How to book

Booking opens in Spring 2024

The first day of booking is very busy. Our website will operate a booking queue and notify you when you get to the front, so you don’t have to wait in front of a screen if you prefer not to. See the ‘How to Book’ video on our YouTube channel for full details.

Book tickets on our website

Use the search filters to explore the programme line-up on the events page. You can browse events by child’s age, category, theme or author. You can enter any word(s) into the keyword search to find events that suit your interests. Children's themes can also be explored at edbookfest.co.uk/families. Once you’ve found an event, click into the event page. Use booking buttons to add tickets to your shopping basket.

All livestreamed events are Pay What You Can
Events for children and young adults range from £0 - £5
Events for adults range from £0 - £15.50, and some are Pay What You Can
Creative workshops range from £16 - £35
Selected special events are £45

Box Office telephone

If you are unable to book tickets on the website our Box Office phoneline is 0345 373 5888. Please note: we have a small friendly team dealing with phone bookings and enquiries; please only use the phoneline if you cannot book on the website. It will help to reduce wait times for customers who cannot book in any other way or need assistance. We will do our best to deal with calls quickly, however you may not get through immediately.

Calls are charged at the same rate as a local call to a landline. Please check your mobile contract as network charges may differ.

Box Office opening hours

Before the Festival: 10:00–17:00 Monday to Friday
During the Festival: 09:30–20:45 daily

Booking tickets in person

Our Box Office counter is available during the run of the Festival only and will be on site at Edinburgh Futures Institute.

Payment and fees

We accept Visa / Delta / Maestro / Mastercard. We do not charge any booking fees. All bookings should be made on our website and the tickets issued will be etickets. If you’ve chosen to Pay What You Can to watch an event, your payment will be treated as a donation to the Book Festival Charity, and you will be asked if you’d like to Gift Aid it (UK taxpayers only).

Refund policy

Tickets can be exchanged or refunded when an event is cancelled or substantially changed. Where demand is high for sold-out events, we may accept returns at our discretion. If you’ve booked a ticket to watch an event in-person you’ll be able to watch the event online for free if you find you can’t attend (if the event is being livestreamed). If you’re unable to attend for a reason related to Covid-19, we will refund the cost of the ticket to the person who made the booking. Refunds are not available to latecomers.

Concession ticket prices

[in brackets on event listing] £13.50 for over 60s; £10.50 for students, under 26, jobseekers, and disabled visitors (companions go free – see details below). For events where only one concession price is listed in brackets, this is the price for all concessions, including Over 60s.

Companion tickets

If you need a support person or aide to attend events at the Book Festival they are entitled to a free companion ticket. Contact the Box Office on 0345 373 5888 or email boxoffice@edbookfest.co.uk as soon as possible after booking your ticket. Free tickets cannot be booked online. For popular events or on the first day of bookings, we recommend purchasing an extra ticket for your companion, then contacting the Box Office for reimbursement.

Pay What You Can tickets

Tickets to watch some events in-person are Pay What You Can. Tickets to all livestreams are Pay What You Can. We hope it gives more people the opportunity to enjoy the Festival; it is designed to help audiences who are struggling financially. If you can afford our standard ticket price, we ask that you opt to pay it so we can continue to offer the benefit to those who need it most.

Baby tickets

If you are bringing a baby under two years to an event for older children, please request a free baby ticket from the Box Office on the day of the event. If the event is created for children under two, you will need to buy an event ticket as usual.

Seating requests

If you have a wheelchair or you need to sit in a specific area (aisle, etc) please let the Box Office know as soon as possible when you book (or at least two days before your event). Due to limited space and high demand we cannot also reserve seats for others in your group – we want to ensure the most accessible seats are available for those who need them.


Box office contact details
Email: boxoffice@edbookfest.co.uk