Visit us

You can find us at Edinburgh Futures Institute, 1 Lauriston Place, Edinburgh, EH3 9EF, from Sat 15 – Sun 30 August 2026. Our main entrance is just off Middle Meadow Walk at the junction with Porter’s Walk. You can find more detailed information on where we are and how to get to us here.

The 2026 Book Festival programme will be released in the spring. Look out for our first announcements in late April. Sign up to our mailing list to make sure you’re the first to hear news about our events.

This is a big question – no two events are the same. Our usual event format features an author with a chairperson sitting on comfy chairs. There’s chat, sometimes divided opinions, but there’s always appreciation of each other. The conversation flows and before you know it, it could be your turn to join in with a question or two. 

We also offer events with several writers discussing a topic together in a panel, interactive workshops, musical performances, podcast recordings, and events which involve food and drink. And lots of fun hands-on activities for our littler audiences too.

Usually, the author or authors sign their book after the event, so you could meet them, or even see them wandering around the Book Festival.

All sorts! Whatever kind of event you prefer, we’ve probably got something to fit the bill. We’ve previously offered walking tours, quizzes, ceilidhs, treasure hunts for kids, theatrical performances, live musical gigs, creative workshops, wine tastings, shared meals, and lots more. Books are always at the heart of what we do, but our events can go far beyond.

Yes, lots! Children are our favourite audience members (don’t tell the grown-ups!), and we have a jam-packed programme of events just for kids and families every year, as well as a growing Young Adults programme. The Book Festival children’s programme includes chances to meet your favourite characters, incredible authors and illustrators, storytelling sessions, and creative activities to keep children absorbed and entertained.

To help you find the right event for little readers, we flag our programme with a recommended age range from 0-18 years. These are decided in collaboration with publishers, but are intended to give you guidance only – you know your child and their appetites and interests best. If you need further information on any events to make the best decision, drop us a line at boxoffice@edbookfest.co.uk and we'll be happy to help. 

We know it’s not always possible to join us in person, so where possible, we’ll bring events to you wherever you are. We work with many local libraries to stream events in the community and offer access on our website. We also livestream many events in our largest venues, Venue T and McEwan Hall, with even more events from other venues being made available on demand following the end of the Festival. Our livestream and on demand events are available on a Donate What You Can basis.

Some authors take part remotely from wherever they are in the world. They will appear on a screen in the venue, usually joined by a chairperson or other speakers on stage in the venue. Anyone appearing remotely will be highlighted in the programme. 

No Festival would be complete without plentiful food, drink, and space to kick back, so you'll find food trucks from a range of independent suppliers in The Courtyard, and there's an indoor café, Canopy, on Lauriston Place with a host of tasty treats. And there are lots of cosy nooks inside where you can hang out and stay dry if summer turns reliably Scottish.

Drinking water taps are plentiful inside Edinburgh Futures Institute, so you can fill up as you go, and glasses of water are also available from our Bar in the Courtyard.

You’re welcome to bring your own food and soft drinks to enjoy outdoors or in our indoor seating areas – there’s plenty of space, and even kid sized tables in our Kids Zone. 

The Canopy café and restaurant are run by the University of Edinburgh. Their opening hours will be updated on this page ahead of the Festival.

Our Festival Bookshop is brought to you by our retail partners Waterstones, and we’ve filled our shelves with an array of titles from visiting authors, related literature, and local publishers. You’ll also find exclusive copies you won’t get anywhere else.

Our friendly roving photographers and video creators will be present throughout the Festival, capturing images and interviews with visitors and authors. If you’d prefer not to be in any photos, please let the photographer or a member of our team know. 

Some of our theatres will have a range of fixed and roving camera to capture and broadcast live footage of the authors on stage and may also capture shots of the audience watching or asking questions. 

You’ll find plenty of places dotted throughout the site to leave a buggy, and we have bike racks on Middle Meadow Walk and in our Courtyard. Buggies cannot be taken into our theatres, so please leave your buggy outside in one of our dedicated spaces. Please note: these are not staffed, and items are left at your own risk. 

We know how easy it can be to lose track of things in the excitement of the Festival. If think you’ve lost something whilst on our site please, fill out this form. If your item is found, our team will use the contact details provided to reach out and arrange for you to be reunited with your item. 

Most authors in our programme sign copies of their books immediately after their event. No need to book, simply turn up and join the queue. You’ll be pointed in the right direction by our Front of House team (look out for their fetching orange T-shirts).

We no longer offer a large outdoor screen due to cost and limitations on space.

Our printed brochures are available at branches of Waterstones across Scotland, as well as libraries and independent bookshops throughout the central belt. To minimise our carbon emissions, we encourage our audiences to pick one up from these locations, or use our website to browse events (you can also view the brochure as a PDF here). If you’re not near a brochure location, or would prefer a brochure to be sent to you, you can request one here. After 9 July we will no longer be posting brochures.