Edinburgh City Centre is likely to be very busy on tomorrow (Thursday, 21 August) due to several events taking place.
Alongside the Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe Festival, AC/DC will perform Murrayfield Stadium and Hibernian FC will play Legia Warszawa.
Divisional Commander for Edinburgh, Chief Superintendent David Robertson, said: “With multiple events on in Edinburgh on Thursday, locals and visitors are advised to leave plenty of time to travel around the city.
“Transport is likely to be busier than normal so please plan your journeys in advance.
“An appropriate policing plan is in place and additional officers will be on patrol in the city.”
National charity Scottish Book Trust has partnered with the Edinburgh International Book Festival (EIBF) to host a special free event for 300 school children to celebrate 10 years of Read Write Count, on Wednesday 20 August.
Read Write Count with the First Minister is a universal national book gifting programme for pupils in Primary 2 and 3 all over Scotland. Since 2015 over 2.5 million books have been gifted to children.
The book Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam by Tracey Corderoy and Steven Lenton was in the very first Read Write Count bag in 2015. The writer and illustrator duo will now host a special event at EIBF tomorrow at 11am. 300 school children will attend the free event with hundreds more watching on live stream across Scotland.
Research by Scottish Book Trust revealed that 85% of parents said that Read Write Count bags helped them to engage better with their children’s learning, while 90% of schools felt that gifting the bags had made a positive impact to their relationship with families.
One parent of brother Ollie, who received the first Read Write Count bag in 2015, and younger sister Elia, who will receive her own bag this year in Primary 2, commented: “We have always loved getting our Bookbug bags so when Ollie got his drawstring Read Write Count bag we were chuffed to have new books and games to use as a family!
“Now Elia will get her own P2 bag this year – we can’t wait!”
First Minister John Swinney said:“Books have the power to open our imagination to new worlds, which makes introducing reading from a young age so vitally important. We also know that nurturing positive relationships with reading supports improved wellbeing and attainment for children.
“Over the past ten years, the Read Write Count programme has played a vital role in supporting more children to access and take joy in reading, and it is more important than ever to recognise and celebrate this incredible milestone.”
Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said:“It is wonderful to mark the milestone and legacy of ten years of Read Write Count.
“Gifting books to children to enjoy with their families and carers is vital, helping to give them not only the best start in life but the lasting benefits that comes with having books at home.”
The event will also launch the books and contents of the 2025 Read Write Count bag, which will be distributed through schools during Book Week Scotland in November. Read Write Count with the First Minister is funded by Scottish Government.
TOGETHER WE REPAIR: EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL
I met a nice couple after our Citizen Group’s performances at the Book Festival on Monday. Time was really tight at the end of the evening – we must have been among the last to leave the Edinburgh Futures Institute – and I’m sorry we didn’t have longer to discuss the event, but thanks for being so kind about it!
As I explained the other night, we had to pare our contributions right back to three minute slots due to time constraints. I think my original draft was over six minutes, but with careful editing (i.e. removing large chunks of swearie words!) I got it down to the required length.
So as promised, here is my Stories and Scran contribution How May I Help You? I am really chuffed that you enjoyed the piece so much and I do hope you’ll enjoy reading it again.
Stories and Scran is a real community event and I know my fellow Citizen writers get just as much pleasure from participating at the event as I do – there’s always a very warm and welcoming atmosphere and audiences are invariably supportive. It’s that enthusiasm that makes Stories and Scran so special.
It was nice to meet you, and who knows – maybe we’ll do it all over again next year!
HOW MANY I HELP YOU?
I was sitting in a queue of morning rush hour traffic when I was startled by a loud blast on a horn. I thought the traffic had moved again while I had been daydreaming, but no: the driver alongside me was pointing down to the back of my car.
Confused, I wound down my window. “Your back tyre is flat”, he called across.
Fortunately there is a big AutoCare Centre just along the road and I was able to trundle along there. The tyre was completely flat now and the wheel made a horrible squealing noise as it rumbled along.
