If you have been having a look through the programme for this year’s Portobello Book Festival and noting down the events you would like to see, then NOW is the time to get yourself down to the library! Tickets are now available from Portobello library in Rosefield Avenue.
Tickets, which are all free, can only be collected from Portobello Library in person. When collecting tickets, you are restricted to four per event per person.
Library opening hours are Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 10-8pm and Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10am-5pm.
If you have tickets and find you can’t use them, please return them to the library. There are usually places available for events on the day. So if you have missed out on tickets for an event you really wanted to see, it’s worth coming along just before the event in case there any spaces.
PortobelloBook Festival: 2nd to 4th October2026 Tickets for all events are free and available from Portobello Library
The programme for this year’s festival was officially launched at the library last night. Copies are now available to pick up from the library and you’ll find them in various places around Portobello too. Tickets will be available to collect in person from the library from 10am on Saturday morning, 12th September.
Novelist Adrian Ross (Sons of Great Men) leads a writing workshop inspiring you to develop your characters. Suitable for writers of all styles and at all stages of their creative journey. Bring a pen, a notepad and your imagination.
Taming The Beast: Edinburgh’s Contribution to Cancer Management
13:00 – 14:00, Library Upstairs
Pioneering cancer physician Professor John Smyth talks about the contribution of the Edinburgh Cancer Centre to developments in the treatment and management of cancer over the past 50 years. John presents an engaging and uplifting account of progress made, challenges overcome and future opportunities. Chaired by Grahame Howard, author and retired consultant oncologist
The Male Anti-Hero:Bad Boy or Good Guy?
14:30 – 15:30, Library Upstairs
Building on a long tradition of Scottish anti-heroes, author Kevan Christie(To Be Frank) talks about what makes an anti-hero, whether rogues can be truly loveable, and why Edinburgh makes the ideal setting for their stories of chaotic behaviour.
Chair: Paul Hudson
Love Comics? Graphic Novel Builder.
16:00 – 17:30, Library Upstairs
In this workshop local comic creator, Edward Ross, gets you started making your own comics full of amazing characters and hilarious stories. Edward brings his book, Graphic Novel Builder, full of tips and ideas for taking your comic creations to the next level! For age 9-12.
Meet the Author: Alex Howard
19:00 – 20:00, The Portobello Bookshop
Alex Howard, author and avid Edinburgh flat fixer-upper, discusses his latest novel The Ship’sCat with Helen Harper (The Cat Lady Chronicles). Travel across countries and oceans, through time and history in the company of some very special cats.
Saturday 3rd October
A Spectrum of Scottish Crime
10:30 – 11:30,Library Upstairs
From gentle sleuthing in Dumfries and Galloway with Epiphanies and Robberies by David Graham Clark to the Linlithgow legal thriller Relatively Guilty by William McIntyre and tartan noir in the Hebrides with The Long Isle by Andrew Raymond, there is a flavour of Scottish crime and mystery for every palate.
Chair: Rupa Mahadevan, award-winning author.
Bookbug: featuring Maggie Byrd
11:00 – 11:30, Library Downstairs
Bookbug with Paul Hudson featuring special guest author Maggie Byrd, reading from her brilliant book Rainbow Cookies.
It’s About Time!
12:00 – 13:00, Library Upstairs
Would you turn back time if you could? Is the past always as we remember it? Would you change something in your past and how would that affect the present? Emma Steele (The Love of Our Lives) and Eleanor Tucker (Turn Back Time) explore these ideas and more in their novels which play with the concept of time.
Chair: Joanne Baird
Anne Pia in Company with Baudelaire and Georges Brassens
13:30 – 14:30, Library Upstairs
Inspired by the 19th century lyric poet, modernist and flaneur Charles Baudelaire, and the Bob Dylan/Leonard Cohen of France, troubadour/bard, George Brassens, Anne Pia draws on her Scottish roots and her lifelong connection with France to read from her acclaimed poetry collections The Sweetness of Demons and A Month O Muins – musings, imaginings and responses to two great poets in English and Scots.
Reassessing Devolution: Whither Scotland?
