City Lit’s Mental Wealth Festival returns from the 7th-10th October 2026, marking the 12th anniversary of the annual festival and coinciding with World Mental Health Day on 10th October.

Bringing together a vibrant mix of talks, panels, workshops and performances, the four-day festival is dedicated to restoring, supporting and celebrating mental health and wellbeing, with events taking place both in person and online.

This festival started over a decade ago when Baroness Sheila Hollins, Chair of Beyond Words, identified that mental wealth, like wealth in general, can fluctuate throughout our lives, sometimes it’s poor and in deficit and sometimes it’s in abundance.

This idea has formed the basis of City Lit’s Mental Wealth Festival, which creates space for conversations around mental health.

This year’s Mental Wealth Festival will feature a range of speakers such as:

Singer songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor, sitting down with former Good Housekeeping Editor Lindsay Nicholson to receive her City Lit Fellowship Award. She’ll discuss her chart-topping career, touring experiences, Kitchen Disco and her podcast, which explores how women can balance motherhood, work and mental wellbeing.
Author and mental health advocate Rachel Kelly, leading a workshop sharing ways to connect with teenagers and find out more about their concerns.
DJ, TEDx speaker and wellbeing practitioner Rob Stephenson, sitting down for a conversation about the ideas behind his new book, Music Is the Answer: how sound shapes mood, focus and recovery, and why most of us are leaving music’s power on the table.
Psychotherapist, artist and writer Namalee Bolle, discussing how mixed and multiracial people can navigate microaggressions, challenge systemic barriers and take control of their own stories.
Chartered psychologists Jess Baker and Rod Vincent, exploring the power of empathy, and the strengths and challenges of being a deeply compassionate person.

This year also offers a programme of events taking place both in person and online, including talks, discussions and exhibitions.

The 2026 festival is hosted by City Lit in partnership with Beyond Words, the Royal Ballet and Opera, the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Age UK and others.

The full 2026 programme is available online, with events available to attend both online and in person.