Aimed at 6+, all ages welcome.

Join Paddington and Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville for a morning celebrating the power of books to keep the magic of childhood alive.

Hugh’s first children’s book, Rory Sparkes and the Elephant in the Room, is all about making your own fun. Rory and his friends play games, solve mysteries and even sail boats to South America – all before tea. But when the circus comes to town, everything changes.

Inspired partly by events from his own childhood, where a fellow pupil really did come to school on the back of an elephant, this is a classic story reminiscent of Just William and Paddington.

Tickets: Hugh Bonneville: The Magic of Stories - Canterbury Festival

Priority booking is now open. Public booking will open on Tue 12 Aug, 11am. For more information about becoming a Festival Friend click here