15:00 – 16:00, Library Upstairs
To what extent has devolution been a success? What opportunities and challenges lie ahead? James Mitchell, co-author with Henry McLeish of Unfinished Business: The Evolution of Devolution in Scotland, is in conversation with Lindsay Paterson about this book’s argument, and its continuing relevance in the light of the recent Scottish election.
Queer Edinburgh?
16:30 – 18:00, Library Upstairs
Voices from across the LGBTQ+ diaspora come together to share their thoughts on all things literary: Cameron Wyllie(Is there a Pigeon in My Room?), Niamh Ni Mhaoileoin (Ordinary Saints), Andres N. Ordorica (How We Named the Stars) and Sigrid Nielsen (Lavender Menace: Queer Books Archive). Discussing their writing, reading, research, identity and activism, this will be a wonderfully rich session.
Doug Johnstone in conversation withMary Paulson-Ellis
19:00 – 20:30, Library Downstairs
Doug Johnstone has been a stalwart of Portobello Book Festival. He has written 20 novels in 20 years, including his Skelf series, featuring a family who run a detective agency alongside an undertaker’s business! We are delighted to mark this occasion by inviting him to discuss his career to date with Mary Paulson-Ellis, an award-winning author who, like Doug, has produced some fascinating insights into the underbelly of Edinburgh life. They are a lively pair and have written engaging and entertaining novels.
Myths and Fables
19:00 – 20:00, PortaLibri Bookshop
Join us for an evening of storytelling at PortaLibri with Janis Mackay storyteller and author (On a Northern Shore), storyteller Alice Fernbank and Svend Erik Engh (Danish Folktales), to celebrate the rich oral traditions of Scotland, Denmark and beyond. This promises to be a magical session.
Sunday 4th October
Tai Chi For Health
10:30 – 11:30, Library Downstairs
A chance to take part in a short Tai Chi class and learn about this ancient practice from Mrs Lu Lili who leads a short participatory demonstration and gives us an introduction to her husband’s book Tai Chi For Health. A meditative way to start our Sunday programme.
Inspiring Pasts
10:30 – 11:30, Library Upstairs
The Repentants by Kate Foster takes inspiration from an attempt by 18th century Scottish merchants to annex Iceland as a remote prison for the British Empire. Helen Graham’sDisappearing Acts is inspired by the life of a theatrical ancestor. Join them as they discuss blending historical events and real people into their novels.
Chair: Joanne Baird
On Lighthouses and Loss
12:00 – 13:30, Library Downstairs
Debut author Xani Byrne and prize-winning author and Edinburgh Makar Michael Pedersen discuss their novels around the broad theme of loss. Chaired by Shauna Macdonald, Scottish actor and director. All three are proud Portobello High School alumni.
Xani ByrnePhoto credit: Shaun Murawski
From Writers to Readers
12:00 – 13:30, Library Upstairs
Readers, have you ever wondered how books get from writers’ heads into your hands? And writers, how can you make sure it’s your book that reaches an audience? With publisher representative Ann Landmann, bookseller Elise Lenzi, librarian Paul Hudson, best-selling author Helen Harper and pitching expert Sheila M Averbuch.
Tails of Scotland: the Story of Scotland’s Dogs
14:00 – 15:00, Library Downstairs
Crofter, writer and presenter Peter MacQueen brings us a heartwarming account of Scotland’s native dog breeds and tells of their place in our cultural and working landscapes. Also known as The Highland Hutter, Peter’s book and his BBC Alba series Cù Leis Thu (A Puppy for Pàdruig) are a celebration of our four-legged friends and are highlighted with his own dogs Sùla, Peigi and Flòraidh. Peter is in conversation with Aaron Baker-Jefferies, Community Engagement Coordinator of Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home.
Lighthouse Lives
14:00 – 15:00, Library Upstairs
Erin Farley’sLighthouse Lives is a fascinating account of the experience of lighthouse keepers, their families, engineers, boat crew and trustees of the Northern Lighthouse Board, and is also a record of Erin’s interesting journey across Scotland, working as a fieldworker on Northern Lighthouse Heritage Trust’s oral history project.
