Book Festival Fringe, with strippers

In August, anything with the word 'free' in it automatically draws the eye. So much so that companies and publicists have even been known to use the word in their performance titles, just so their events come up top in any uninitiated-to-the-fringe tourist's search. So you heard it here first. The West Port Book Festival proudly proclaims "all events are free", and they really mean it.

It's a fringe story at its best; a group of booksellers and assorted arty types in the West Port area decided to celebrate their love of all things literature, their love of the weird windy streets and oddly shaped 'retail spaces' of their area, and basically, well, just invite y'all to come on down and do it too. Not-for-profit, the staff are all volunteers, and although their sponsorship includes a big hitter like The Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust, they've also quite obviously had friends and family chucking in money and time.

All of which means you could be forgiven for thinking it might be terribly worthy, but not actually provide much literary meat, and you'd be mistaken. Ali Smith and Ian Rankin are doing talks on their lives and current projects, there are book binding and restoration workshops, storytelling hours and activities for kids, Writer's Bloc make an appearance and AL Kennedy closes the show.

The people behind the West Port Book Festival are not trying to cash in on Edinburgh's August financial turnover, but merely its crowds. And with a diverse programme and a £0 ticket price, we're guessing locals and visitors alike are going to respond in kind.