I parked and approached the Reception Desk. John was in charge. I know this because he wore a big badge with his name on it – and he also answered the phone many times while I waited to be seen.
“Good morning AutoCare Centre, John speaking, how may I help you? Ah yes, Mr Wilson. The Zafira, wasn’t it? Let me check …”
I don’t know what John checked. He didn’t move, or even look at a screen. He stood, eyes closed, in a trance-like state for ages … maybe he was psychic?
“Mr Wilson? Sorry about that, sir. Yes, the lads are on it now. Can you give us a call back around lunchtime? … I do realise that, sir, but we have been very busy this morning … yes, I’ll call you back with an update. Of course … Yes, you have a nice day now …
Maybe I imagined it, but I’m sure he muttered: “Phone you back? Aye,right!”
Barely had John put the phone down than it was ringing again. “Good morning, Autocare Centre, John speaking how may … ah hello, Mrs Hill I was just going to call you. Great minds think alike, eh?
“Some bad news, I’m afraid – we are still waiting for parts … yes, six weeks IS a long time but we have to get the parts sent over from France you see … I do understand, Mrs Hill, but between Covid and Brexit … yes, yes, I can only apologise. You know what the French are like … I will chase them up again the second I put the phone down. I’ll call you right back … ‘
He put the phone down, gave a mighty sigh and raised his eyes. “Be with you in a second, sir,” he told me. “Help yourself to a complimentary tea or coff …”
The phone rang again. “Good morning Autocare Centre, John … och it’s just you, Benny!. How you doin’, my man? Are yous busy down there – we’re rushed off our feet here …’
I did fancy a coffee but a lengthy queue was building up behind me and I didn’t want to lose my place.
After quite a while, one customer had had enough. “This is bloody ridiculous!” he said in a very loud voice.
I heard it, the whole queue heard it, the tyre fitters in the workshop heard it – but John was oblivious. His conversation went on and on …
Finally, he glanced up … “Sorry, Benny, I’ll have to love you and leave you … we’re stowed oot the door here!”
I WAS NEXT!
“Sorry about your wait, sir, we’ve been UNBELIEVABLY busy this morning. Now, what can I do for you? What appears to be the problem?
Now, I would have thought that the problem would have been fairly obvious to John, but I pointed to my shredded tyre.
“Ah yes, we’ll take a look at that for you. The lads are busy just now but have a seat and we’ll get it up on a ramp as soon as we can. Help yourself to a coff …
The telephone rang again.
“Good morning, AutoCare Centre, J …Nearly afternoon? What a quick morning it’s been! Ah yes, Mrs Hill! Ye’ll no’ believe this – I was just going to call you …
The Edinburgh International Book Festival (EIBF) this week announced an expansion of its acclaimed Global Ink programme for 2026, made possible through EXPO funding from the Scottish Government.
The announcement was made at this year’s Global Ink event, the Festival’s International Industry Day, with an introduction from Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, Angus Robertson.
The announcement comes as part of the Scottish Government’s investment in culture, with an increase of over £34m in 2025/26. The Festival EXPO Fund, established in 2007, is designed to support festival innovation and maximise national and international opportunities for the artists who contribute to them.
The expanded Global Ink programme, running from Monday 17 – Wednesday 19August 2026, and which brings together professionals from Scotland, the UK, and around the world, will now include a new landmark international conference in August 2026.
The conference, which is supported by £100,000 of existing EXPO funding, will build on the success of the Book Festival’s existing programme. This initiative will position Global Ink as a vital convening platform, promoting new work and supporting writer development. The event will also platform export-ready Scottish writers, creating international and commercial opportunities and strengthening Scotland’s cultural presence on the global stage.
The new three-day conference will bring together up to 20 leading international Festival Directors and a vibrant online audience. Sessions will address key global challenges such as funding sustainability, programming in politicised environments, and cultural collaboration. The initiative responds to growing international demand for in-person collaboration and sector-wide leadership.
