- Ticket sales up 11% on 2024 including significant rise in first time buyers
- Footfall increased by 60% with 25,000 visitors in a single weekend
- Library streaming service resounding success with 41 libraries in 12 local authorities tuning in, for free, for over 90 ‘watch parties’
- Digital reach saw audiences in 63 countries, ranging from Japan to The Vatican, join online, expanding global audience reach
- Female Scottish authors and independent publishers topped the Waterstones bestseller lists, alongside event led hits like Katabasis by R. F. Kuang and Nicola Sturgeon’s memoir, Frankly
- New Kids’ Zone gets seal of approval from thousands of young people and families, with Princess the Unicorn, Bunny Vs Monkey, Supertato and Pikachu inspiring future generations of readers
- This year’s children’s programme featured multiple sold-out events and a world premiere from Julia Donaldson’s Paper Chase.
Edinburgh International Book Festival has wrapped up a landmark year, celebrating a two-week long ‘Repair’ themed programme of events for all ages and interests, that saw conversations of global significance take place on stage, and connected with existing audiences while welcoming a whole new generation of readers.
The 2025 festival, which hosted over 650 authors and nearly 700 events saw a remarkable 11% increase in ticket sales over the previous year, with record numbers of people enjoying the vibrant atmosphere.
The festival’s new home at EFI proved a major draw with the courtyard welcoming over 25,000 visitors in a single weekend and a whopping 161,889 people in total, an increase of 60% compared to 2024, an unquestionable sign it’s settled into its new, permanent home.
This surge in footfall, combined with a significant rise in first-time bookers, shows the festival’s success in reaching new audiences and capitalising on its new location right at the heart of the Edinburgh Festivals footprint.
This was evident not least in the newly increased and re-targeted YA programme, which proved a resounding success, hitting its mark with readers 30 and under, solidifying the festival’s appeal to the next generation of literary enthusiasts.
Once again, The Front List strand of events, which increased from eleven to fifteen in 2025, were packed out with over 12,000 people turning up in person at McEwan Hall to hear from writers including literary titans Ian McEwan and Maggie O’Farrell, contemporary phenomena Asuko Yuzuki and R F Kuang, political heavyweights Yulia Navalnaya and Nicola Sturgeon, and even the celebrity co-creator of beloved sitcom Gavin and Stacey, Ruth Jones.
This year also marked a cornerstone moment for Scottish independent publishers and female writers. The bestseller list was topped by standout titles from Scottish women including Mairi Kidd’s The Specimens, and event led titles including Katabasis by R. F. Kuang and Nicola Sturgeon’s Frankly.
Beyond the physical site, the festival’s digital reach expanded dramatically, connecting communities across 12 local authority areas by streaming events, free of charge, into over 40 libraries, which in turn hosted over 90 ‘watch parties’, as part of the newly launched Paper Trails initiative.
In addition, a global audience of almost 19,000 from 63 countries across five continents tuned in for streamed events, proving the festival’s ability to foster conversations that transcend geographical boundaries. And with events available for the rest of the year, and more to be added on an on-demand basis in Autumn, global audiences have lots more coming to enjoy.
This year’s program was defined by timely and important discussions that reflected a public hunger for considered, informed conversations on global issues. Sold-out events like the discussion with prominent Israeli historians Ilan Pappé and Avi Shlaim on the history of Israel and Palestine, a conversation between renowned journalists Lindsey Hilsum and Edward Wong, and several events looking at the impact of AI on literature and the arts more widely, exemplified this trend.
These events drew large audiences and sparked meaningful dialogue on topics of international significance, underlining the festival’s role in generating constructive in person conversations.
The brand new, dedicated Kids’ Zone was also a resounding success, providing a comfortable environment for families to relax and have fun for free, and complementing the children’s programme with unmissable opportunities to meet the Gruffalo, Pikachu and Supertato – and also, for the first time in book festival history, the real-life Princess the Unicorn.
Hosting just some of the sold-out events in the Children and Families programme were Julia Donaldson, who attended with her world premiere of Paper Chase, Cressida Cowellwho hosted a record-breaking back-to-back signing, ensuring hundreds of young people left with a memory that will last a lifetime, and the iconic Michael Rosen.
The festival’s continued growth in both physical attendance and online engagement demonstrates its enduring relevance, and by providing a space for a diverse range of voices and fostering conversations that matter, it continues to thrive and align with its audiences in both its fun-filled programming and its considered approach to conversations of global significance.
