Edinburgh International Book Festival

The Edinburgh International Book Festival (EIBF) is a special event for people who love books. It happens for two weeks every August in the heart of Edinburgh, Scotland. During the festival, people can listen to interesting talks and discussions about culture and important ideas. There are also fun events just for children.

The festival shares its time with other big events in Edinburgh, like the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Jenny Niven is the person in charge of making sure everything runs smoothly. People from all over the world come to share stories and learn new things.

History

The first Edinburgh International Book Festival happened in a tent in Edinburgh in 1983. At first, it was held every two years, but it started happening every year in 1997. The festival has grown big, with lots of people coming to enjoy it. In 2015, around 225,000 visitors attended. Because of events like this, Edinburgh was named the first UNESCO City of Literature in 2004. In 2020, the festival in Charlotte Square was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but some events took place online instead.

Programme

In 2016, the Edinburgh International Book Festival welcomed over 800 authors and guests from more than 55 countries during its 17-day run. The festival offered a wide range of activities, including writing workshops, educational sessions, panel discussions, and talks and performances by famous writers, poets, playwrights, musicians, illustrators, historians, and philosophers. There were events for both adults and children.

The Children's programme is a special part of the festival, featuring workshops, storytelling, panel discussions, author meet-and-greets, and book signings. It is very popular with families and schools and is one of the largest book events for young people in the world. Some of the authors who have taken part include Jacqueline Wilson, Joan Lingard, Charlie Higson, and Anne Fine.

• Margaret Atwood
• Gordon Brown
• Alan Bennet
• Douglas Coupland
• Sebastian Faulks
• Franz Ferdinand
• Al Gore
• Germaine Greer
• Alexander McCall Smith
• Val McDermid
• Candia McWilliam
• Yann Martell
• George Monbiot
• Toni Morrison
• Harold Pinter
• Ian Rankin
• J. K. Rowling
• Salman Rushdie
• Darren Shan
• Susan Sontag
• Zadie Smith
• Andrew O'Hagan

Venue

Until 2019, the Edinburgh International Book Festival mainly took place in tents set up in Charlotte Square Gardens in Edinburgh. This was at the west end of George Street. In 2017, some events also started happening on George Street itself. This helped manage the large number of visitors and also protected the private gardens.

In 2021, the festival moved to the Edinburgh College of Art and stayed there until 2023. In 2024, it found a new permanent home at the University of Edinburgh's Futures Institute. This is located on the site of the old Royal Infirmary in Lauriston Place. Some events are also held in other nearby places.

Fringe events

Over the years, the Edinburgh International Book Festival has inspired a few smaller events. In 2004 and 2006, an event called Thirsty Lunch offered a more relaxed and affordable experience.

In 2008, two new festivals happened at the same time as the main book festival. The Edinburgh Book Fringe took place at bookshops like Word Power (now Lighthouse) on Nicolson Street, and it still continues today. The other was the West Port Book Festival, held in second-hand bookshops in the West Port area, running from 2008 to 2012. Both of these festivals offered free events and felt more casual than the main festival.

Sponsorship controversy

In 2023, more than 50 authors said they might not attend the 2024 festival because of its main sponsor, Baillie Gifford. This company invests a lot of money in businesses that make money from oil and gas. Environmental activist Greta Thunberg also decided not to join the festival, saying the sponsor was not being honest about taking care of the environment by supporting cultural events.

Later, in May 2024, the festival ended its partnership with Baillie Gifford. Then, in June 2025, famous writer Ian Rankin agreed to become a big sponsor for the festival instead.