The Global Ink programme also includes panel discussions and networking opportunities. This year’s programme included panels such as “Books That Travel” in partnership with Publishing Scotland, and “Born Digital: Web Novels and the Global Reading Revolution”.
These discussions provide a key platform for authors, publishers, translators, festival organisers, and cultural stakeholders interested in international collaboration.
Jenny Niven, Director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, said:“In Global Ink 2026 we’re creating an expanded opportunity to showcase Scottish writing to the world. Our hope is that as a result many more Scottish writers will have the opportunity to share their work on international festival stages.
“We value enormously our relationships with Festivals around the world, from India to Argentina, allowing us to collaborate creatively, deepen our knowledge of international literature and to connect through culture at a time when international dialogue and exchange is so necessary.
“We look forward to working with a range of partners to bring this exciting project to fruition.”
Angus Robertson, Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, said: “The Scottish Government’s EXPO fund has shaped and supported hundreds of commissions, enhanced the ambitions of thousands of Scottish artists and attracted audiences in the millions for EXPO-supported work since its establishment in 2007.
“The expansion of Global Ink 2026, as part of a £200,000 EXPO fund award for the Edinburgh International Book Festival, is a perfect example of its intent to support festival innovation and maximise national and international opportunities for the artists who contribute to them, and I look forward to welcoming attendees next year.”
The initiative continues the EIBF’s long-standing leadership in international festival networks, including founding the Word Alliance and its active membership in the Global Association of Literary Festivals (GoALF) and the British Arts Festivals Association (BAFA).
BUSY night tonight for Edinburgh International Book Festival’s Adult Citizen Writers, who have back-to-back engagements this evening.
The group will be performing stories on the Together We Repair theme at 7.15 in Venue B and will then nip along to Venue NW to participate in the popular Stories and Scran community event at 8.15pm.
EIBF PROGRAMME NOTES:
Together We Repair
We believe that everyone has a story to tell and that stories help us make sense of our world. We’ve challenged local writers and poets, this year, to respond to 2025’s Festival theme: Repair.
Join us as we bring them together to perform their work: a patchwork of ideas on how to make the world a better place. Today featuring writing and performances from the Book Festival’s Citizen Writing Group.
Stories and Scran celebrates the dynamic and thought-provoking work created by communities across Edinburgh and beyond.
Expect diverse and creative talent from the Book Festival’s own Adults Writing Group and Citizen Collective, plus a special performance from Dance Base’s Prime Elders Dance Company.
And Scran Academy are back to serve up a delicious, sweet treat you can enjoy during the event.
Tickets for Together We Repair are fully allocated but a limited number of tickets may still be available for Stories and Scran (pay what you can). Check EIBF website for info.
FREE EXHIBITION AT EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL
The Gallery, Edinburgh Futures Institute, 1 Lauriston Place, Edinburgh, EH3 9EF
Last year, through our Words from the Wards project, we asked the people of Edinburgh to share stories about the former Royal Infirmary, to honour the experiences and memories that people connect with the building’s previous life.
Following the success of the project, we worked with Edinburgh College of Art students to illustrate the collected stories.
Join us to view the stories and illustrations side by side in our new festival gallery.
The Gallery, Edinburgh Futures Institute, 1 Lauriston Place, Edinburgh, EH3 9EF
Exhibition runs until 17th August from 10am – 9pmdaily
The Travelling Bookbinder invites participants to explore the Festival’s theme of Repair through mindful making and creative collage
Book artist Rachel Hazell, also known as The Travelling Bookbinder, will be taking part in the Edinburgh International Book Festival 2025 with an innovative junk journaling workshop.
The hands-on session will take place as part of the Festival’s programme, running from 9-24 August at the Edinburgh Futures Institute.
Perfectly aligned with this year’s overarching Book Festival theme of Repair, Rachel’s workshop invites participants to transform discarded ephemera into beautiful, meaningful books through the meditative art of junk journaling.
