Scottish Books Events: August 2026

Before the Fringe, before the International Festival, Edinburgh was the city of writers. Sir Walter Scott! Muriel Sparks! Robbie Burns, who did not live here but we claim him anyway! Ditch the theatre and comedy, then, and go back to the city’s roots and head to the Edinburgh International Book Festival from 15-30 August.

Some events we are very excited about (in chronological order, you’re welcome): things kick off with the Opening Gala, featuring Y M Abdel-Magied, Graeme Armstrong, Anne Enright, Gavin Francis, Naomi Ishiguro, and Jackie Kay (15 Aug, 7pm). Makar Peter Mackay brings together contemporary poets in Scotland working across a range of languages, featuring Helena Fornells Nadal, Harry Josephine Giles, Marjorie Lotfi, Robbie Macleòid, Q Mannivanan, and Alycia Pirmohamed (16 Aug, 6pm). Our very own Peter Simpson chairs a panel on food writing with Chitra Ramaswamy, Ben Mervis and Rebecca May Johnson (16 Aug, 3.45pm).

Dean Atta chats about his debut adult novel Big Man (18 Aug, 5pm), Graeme Armstrong chats about his new book Raveheart (19 Aug, 5.30pm), and Nikesh Shukla, Nish Kumar, Himesh Patel and Chimene Suleyman look back at The Good Immigrant ten years on (21 Aug, 5.15pm). GUBSMACKED returns to the festival with a lineup of boisterous poets, including Leyla Josephine, Sean Wai Keung and Iona Lee (25 Aug, 8.30pm), and Ali Smith’s Seasonal Quartet novel series is brought to life in a special collaboration with Netherlands’ New European Ensemble (28 Aug, 7pm).

And that’s not the only book festival in town! Book Fringe also returns with an alternative programme of indie events, taking place across Lighthouse Bookshop, Argonaut Books and – for the first time this year – Greenhouse Books & Records in Bruntsfield, from 13-29 August. The programme includes a series of workshops at Argonaut Books, including one with Camilla Grudova on writing with the five senses (17 Aug, 7pm), and a bookbinding workshop (19 Aug, 7pm). Over in the Leith venue, Rebecca Tamas also chats about The Book of Mysteries: Wild Time and the Ritual Year (29 Aug, 7pm). There’s also book discussions over at Lighthouse: Edinburgh’s Jean Menzies discusses women and desire in the ancient world (18 Aug, 12pm), Sofie Hagen chats about bodies and joys (19 Aug, 12pm) and Fatima Bhutto talks about resilience and nonhuman connections (29 Aug, 12pm). And Greenhouse Books & Records hosts workshops and discussions, including a cassette and infold making session (27 Aug, 6pm) and a vinyl listening session at Bruntsfield's Pianodrome (29 Aug, 3pm).

Outside of Edinburgh there is the Govanhill Book Festival, part of the Govanhill International Festival and Carnival (7-8 Aug). There's some excellent events on there, too: kicking things off is a conversation between Jeremy Corbyn and Josie Long (7 Aug, 7pm), Rahul Rao discusses his book The Psychic Lives of Statues (8 Aug, 12:30pm), and Hannah Lavery, Beth Frieden, Juana Adcock and Ruth Aylett discuss politics, poetry and language (8 Aug, 4pm).