Explore Events

As we can't put on our usual 900+ event Festival this year in our lovely tented village in Charlotte Square Gardens, we've curated a special online edition. From 15-31 August, enjoy events for adults and children for free. Through the magic of technology, we’ll be crossing continents and time zones to beam events from more than 30 countries straight into your home. What’s more, you’ll be able chat with fellow Festival goers via digital chatrooms and take part in Q&A sessions, and you'll even be able to meet the author and get your books signed (selected events).

All events are free and available to watch here on our website. See events below. 'Save your place' on the event page and we'll email you a reminder just before it starts.

Use one or more of the search filters below to find events.

    Browse this year's themes

    Gruffalos, Conjurors and Teeny Weeny Genies with Julia Donaldson, Axel Scheffler and Nick Sharratt

    Families & 4+

    Saturday 15 August 10:00 - 10:50

    LD (Learning Disability Friendly Event) Gruffalos, Conjurors and Teeny Weeny Genies with Julia Donaldson, Axel Scheffler and Nick Sharratt View event
    In the first of two bumper Book Festival shows from the award-winning author of The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson treats you to some lively storytelling from her magical book, The Teeny Weeny Genie, followed by a guest appearance from bestselling...

    Poems Aloud with Joseph Coelho

    Age 5+

    Saturday 15 August 11:30 - 12:20

    Poems Aloud with Joseph Coelho View event
    Join children's author and performance poet Joseph Coelho on an adventure into the wonderful world of poetry. Joseph’s book Poems Aloud features rhymes specifically written to be read aloud: tongue twisters, poems for shouting across the room and...

    The Edwin Morgan Poetry Award

    Saturday 15 August 14:30 - 15:30

    The Edwin Morgan Poetry Award View event
    James McGonigal, Edwin Morgan’s friend and biographer notes that the man ‘was a poet of inventive forms and many voices – a writer of the unexpected. Here are two more surprises. Firstly, he actually made money from poetry. This took much effort...

    Olivette Otele & Angela Saini: Pseudoscience and Slavery

    Saturday 15 August 16:00 - 17:00

    Olivette Otele & Angela Saini: Pseudoscience and Slavery View event
    When the statue of Edward Colston was toppled from a plinth in central Bristol and pushed into the River Avon, historian Professor Olivette Otele said, ‘it was like, finally, finally something is happening that is forcing people to reconsider. It’s...

    Val McDermid: Portrait of a Criminal

    Saturday 15 August 17:30 - 18:30

    BSL Event Val McDermid: Portrait of a Criminal View event
    With Val McDermid’s iconic detective soon set to hit our screens, it couldn’t be a more perfect time to revisit Police Scotland's Historic Cases Unit and the savvy, no-nonsense DCI Karen Pirie. A thrilling new head-scratcher from the undisputed...

    Maggie O'Farrell: Giving New Life to Shakespeare’s Son

    Saturday 15 August 19:00 - 20:00

    Maggie O'Farrell: Giving New Life to Shakespeare’s Son View event
    ‘Hamnet and Hamlet are in fact the same name, entirely interchangeable in Stratford in the late sixteenth century.’ This epigram to Maggie O’Farrell’s new novel, Hamnet, dispels any doubt that Shakespeare’s son and his most celebrated...

    Opening Night: Strange Times

    Saturday 15 August 20:30 - 21:30

    Opening Night: Strange Times View event
    Unprecedented. Historic. Unparalleled. These are strange times. Every year Edinburgh International Book Festival provides us with a moment to come together; to commune over the power of the written, the published and the spoken word; to gather in...

    Picturing Tomorrow with Nadine Kaadan

    Age 4+

    Sunday 16 August 10:00 - 10:10

    Picturing Tomorrow with Nadine Kaadan View event
    For Yazan, life has changed quickly – his friends are gone, his parents are too busy watching the news to take him to the park, and he does not know when he will get out to play again. But Yazan is being brave and remembering there is always...

    Llama Drama with Allen Fatimaharan & Annabelle Sami

    Age 7+

    Sunday 16 August 11:30 - 12:00

    Llama Drama with Allen Fatimaharan & Annabelle Sami View event
    Yasmin longs to be able to stand up for herself, but when she finally makes a wish, it’s not answered by a beautiful guardian angel but a rude, sassy, talking toy Llama called Levi. He might wreak havoc on Yasmin’s life, but might he also help her...

    Shifting Sands, Five Years On: What Future for the Middle East?

    Sunday 16 August 13:00 - 14:00

    Shifting Sands, Five Years On: What Future for the Middle East? View event
    In 2015, the acclaimed writer and lawyer Raja Shehadeh was a guest selector for Edinburgh International Book Festival, presenting a series of events exploring the past, present and future of the Middle East. With memories of the region’s 2011...

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