We’re currently experiencing a major technology outage due to a cyber attack. 

However, all our upcoming events are going ahead as planned. You can find more information about how to book below. 

Friday 24 November

The Polari Prize 2023 – available at the Library. Book online

Sunday 26 November

Family Station: Explore and Play – available at the Library. Book online

Tuesday 28 November

The Panizzi Lectures 2023: Thomas Hearne’s Matters – A Life of Books – available at the Library and online. Book online

Tuesday 30 November

An Evening with Philip Pullman – Cancelled

Saturday 2 December and Sunday 3 December

Fairytale Afterlives: Cinderella – available at the Library. Book online

Tuesday 5 December

WritersMosaic presents: Cybernetics and Ghosts, Technology and Storytelling – available at the Library. Book online

Thursday 7 December

The Panizzi Lectures 2023: Thomas Hearne’s Matters – A Life of Books – available at the Library and online. Book online

Friday 8 December

Session 1 (9:45am – 10:45am): Family Under 5s Workshops: The Rhinoceros who wants to be a Star – available at the Library. Book online

Session 2 (11:00am – 12:00pm): Session 1: Family Under 5s Workshops: The Rhinoceros who wants to be a Star – available at the Library. Book online

Saturday 9 December

Session 1 (10:30am – 12:00pm): Family Workshops: Fantastic Comics with Neill Cameron – available at the Library. Book online

Session 2 (1:00pm – 2:30pm): Family Workshops: Fantastic Comics with Neill Cameron – available at the Library. Book online

All That Glitters: Decorative Calligraphy – available at the Library. Book online

Fantasy Worlds: A Day of Talks – available online only. Book now

Fantasy Worlds: Rebecca F. Kuang in Conversation – in-person tickets sold out. Online day passes available 

Fantasy Worlds: Visualising Fantasy – in-person tickets sold out. Online day passes available

Fantasy Worlds: Fantasy Maps – available at the Library. Book now 

Fantasy Worlds: Mary Shelley, Uprisings and Rebellions – available at the Library. Book now

Fantasy Worlds: World Building in Fantasy – available at the Library. Book now

Board Games Fest at the British Library – available at the Library. Book now

Monday 11 December

Libraries and positive climate action: preserving collections – available online only. Book now 

Thursday 14 December

The Panizzi Lectures 2023: Thomas Hearne’s Publications – A Life of Books – available at the Library and online. Book online

Monday 8 January

Wilkie Collins: the man, the myth and the Moonstone – available online only. Book now

Tuesday 9 January

Twenty First Century Tolkien – available online only. Book now

Thursday 11 January 2024

Conservation Studio Tour – available at the Library. Book now

Susanna Clarke and Alan Moore in Conversation – available online only. Book now

Thursday 18 January

Forever After: Angela Carter and the Re-Invention of the Fairy Tale – available online only. Book now 

Tuesday 23 January

The Realms of Ursula K. Le Guin – available online only. Book now

Friday 26 January

#Merky Books Loves Malorie Blackman – available at the Library. Book now

Thursday 1 February 2024

Conservation Studio Tour – available at the Library. Book now

Friday 2 February

Queer Fantasy – available at the Library and online. Book now 

Monday 5 February

Chinese Culture through Photography – available at the Library. Book now

Tuesday 6 February

Black to the Future presents Imaginary Cities – available at the Library and online. Book now

Tuesday 13 February

Behind The Yellow Wallpaper: A Workshop – available at the Library. Book now

Dungeons and Dragons at 50 – available at the Library and online. Book now

Tuesday 20 February

The Josephine Hart Poetry Hour: Goblin Market and other Poems – available at the Library and online. Book now

Friday 23 February

Malorie Blackman in conversation with Bernardine Evaristo – available at the Library and online. Book now

Saturday 24 February

The World Builders: The Influence of Fantasy in Film and Games Design poems – available at the Library and online. Book now

Mervyn Peake: Writer and Artist – available online only. Book now

BIPC events and workshops  

See all events

Tours

Building Tour at the Library. Book now

Treasures Tour at the Library. Book now

Libraries and positive climate action webinars

Our series of webinars focused on libraries and the climate emergency are still going ahead as planned:

Libraries and positive climate action: sustainable buildings

Tuesday 21 November, 10.00 – 11.30

Libraries and positive climate action: preserving collections

Monday 11 December, 10:00 – 11.30

Accessing our events

If you have booked a ticket for any of our events this remains valid, please see your ticket for event information.  

If you have booked for an online event you will receive your viewing link by email on the day of the event. Please bear with us as our processes are little different than usual. 

Future events

We’ll update this blog with more information and ticket links for future events as soon as we can.  

Fantasy: Realms of Imagination exhibition

If you have previously purchased tickets for our new exhibition, Fantasy: Realms of Imagination, can still use them. Exhibition tickets can now also be booked via See Tickets or bought onsite.

Contacting us

While our systems are offline, you can contact us by emailing [email protected]. We’ll do our best to answer your queries but please bear with us. This inbox is reviewed from 08:30 to 16:30 Monday to Friday. We’re experiencing a high volume of enquiries so it may take us some time to respond. We’ll get back to you as quickly as we can.

We’d like to thank all of our users and partners for your continued understanding.