Edinburgh International Book Festival

The Edinburgh International Book Festival is coming.

As the yearly Edinburgh Fringe Festival starts the emerge throughout the city centre of Edinburgh, the Edinburgh International Book Festival follows not long after. We as library staff, of course, were not going to pass on an opportunity to promote any events involving books, so do read on if you would like to find out more about what this yearly festival celebrating reading, writing and creativity truly has to offer!

General Information:  About the Book Festival

Running from the 10th until the 25th of August. The Edinburgh International Book Festival hosts a range of famous and well-known authors, artists, performers, and thinkers from across the globe. It provides visitors with the opportunity to engage. Authors will usually sign copies of their books for visitors attending their event. There is also a variety of family-friendly, online, and late-night events to suit a range of different audiences. The festival itself is held at the Edinburgh Futures Institute. Which is situated near a wide variety of restaurants, so you are essentially spoiled for choice regarding food and drink! There are also many green spaces such as the Meadows and Holyrood Park close by should you prefer to take a picnic – weather-dependent.

What’s on – Edinburgh International Book 2024…

With just over 550 authors showing face at this year’s International Book Festival in Edinburgh, including well-known writers such as Margaret Atwood, Matt Haig, Ian Rankin and Val McDermid. There is an extensive range of events that visitors can attend. So meet the famous faces behind their favourite novels and literary works. Author events are also sometimes available to attend online. A full programme of these events with dates and times and a link to book them can be found on their Events List webpage.

Unsure of where to take the kids next these summer holidays? A large number of events held at the Edinburgh International Book Festival are family-friendly. Some of the most popular events include the Gruffalo Trail, Meet Pikachu, Rhymetime with Joy Tots, Are you Sitting Comfortably and several Bookbug sessions too. Want to know the best part about all these family-friendly events as well? They are completely free of charge to attend! The events are often held in the EFI Children’s tent, Courtyard Meeting Point or Venue C. Further information about these family-friendly events can be found on their What’s on? webpage under the ‘Events for families’ tab.  

And for our night owls – the Edinburgh International Book Festival also hosts various late-night events, including a pub quiz and even a Ceilidh! These events often run up to 22:30pm and even 23:00pm at the very latest – you can find out more about these late-night functions on their What’s on? webpage under the ‘Late Night Events’ tab.  

Accessibility and Inclusion…

Edinburgh International Book Festival is committed to promoting and practising accessibility and inclusivity. They provide a platform for the voices of individuals which are often overlooked. Making it one of their primary objectives to eliminate barriers to access for those who do not view themselves as a typical book-festival audience attendee or stereotype. In alignment with these values, they also work closely with the local community including educational institutions, public libraries, hospitals, the prison sector and various community hubs to promote a love of and engagement with reading throughout demographics of all ages and backgrounds.

 

As some events are held virtually, this also means that they are accessible for those who cannot attend in person. All live-streamed events and some in-person functions also offer a ‘Pay What You Can’ .

Library Recommendations…

Books by some of your favourite authors from the Edinburgh International Book Festival can be found in our three campus libraries.  See below links to a couple of titles.

 

By Rachel Downie

Have a look at what to do in Edinburgh over the Summer. 

Photo by Jessica Ruscello Unsplash