Chair: David Francis
Three Brothers in a Boat
15:30 – 16:30, Library Downstairs
Inspirational ocean rowing brothers Ewan, Jamie and Lachlan Maclean talk about their record breaking, non-stop and unsupported journey across the Pacific Ocean to raise over a million pounds for clean water charities. The blisters, the bravery and the mental battles of this remarkable adventure are shared with Annabel Meikle, Trustee of The Maclean Foundation.
Scars Under The Jersey
15:30 – 16:30, Library Upstairs
Sarah Rhind’sScars Under The Jersey recounts the inspiring story of how football became a recovery tool, changing her life from one of addiction to becoming a star player in the Homeless World Cup and a Coordinator of Street Soccer Scotland. She explains how a Street Soccer Scotland programme provided valuable support and changed the direction of her life. Sarah is in conversation with David Duke MBE, CEO and Founder, Street Soccer Scotland and Street Soccer London.
The Wealth of Nations?
17:00 – 18:30, Library Downstairs
To mark the 250th anniversary of Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations, a panel considers the topic in today’s world: Gerry McCartney, co-author of Social Murder: Austerity and Life Expectancy in the UK,Eoin McLaughlin, author of The Inclusive Wealth of Nations: Prosperity, Sustainability and the Future of Economic Progress, and Angela Moohan, Founder and CEO of The Larder social enterprise and Board Member of the Poverty Alliance.
Chair: Lesley Martin
VENUES
PORTOBELLO LIBRARY
14 Rosefield Avenue, EH15 1AU
THE PORTOBELLO BOOKSHOP
46 Portobello High Street, EH15 1DA
PORTALIBRI
167 Portobello High Street, EH15 1EU
PORTOBELLO BOOK FESTIVAL is organised by a group of local book enthusiasts in collaboration with Portobello Library. Tickets are free and contributors are not paid. The festival is entirely dependent on donations to meet basic running costs. Books by contributing authors and chairs can be purchased from The Portobello Bookshop’s pop-up bookstall in the library over the course of the weekend.
We are delighted that, with the support of the Live Literature Fund, children’s writers will be visiting local schools. These events are for school pupils only.
We are delighted to say that programmes and tickets will be available soon for our 2026 festival. The programme will be officially launched in early September and will be available to pick up in Portobello Library, The Portobello Bookshop and various other local business around Portobello from Wednesday 2nd September. The full programme will also be available on our website from 2nd September.
Then on Saturday 12th September from 10am, head along to the library to collect your tickets. Members of the organising committee will be on hand that morning to give out tickets, then the lovely library staff will take over. There is no online booking, tickets must be picked up in person and as always are free. Tickets will be limited to four per event to try to ensure as many people as possible have the chance to get tickets to the events they want.
The Portobello Book Festival organising committee has been busy planning this year’s festival and as always, we have a fantastic line-up for you! So save the dates – this year’s festival will run from Friday 2nd October to Sunday 4th October.
Programmes will be available from the library and local businesses in early September and the full programme will also be online.
Tickets, which are free as always, will be available to pick up in person exclusively from Portobello library.
Don’t forget you can keep up with the book festival on all kinds of social media, Click the links and give us a follow!
The organising team had a fantastic weekend and hope you enjoyed any events that you came to. Do let us know what you thought of the festival. Here are a selection of photos from the weekend.
We don’t seem to have any photos of the Democracy in Crisis event on Sunday so if you took any you’d be willing to let us use, please get in touch! You can email portobellobookfestival@gmail.com
You can also watch our reels from the weekend on Instagram
The 2025 Portobello Book Festival was a great success and we hope you all enjoyed itas much as we did.
Over the weekend, despite Storm Amy, Portobello Book Festival attracted hundreds of people to the library, and we have had some lovely feedback both from those taking part and those attending. Our intention is always to try as far as possible to make sure that those who make up the community of Portobello see themselves, their experiences and their interests reflected in the programme. The programme is also designed to bring together a distinctive mix of subjects, writers, commentators and readers.
The organising team would like to thank:
All our participating writers for inspiring and entertaining us.
Our fantastic chairs for keeping everything running smoothly.
Brunstane and St John’s Primary Schools for welcoming two authors to their schools on Friday morning and thanks to the pupils attending these events for their enthusiasm!