“I’m thrilled to be part of this year’s Festival and to explore how broken, forgotten, or discarded materials can be given new life and purpose,” says Rachel. “It perfectly embodies the Festival’s mission to examine ‘the many things around us which feel broken, and how we might seek to fix them.‘”
“This workshop represents the essence of what repair means in creative practice,” explains Rachel, whose acclaimed book Bound: 15 Beautiful Bookbinding Projects has inspired bookmakers worldwide.
“We’re taking fragments of the past – envelopes, festival flyers, travel tickets, magazines, brochures, old maps and maybe even an old book that has fallen apart and won’t be read again – and weaving them into new narratives.
“It’s about finding beauty in the discarded and creating something whole from the damaged or broken.”
About the Workshop
The immersive workshop offers participants the opportunity to engage in mindful making through collage, transforming everyday detritus into treasured keepsakes. While all necessary materials will be provided, attendees are encouraged to bring their own ‘found handwriting’ – personal ephemera that carries emotional resonance and hidden stories.
Drawing on her expertise in traditional bookbinding techniques combined with contemporary artistic sensibilities, Rachel will guide participants through the process of:
Selecting and preparing discarded materials for creative reuse
Understanding the emotional and narrative potential within forgotten fragments
Mastering fundamental junk journaling techniques
Creating personal books that serve as both artistic expression and meaningful record-keeping
About Rachel Hazell – The Travelling Bookbinder
Drawing her inspiration from remote landscapes, typography, shorelines, flea-markets and remarkable literary cities, book artist Rachel Hazell takes people on creative journeys, making books and unfolding stories. Home is the city of Edinburgh and the small Hebridean island of Iona. Through The Travelling Bookbinder, she conducts bookart workshops globally, from Venetian palazzos to Nantucket libraries.
As both teacher and author, Hazell has built an international reputation for her innovative approach to bookbinding that combines traditional craftsmanship with contemporary storytelling.
Her work emphasizes the transformative power of handmade books and the deep connection between physical making and emotional healing.
Her published works include the critically acclaimed Bound: 15 Beautiful Bookbinding Projects, and she offers both in-person workshops in inspiring locations worldwide and comprehensive online courses through her digital platform.
Edinburgh International Book Festival 2025
Taking place from 9-24 August, Edinburgh International Book Festival are delighted to announce our 2025 programme, with close to 700 events featuring 641 writers from 35 countries, across 6 continents. Repair is the Book Festival’s core theme for 2025, seeking to explore the many things around us which feel broken, and how we might seek to fix them.
The theme resonates across multiple dimensions – from environmental restoration to emotional healing, from social justice to personal recovery. Rachel’s workshop exemplifies this approach by demonstrating how creative practice can serve as both personal therapy and cultural commentary.
Further opportunities
Rachel also hosts workshops all over the world, from her homes in Edinburgh and Iona, to Paris, Bath and Venice.
You can find more information and booking details here:
Partnership with libraries through access to books and cultural experiences
Innovative programme in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council will enhance the role of five local libraries as thriving cultural hubs as literacy crisis deepens across the UK
Paper Trails is a five-year library partnership project and was launched at the official opening of Ratho Library by Her Majesty The Queen today, Tuesday 1 July 2025
Part of the Book Festival’s year-round Communities Programme, Paper Trails is a partnership with City of Edinburgh Council and five libraries: Muirhouse Library, Ratho Hub Library, Liberton High School Library, Streetreads, and the Mobile Library
Paper Trails will tackle social isolation, especially among older adults, by encouraging library use and developing creative skills; highlight libraries as spaces for creativity and community gathering; build partnerships that create cultural ecosystems in under-served areas of the city; support young people’s creative development and career pathways
The Edinburgh International Book Festival has launched its innovative Paper Trails libraries project, part of its year-round Communities Programme, at the official reopening of Ratho Hub Library by Her Majesty the Queen.
