Our venues

We’ve got all kinds of events, shows and performances in our programme, and we’ve got venues that fit just right to bring the best experiences possible. From big stages for bestselling names, to a chic, homely kitchen perfect for dining with new friends. Learn more about our venues, where stories, narratives, and characters leap from page to stage.

Travelling between venues

The 2026 Book Festival takes place mostly at Edinburgh Futures Institute at 1 Lauriston Place. The building is 150m end-to-end and are venues are split over two levels (Level 0 and Level 1), both with level access. The McEwan Hall, where our The Front List events take place, is 250m (approx. 5 min walk) from the Edinburgh Futures Institute, and Elliott's Studio, where our Table Talk and Have Lunch With events take place, is 1,150m (approx. 18 min walk) away. As these areas will be extremely busy, we advise leaving much more time for your journey than you usually would to ensure you arrive on time.

You can see the location of all of our Edinburgh Futures Institute venues on our Site map.

Seating

All seats in our venues are unreserved (meaning you don’t have to sit in a specific row or seat) - except in  McEwan Hall, where your tickets are for a certain section but unreserved within it.  Our Front of House team will guide you into the venue and direct you where to sit to ensure everyone is seated quickly and safely (keep an eye out for their fetching orange T-shirts). Please be kind and helpful to our Front of House staff and others in the venue by following their instructions.