain Dale, as well as a panel of crime writers Harriet Tyce, Kate Rhodes and Louise Millar.

The virtual online festival will include authors such as Carol Drinkwater, talking about her latest novel An Act of Love, Andrew Lownie who wrote the acclaimed biography The Mountbattens, Their Lives and Loves, Helen McCarthy who penned Double Lives: The History of Working Motherhood, Christopher Tugendhat of A History of Britain in Books and Richard Dawkins talking about his latest work, Books do Furnish a Life.

The 2021 Felixstowe Book Festival, takes places on the weekend of June 25-27 and organisers are hoping that the audience for the online authors may well be as large as they were in 2020, when, instead of speaking to an audience of up to 200, the authors found themselves being watched by thousands of people across the world, who sent in their questions via Facebook.

The festival programme and tickets are available on the festival website or by phoning Eastern Angles Theatre Company 01473 211498 (Mon-Fri 10am – 2pm)