As recent statistics reveal that more than 1 in 4 older adults experience loneliness each week, only 1 in 5 young people read daily, and literacy rates across all ages countrywide have been declining since 2005, this five-year initiative is designed to tackle social isolation and literary inequality through creative community programming.
The Paper Trails project represents one of the most ambitious community literature initiatives in Scotland, working in partnership with five libraries: Muirhouse Library (housed in the new Macmillan Hub building), Ratho Hub Library, Liberton High School Library (opening in 2026), Streetreads (a charity-run library for people experiencing homelessness), and the Mobile Library service.
Using University of Edinburgh Cultural Mapping research, these libraries were chosen as locations where cultural provision could be enhanced and where little or no other festival activity currently takes place.
The programme will co-create literary experiences with local communities, addressing specific neighbourhood needs while building sustainable capacity that extends beyond the Book Festival’s direct involvement.
Noelle Cobden, Director of Communities and Equality at Edinburgh International Book Festival, said:“Paper Trails represents our commitment to ensuring that literature and creative expression remain accessible to all communities.
“This isn’t just about bringing authors to libraries – it’s about listening to local people to tell their own stories and strengthening the vital role libraries play in community life.”
The initiative has received significant backing from celebrated crime writer Sir Ian Rankin and his wife Miranda Harvey.
Paper Trails is also funded by the Ettrick Charitable Trust, Cruden Foundation, and National Lottery Awards for All.
Jenny Niven, Director of Edinburgh International Book Festival, said:“We couldn’t be more excited to announce this hugely ambitious project that cements existing, and generates new, creative relationships across the sector, and that has the potential to impact the lives of thousands of people from in and around the city.
“We’re delighted to begin the first phase of this a far reaching partnership and look forward to speaking with other organisations who are interested in supporting the work further and as we roll it out across our libraries.”
Councillor Margaret Graham, Culture and Communities Convener, the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “I’m delighted to have been part of the official opening of Ratho Library by Her Majesty the Queen. The development of this library hub had the community at its heart and I’m so pleased that residents can now enjoy all that’s on offer there.
“Paper Trails is a wonderful initiative which harnesses the positive impact our libraries can have.”
Her Majesty The Queen’s official opening of the newly rebuilt Ratho Library today highlights the vital importance of library services to local communities. The Ratho community had been without a permanent library since the COVID-19 pandemic, relying instead on weekly mobile library visits.
Paper Trails will work with diverse groups including young people, older adults, and those facing homelessness, using storytelling and creative writing to build connections and support personal growth.
The programme specifically aims to tackle social isolation by encouraging library use, developing creative skills, and highlighting libraries as essential spaces for creativity and community gathering.
Paper Trails offers a model of how cultural organisations can work in partnership with local authorities to revitalise these essential community resources.
Each participating library will develop programming tailored to their community’s specific needs, from supporting young writers’ career development to creating intergenerational storytelling circles and providing creative outlets for marginalised communities. For example, the project’s Skills Pathways will give young people in Liberton the opportunity to learn about how festivals are produced, widening their understanding and engagement with the literary sector beyond simply access to books.
The Edinburgh International Book Festival’s Communities Programme, of which Paper Trails forms a central part, works year-round with partners including schools, libraries, prisons, and hospitals to foster lifelong love of reading and develop engaged audiences of all backgrounds and ages.
As the charity prepares for its August festival (9-24 August 2025), Paper Trails demonstrates the organisation’s commitment to ensuring the transformative power of literature reaches every corner of Edinburgh’s diverse communities.
Over 5,000 schoolchildren will continue to enjoy free literary events from the Edinburgh International Book Festival over the next three years, thanks to a £300,000 grant from the Scottish Government.
The one-off funding will support the festival’s acclaimed schools programme with more than 60 in-person and livestreamed events, including author talks with How to Train Your Dragon author Cressida Cowell and award-winning storyteller Frank Cottrell-Boyce.
