All Events

There are events for just about every age and interest at the Book Festival, bringing readers and writers together for inspiration, entertainment and discussion. Over 900 authors appear in around 800 events, including novelists, poets, scientists, sportsmen, illustrators, comics creators, historians, musicians, biographers, Nobel and Booker prize-winners and many more besides.

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    Unbound with Edinburgh Gin

    The R.A.P Party

    Friday 16 August 21:00 - 23:00

    Unbound with Edinburgh Gin
    R.A.P stands for Rhythm and Poetry and this party promises an exhilarating live literature experience. Founded by the acclaimed Inua Ellams, R.A.P is a nostalgic, no-clutter evening of poems inspired by hip-hop culture, wrapped up in fresh beats from...

    Are You Sitting Comfortably?

    All Ages

    Saturday 17 August 10:00 - 10:30

    Are You Sitting Comfortably?
    Join one of our Festival authors each morning for a magical half hour of storytelling, poetry, song or rhyme. This daily changing event is suitable for children of all ages. Appearing today: Petr Horáček.

    Francesca Simon: Happy Birthday Horrid Henry!

    Age 6-9

    Saturday 17 August 10:00 - 11:00

    Captioned Event Francesca Simon: Happy Birthday Horrid Henry!
    Much-loved master of mischief Horrid Henry is back! His award-winning creator Francesca Simon brings you an interactive event bursting with Henry’s hilarious stories, including latest adventure Up, Up and Away. Prepare to giggle your socks off with...

    Ten at Ten

    Saturday 17 August 10:00 - 10:10

    Ten at Ten
    A small yet perfectly formed reading from one of our Festival authors to start your day. Check the screen in the Entrance Tent to see who's reading today.

    Splashing Around with Duncan Beedie & Wendy Meddour

    Age 3-6

    Saturday 17 August 10:00 - 11:00

    Splashing Around with Duncan Beedie & Wendy Meddour
    Meet the hero of the inky deep for a high-powered under-the-sea adventure. The team from Deep Sea TV never seem to notice Stefano, but can this ordinary squid dig deep and find the superhero inside? Wendy Quill author Wendy Meddour and The Bear Who...

    Madeleine Bunting & Jing-Jing Lee

    Conflict and Community

    Saturday 17 August 10:15 - 11:15

    Madeleine Bunting & Jing-Jing Lee
    War-time family secrets lie at the heart of Madeleine Bunting and Jing-Jing Lee’s debut novels. Award-winning journalist Bunting’s Island Song focuses on families under siege in Nazi-held Guernsey. Lee’s How We Disappeared begins in the author's...

    Peter Bently: Spotty Dogs and Dogspotting

    Age 4-7

    Saturday 17 August 10:30 - 11:30

    Peter Bently: Spotty Dogs and Dogspotting
    Roald Dahl Funny Prize winner Peter Bently delivers an entertaining canine caper with creative crafts for little paws. Hear him read from the 10th anniversary edition of The Great Dog Bottom Swap, unravelling the mystery of why dogs love to sniff each...

    Christopher Baker

    Portrait of Turner’s Legacy

    Saturday 17 August 10:30 - 11:30

    Christopher Baker
    Every January, a selection of Turner’s watercolours are exhibited at the Scottish National Gallery. Bequeathed in 1899 by Henry Vaughan, these works cement Turner’s status as one of Britain’s most innovative, beloved artists. Director of European...

    Lewis Dartnell

    Power of the Planet

    Saturday 17 August 11:00 - 12:00

    Lewis Dartnell
    Award-winning astrobiology professor and author of The Knowledge, Lewis Dartnell explores where World History meets Earth Science. How have features of the planet we live on affected the human story? He shows how deep planetary influences are behind our...

    Eley Williams on G

    Reading Workshop

    Saturday 17 August 11:00 - 12:30

    Eley Williams on G
    Join novelist Eley Williams, winner of the 2018 James Tait Black Memorial Prize, for an exploration of John Berger’s luminous G. Set in pre-First World War Europe, it relates the story of a young man who’s forging an energetic sexual career which...

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