Sarah Bird, Regional Lead for the National Year of Reading 2026 in the North of England and former Board Member of OutdoorArtsUK, writes about how Outdoor Arts is well placed to help create visibility for the National Year of Reading 2026. Prior to this she co-founded Wild Rumpus, creating festivals and projects that connect families, arts, and nature, and recently directed OUTSIDE, a Creative People and Places initiative in the Staffordshire Moorland.
2026 marks the National Year of Reading, an urgent and ambitious, UK-wide campaign to reignite a love of reading for pleasure. Led by the National Literacy Trust and supported by the Department for Education, DCMS, and the Ministry of Justice, the campaign aims to reverse decades of decline by making reading relevant, joyful, social, and visible in everyday life.
The Outdoor Arts sector is well placed to help create visibility for the campaign, already animating streets, parks, town squares, public spaces and community neighbourhoods. The National Year of Reading aims to meet people where they are and would love outdoor artists, festivals, producers and local authorities to help in the mission to spark curiosity, joy and imagination around reading.
Why now?
Reading for pleasure is at a crisis point. Fewer than one in three children and young people say they enjoy reading. Yet reading makes people happier, healthier, more connected, and is a powerful tool in overcoming socio-economic disadvantage.
The campaign champions an asset based approach starting with people’s existing passions and enthusiasms and encourages an inclusive definition of reading that encompasses lyrics, gaming narratives, graphic novels, recipes, song sheets, newspapers, poetry, scripts, maps, comics, audio and visual storytelling.
Outdoor Arts is already a champion of this broader narrative. Many shows presented are rooted in language, story, character, curiosity and wonder, all natural gateways into reading.
By getting involved in the National Year of Reading, the Outdoor Arts sector can:
- Strengthen partnerships with schools, libraries, local authorities and community groups
- Amplify work you already do, simply by framing it within the NYR conversation
- Enhance advocacy and funding conversations through alignment with a national campaign
- Raise visibility and national profile via the Go All In platform
- Demonstrate the civic value of outdoor arts in place-making, literacy, wellbeing and community cohesion
How Outdoor Arts Organisations Can Get Involved
Whether you run a festival, produce touring work, manage a BID programme, devise work, or curate civic events, there are countless ways to participate, big or small, playful or strategic.
1. Theme your 2026 festivals, parades or seasons around reading
Many places are already doing this, creating reading-themed carnivals, book-inspired lantern parades, “story streets”, reading moments, or annual festival themes connected to imagination and words.
2. Champion story-rich outdoor shows
When programming your 2026 season, consider highlighting performances with strong literary or storytelling roots, here are a few favourites:
- The Bewonderment Machine – Bird in The Hand A hand-carved carousel inspired by The Lost Words (Robert Macfarlane & Jackie Morris). Perfect for Early years audiences.
- Books – Tit for Tat Acrobatics, comedy, fire, jeopardy, BOOKS – what’s not to love?
- Noisy Noise Noise – Working Boys Club A musical bookcase of co-created sounds that brings joy by the bucketful.
- The Magic Lantern – Ian & Jo Douglas Poetic storytelling and shadow puppetry that captivates all ages.
- Anyday – Max Calaf Seve Beautiful, mesmerising trampoline-theatre exploring imagination, reading and wonder.
Books! by Tit for Tat Circus, Photo by Paul Fuller
Noisy Noise Noise by The Working Boys Club
3. Badge your existing events as part of the National Year of Reading
Anything involving stories, worlds, words or imagination counts.
Examples:
“If you joined us for X, Go All In and read the lyrics, script, or inspiration behind the show.”
“Explore the story world of today’s parade and find more in your local library.”
Use the Go All In Branding [EXT] NLT – Final Brand Guideline (Phase 2)
4. List your events on the National Year of Reading calendar
What’s on | Events Calendar | National Year of Reading 2026
5. Set up a community bookshelf in your space/festival
6. Collaborate with schools and local libraries
Co-create roaming story walks, pop-up readings, illustrated trail maps, or book-swaps at events.
7. Nominate a National Year of Reading Champion
Nominate a National Year of Reading Champion in your organisation to keep the campaign alive Head to www.goallin.org.uk for lots more ideas of ways to get involved.
8. Start conversations about reading in your workplace, newsletters and on your social feeds
Share favourite poems, lyrics, spoken word pieces, or graphic novel recommendations from artists and crew.
Why This Matters for Places
A strong reading ecology contributes to:
- Community cohesion — shared stories build shared identities
- Regeneration and placemaking — festivals and reading trails animate high streets and public spaces
- Health and wellbeing — reading reduces loneliness and improves mental health
- Local pride — literacy and creativity flourish together
- Long-term growth — places with healthier reading cultures see higher educational and employment outcomes
Outdoor Arts already brings people together in accessible, joyful, low-barrier ways. Aligning with the National Year of Reading shows that creativity, literacy and community are deeply connected and that the Outdoor Arts sector plays a vital civic role.
The National Year of Reading is a great opportunity for the Outdoor Arts sector to demonstrate the power it has to connect people to stories in ways that are playful, surprising, inclusive and unforgettable. If you’d like to know more about how you can get involved head to www.goallin.org.uk or email sarah.bird@literacytrust.org.uk
