This year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival includes over 500 events for adults and children. Authors, writers, campaigners and politicians from over 40 countries will be taking to stages to share stories, ideas and views.
2024 is also the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the festival as it move to a new home at the Edinburgh Futures Institute, a futures-focused space for learning, research, and innovation at the University of Edinburgh. In addition to enjoying events in brand new, state-of-the-art theatres, audiences and visitors can find a plethora of places to read, relax and meet throughout this grand and iconic building, as well as enjoy the specially designed, grassy courtyard.
Featuring leading and emerging international and British authors and thinkers, the extensive programme includes discussions, performances and interactive events, as well as the traditional interview-style conversations and readings. And the topics and issues are wide and varied – featuring social, ethical and political as well as literary and cultural.
The theme of this year’s programme is Future Tense. Through varied events visitors will be able to explore how future-oriented and long-term thinking can bring imagination and perspective to urgent and complex issues including data, AI and politics and economics.
There is also a highly regarded programme of events for children and young adults featuring the finest writers and illustrators of children’s books and young adult novels.
Continuing the hybrid format of previous years, the programme offers both in-person performances, several of which will be available to watch online.
Of course, the Festival will continue to deliver once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. See some of the world’s greatest novelists (Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie, Lauren Groff and Karl Ove Knausgård); hear from debut authors (Lorraine Kelly); glimpse the lives of famous faces from varying walks of life (including Front List appearances from James O’Brien, Alice Osman and Dolly Alderton). And don’t miss the chance to have copies of favourite books signed in person by many attending authors. Poetry lovers are in for a treat too, with a fantastic line-up, including Natalie Diaz, Michael Ondaatje, Ray Antrobus, Jenni Fagan, Sean Hewitt, Gerald Murnane, Andrew McMillan and Kathleen Jamie.
The Spiegeltent returns by popular demand with Back to Ours – a strand of evening and late night events ranging from performance to poetry, comedy to podcasting, and everything in between.
2024 also sees the introduction of First Edition, a daily discussion of the morning headlines and issues of the day with a local member of the media, hosted in the Spiegeltent and free for all. While the new (Lunch) Box Fresh sessions will take place at lunchtime and feature readings from new and vibrant talent.
A selection of events will have signed and captioned events for both adults and children. See Accessible events for full listings.
Edinburgh Futures Institute’s main entrance is accessed from Middle Meadow Walk, 1 Porters Walk, by Quartermile, Middle Meadow Walk (just opposite the yoga studio). The building can also be accessed from 1 Lauriston Place. Lothian Buses services 12, 23, 27, 35, 45, 47 and 47B all stop on Lauriston Place in both directions.
The Edinburgh International Book Festival runs from 10 to 25 August 2024. View the full programme and book tickets to performances on the Edinburgh International Book Festival.