The grant will also maintain travel cost support and free tickets for pupils whose families are unable to cover the cost of ticketed events, ensuring young people of all backgrounds across Edinburgh have an opportunity to participate in the internationally renowned festival.
Children attending will receive a free book through the philanthropy of Book Festival donors as well.
This investment comes as part of a record £34 million increase in Scotland’s Culture budget for 2025-26, which includes an increase of £4 million for Scottish Festivals, towards the government’s commitment to invest an additional £100 million annually in the arts and culture by 2028-29.
Creative Scotland has already awarded the Edinburgh International Book Festival £1,880,000 in public multi-year funding for the next three years, more than doubling previous support.
Minister for Business and Employment Richard Lochhead said: “The Edinburgh International Book Festival is one the country’s most significant cultural institutions. Its schools programme has been crucial in fostering literacy and cultural engagement among young people, with thousands of pupils benefiting annually from free events and resources.
“This funding secures those benefits for young readers across Edinburgh, helping schools that might otherwise struggle with travel costs, and ensuring they have the same opportunity to take part in one of the world’s leading literary festivals.”
Jenny Niven, Festival Director & CEO of Edinburgh International Book Festival said: “The work the Book Festival does for children and young people is a cornerstone of what we do. Publishing for children and young people has never been more vibrant, and the benefits of reading never better evidenced.
“The Festival is perfectly positioned to help children engage with the amazing range and breadth of stories around them, to support teachers to use books imaginatively and creatively in learning, and to supply older kids with the tools to think critically, and learn to evaluate the deluge of info around them.
“This aspect of what we do is vital, and we’re delighted to have specific public funding support to develop this work further in the coming years.
“We’ve identified the cost of transport as a key barrier to a wider cohort of schools joining us in August, and are committed to maintaining free access for as many children as possible.
“We’re delighted that the Scottish Government’s increased support for festivals has delivered public funding to develop this work further in the coming years and we look forward to widening our reach across Scotland and exploring further the digital potential of what we do.”
Featuring iconic authors, international voices, and critical political commentators, alongside figures from sports and entertainment
The Front List, in partnership with Underbelly, expanded to 14 events, including two for schools
Line-up gives the first taste of the range of voices and opinions represented in the wider 2025 programme, yet to be announced
Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon launches her highly anticipated memoir, Frankly
Literary luminaries Maggie O’Farrell, Ian McEwan, R.F. Kuang, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Asako Yuzuki appear
Political insights on offer from Ta-Nehisi Coates, Anne Applebaum, Edward Wong, and Alexei Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya
Two special Schools Edition events with Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Laura Bates
£5 tickets available across all events for those in receipt of income benefits
Tickets on sale to the public at 10 am on Tuesday 6 May
The Edinburgh International Book Festival is delighted to announce the second year of The Front List, in partnership with Underbelly. Taking place at the beautiful McEwan Hall, next to the Festival’s main venue at the Edinburgh Futures Institute, this year’s The Front List is expanded to 14 events, following the huge popularity of 2024’s inaugural series, including many audience members who were attending a Book Festival event for the very first time.
Together, the events represent the breadth and diversity of the Book Festival’s full line-up of 600+ events, to be announced on Tuesday 10 June, with voices from across the UK, America, Japan, Russia, and Nigeria taking to the stage.
We are thrilled to be launching Frankly, the highly anticipated memoir from Scotland’s first female – and longest-serving – First Minister, as Nicola Sturgeon shares the story of her journey from shy, working-class child to one of our country’s most significant political leaders.
We’re joined by acclaimed and international writers, speaking about their careers and works. The luminous Maggie O’Farrell celebrates 25 years of creativity since her debut publication, and Ian McEwan looks back over his remarkable body of work and forward to what comes next.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie proves to be well worth the wait as she delves into the story and decade-long process behind her new novel Dream Count, Yellowface author R F Kuang unveils Katabasis, her thrilling new title about a rescue mission to the Underworld, and breakthrough writer, and winner of the 2024 Waterstones Book of the Year, Asako Yuzuki, tells us about Butter – the book that took the world by storm, and changed her life completely.
