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

    Olivia Laing: Art is Political

    Tuesday 25 August 19:00 - 20:00

    Olivia Laing: Art is Political View event
    Funny Weather: Art in an Emergency is more than just a collection of Olivia Laing’s essays over decades. Ranging from interviews and profiles to reflections and confessionals, Laing’s characteristic generosity of spirit and optimism of purpose...

    Helen Macdonald: The Natural World Beyond ‘H is For Hawk’

    Tuesday 25 August 20:30 - 21:30

    BSL Event Helen Macdonald: The Natural World Beyond ‘H is For Hawk’ View event
    When H is for Hawk won the 2014 Samuel Johnson Prize and became an international bestseller, nobody was more surprised than author Helen Macdonald. Before submitting the manuscript to a publisher, she says, ‘I was so scared. I thought, this is the...

    Time Travelling with Patience Agbabi & Ben Miller

    Age 8+

    Wednesday 26 August 10:00 - 10:35

    Time Travelling with Patience Agbabi & Ben Miller View event
    Ever wondered what it might be like to be a time traveller? Leap into a black hole or jump through time in this event with authors Patience Agbabi and Ben Miller, as they unleash their out-of-this-world new books. In The Infinite, the first part of...

    Nadine Aisha Jassat, Sabrina Mahfouz & Amanda Thomson: Outriders Africa - Cape Town, From Art to Ancestry

    Wednesday 26 August 11:30 - 12:30

    Nadine Aisha Jassat, Sabrina Mahfouz & Amanda Thomson: Outriders Africa - Cape Town, From Art to Ancestry View event
    As part of the Book Festival's Outriders programme exploring the shifting landscapes of contemporary Africa, three UK-based writers with razor-sharp perspectives traversed the breathtaking landscapes of South Africa’s Cape Town. Drawn to the...

    Adania Shibli: When the Present is Haunted by the Past

    Wednesday 26 August 13:00 - 14:00

    Adania Shibli: When the Present is Haunted by the Past View event
    A novel in two parts, Adania Shibli’s Minor Detail is superbly translated from the Arabic by Elisabeth Jaquette. The narrative begins in 1949 from the perspective of an Israeli soldier, operating with his platoon at the desert border with Egypt. In...

    Jo Hunter & John Loughton: Power to the People

    Wednesday 26 August 14:30 - 15:30

    Jo Hunter & John Loughton: Power to the People View event
    When Jo Hunter established 64 Million Artists, an organisation that aims to encourage everybody in the UK to discover their creativity, little did she know that in 2020 she would have to dramatically change the way they reached people. The ‘COVID-19...

    Douglas Stuart: The Making of Shuggie Bain

    Wednesday 26 August 17:30 - 18:30

    Captioned Event Douglas Stuart: The Making of Shuggie Bain View event
    In the words of the starred Kirkus review: ‘You will never forget Shuggie Bain. Scene by scene, this book is a masterpiece.’ This astonishing debut is a powerful and heartbreaking story about the love between a boy and his mother, about poverty...
    Changed

    International Booker Prize: First Interview with the 2020 Winner

    Wednesday 26 August 19:00 - 20:00

    International Booker Prize: First Interview with the 2020 Winner View event
    Since 2016, the International Booker Prize has been given annually to a single book in English translation, with the £50,000 award shared equally between author and translator to acknowledge their extraordinary contribution to world literature, and the...
    Changed

    Alain Mabanckou: Rewriting the Congolese Story

    Wednesday 26 August 20:30 - 21:30

    Alain Mabanckou: Rewriting the Congolese Story View event
    On 18 March 1977 at 14.30, the third President of the People’s Republic of the Congo, Marien Ngouabi, is assassinated. In the frenzied aftermath, blame flies and ethnic divides widen, and far away, a family member is murdered for their alleged...

    Sensory Stories and Crafts with Ailie Finlay & Kate Leiper

    All Ages

    Thursday 27 August 10:00 - 10:35

    LD (Learning Disability Friendly Event) Sensory Stories and Crafts with Ailie Finlay & Kate Leiper View event
    What does the Old Woman do when she finds a bush full of berries but no bowl to put them into? Join storyteller Ailie Finlay and artist-illustrator Kate Leiper as they take you on a fun-packed sensory adventure, all from the comfort of your own home. ...

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