Laura Barton’s piece paints an understandably downbeat picture of where we are now in the world of the literary festival (After Baillie Gifford: are literary festivals on their last legs?, 23 October). But writing on day one of the Petworth literary festival, I feel there is another perspective.
The arts as a whole are, without doubt, struggling and the loss of big sponsors such as Baillie Gifford clearly represents a challenge to festivals that have relied on commercial sponsorships. But being at the heart of a community that backs its cultural offerings with private support, our particular festival seems to be riding on the crest of a wave of interest. This, combined with the continuing and active support of the publishing industry, led to our event doubling in size in 2023, and we continue on this huge growth spurt this autumn.