With the Trump administration continuing to unravel the last 70 years of established world order with breathtaking speed, essential political insight comes from The Atlantic columnist and author
Anne Applebaum and New York Times Diplomatic Correspondent Edward Wong, who together take on recent seismic political shifts and explore whether democracy can ever be truly protected. Elsewhere, journalist and activist Ta-Nehisi Coates explores the widening gulf between the myth and reality of modern America, on both a personal and international level.
Poignantly, Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in a Russian prison last year, speaks about her late husband’s courageous work, Patriot, and continuing his crucial activism.
Movie fans won’t want to miss the UK’s favourite film critic, Mark Kermode, who brings us the first edition of his energetic MK3D show (a frequent sell-out of the British Film Institute’s programme) outside London, previewing upcoming releases and revelling in the Golden Age of Cinema alongside very special guests including Succession patriarch, Brian Cox.
No one knows better the pleasure (and, unfortunately, immense pain) of being a dedicated fan of Scotland’s national football team than sporting legend Ally McCoist, who joins us to discuss Dear Scotland: On the Road with the Tartan Army. And Gavin and Stacey co-creator and writer Ruth Jones lets us into the secrets of her writing craft, and her tender new novel, By Your Side.
The line-up is completed by two very special The Front List: Schools Edition events with
Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Steven Lenton, who’ll take pupils in P4-6 on a globetrotting adventure complete with draw-along, and Laura Bates reimagines the story of King Arthur, Excalibur and the Round Table with a magical twist for pupils in S3-6, as part of our 2025 Schools Programme.
As well as buying tickets, bookers can also treat themselves to pre-ordering books for most The Front List events, including the first chance to get their hands on Nicola Sturgeon’s Frankly, and Mark Kermode’s Surround Sound.
To ensure these events remain accessible in times of great economic pressure, under-30s can purchase tickets at just £14 and £5 tickets are available to those in receipt of governmental income benefits.
Jenny Niven, Director and CEO, Edinburgh International Book Festival, said: “We are thrilled to be returning to the beautiful McEwan Hall, and expanding our partnership with Underbelly to present 14 The Front List events in 2025.
“At this challenging moment in history and politics, we’ll be offering a comprehensively informed and critical eye on international affairs, and also the chance to escape them through the work of some of the world’s foremost fiction writers, entertainment, and sporting figures.
“There’s plenty more to come in our full programme announcement, but we hope our line-up for The Front List offers a delicious taster of what you can expect from this year’s Book Festival.”
Underbelly Site Photography
Marina Dixon, Head of Programming, Underbelly, said: “”Underbelly’s partnership with the Book Festival continues to bring some of the most vital, thought-provoking voices of our time to the heart of the city and the festival season and so we’re absolutely delighted to welcome back The Front List.
“At Underbelly, we’re passionate about creating space for bold ideas and unexpected conversations—and The Front List does exactly that. It’s a real joy to be working together again on a programme that feels urgent, alive, and connected to the spirit of the Festival.”
Tickets for The Front List events go on sale to the public at 10 am on Tuesday 6 May, and are available at edbookfest.co.uk.
Full listings for The Front List events:
Tues 12 Aug, 13.30 – Ruth Jones
Wed 13 Aug, 13.30 – Mark Kermode
Thu 14 Aug, 13.30 – Nicola Sturgeon
Fri 15 Aug, 13.30 – Maggie O’Farrell [Sponsored by the National Library of Scotland]
Sat 16 Aug, 13.30 – Ta-Nehisi Coates [Sponsored by the University of Edinburgh]
Sun 17 Aug, 13.30 – Anne Applebaum & Edward Wong [Supported by the Turtleton Charitable Trust]