Our sound team Jock and Dave for making sure that everyone could be heard.
The ‘chair gang’ who helped moved 100 chairs from Portobello Town Hall to the library on Friday and back again on Monday. Also thanks to those who helped move chairs after events.
The Portobello Bookshop for providing a pop-up bookshop run by their cheerful staff over the weekend and making sure all our authors’ books were available for sale after each event.
A big thank you to Paul Hudson and the staff of Portobello Library, a fantastic resource on our doorstep. We really take over the library over the weekend including their staff room! The collaboration with the library and the help and time given by the library staff are what makes the festival the success it is.
And of course, thanks to our engaged and enthusiastic audiences who came along to the events and created such a vibrant atmosphere.
We start to plan our October festival well in advance so if you’re interested in being considered for inclusion, contacting us in the first half of January is a good idea. There are always limited spots and after our early planning sessions most of these are already accounted for. We’re volunteers so can’t always keep track of requests carrying over year on year, so getting in touch in early January makes it easier for us to consider you.
The 2026 programme will be launched early September with tickets available shortly afterwards.
Unfortunately the Graphic Novel Builder workshop due to take place on Friday afternoon has had to be cancelled. Apologies for any disappointment or inconvenience caused.
At the Portobello Book Festival in 2024 the writing workshop commemorated and celebrated the Groynes on Portobello Beach. Anyone who has visited Portobello Beach will be familiar with the wooden structures and might be interested to read the writing inspired by them by the writers at the workshop.
To read the book online, please either scan the QR code or click the link below.
In just a few days, this year’s festival will kick off with our first event The Busy-Bodies: A Portobello Tale at midday on Friday at Portobello Library.
On Friday and Saturday, most events will be upstairs in the library, as the library will be open to the public during the day. The exceptions are Frankly on Friday evening which will be in the library downstairs, and the Poetry Writing Workshop which will take place in Tribe Porty in Windsor Place, on Saturday morning.
For Sunday events, there are events both upstairs and downstairs: you will be directed to the right place if you are unsure. As the library is closed to the public on Sundays, you will have to wait outside until just before the event begins so bear this in mind if the weather is bad.
Throughout the weekend, The Portobello Bookshop will be running a stall in the library with books by all our participating authors (and chairs if applicable) available to buy. After each event, there will be an opportunity to have your books signed.
As you know, since our festival is free to all, we are always very grateful for any donations which help cover our costs for printing the programme, hiring our sound crew and sound equipment and of course, paying our authors’ expenses. As well as the traditional buckets for cash, if you wish you can donate using your smart phone via a QR code and we also have a card machine. You will find the codes around the library or just ask one of the committee members on duty.
If you have tickets you can no longer use, please return tickets to the library so others can have a chance to attend the event. Some of our events are fully booked but check with the library for returns. It’s always worth turning up on the day just before the event. Obviously ticket holders will be allowed in first but if there is space we will try to accommodate those without tickets. Of course, we cannot guarantee this but we often can find space.
And finally, all of us on the organising committee hope you enjoy any events you attend over the weekend. We’d love to hear any feedback from you afterwards.
With just under two weeks to go until the 2025 Portobello Book Festival, here is an updateabout tickets.Tickets are going fast with some events already fully booked and some with only a handful left. However, there are PLENTY of tickets left and plenty of time to pick them up from Portobello Library. Remember all events are FREE to attend.
Events currently fully booked
Friday
Busy Bodies
Frankly
Saturday
Robert Fergusson: Selected Poems
Brave New Music
Witch Sisters
Sunday
Indigenous Soul
Mining The Myths
If you have tickets for an event and find you can’t come anymore, particularly if it’s for one of the fully booked events, please return them to the library so someone else can get the chance to come along.
If an event you wanted to go to is fully booked, it is always worth coming along on the day just before the event. We’ll let ticket holders in first of course but if there are spaces, you might get in. One exception to this is the Friday evening event with Nicola Sturgeon. Admittance is strictly limited to those who have picked up their tickets in advance.
Remember you can collect up to four tickets per event per person so if you have a friend who would find it difficult to get to the library to pick up a ticket, why not get one for them?
Portobello Book Festival 