With just one week to go until the 2026 Portobello Book Festival, here is an update about 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 still plenty of time to pick them up from Portobello Library. Remember all events are FREE to attend, although donations are always welcome after an event.

Events currently fully booked

Friday

Writing Workshop

Taming the Beast

Comic Workshop

Saturday

Scottish Crime

Reassessing Devolution

Myths and Fables

Sunday

Lighthouse Lives

Three Brothers in a Boat

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.

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?

Books by all our participating authors (and chairs if applicable) will be available to buy from a pop-up bookshop at the library during the festival run by the lovely people from our local independent bookshop, The Portobello Bookshop. We hope that many of our authors will be signing their books after their events.

If you want to buy your books in advance, you will find the bookshop at 46 Portobello High Street. Opening hours are 10am – 6pm, seven days a week. You can order books in person, by phone or online, either to Click and Collect or for delivery. The phone number is 0131 629 6756. Independently published authors’ books may only be available over festival weekend from the pop-up stall but the bookshop staff can advise.

Website: https://www.theportobellobookshop.com/

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.

You can view the full programme by clicking here

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!

X: Portobello Book Festival

BlueSky: Portobello Book Festival

Facebook: Portobello Book Festival

Instagram: Portobello Book Festival

With just under two weeks to go until the 2025 Portobello Book Festival, here is an update about 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?

Books by all our participating authors (and chairs if applicable) will be available to buy from a pop-up bookshop at the library during the festival run by the lovely people from our local independent bookshop, The Portobello Bookshop. We hope that many of our authors will be signing their books after their events.

If you want to buy books in advance, you will find the bookshop at 46 Portobello High Street. Opening hours are 10am – 6pm, seven days a week. You can order books in person, by phone or online, either to Click and Collect or for delivery. The phone number is 0131 629 6756. Independently published authors’ books may only be available over festival weekend from the pop-up stall but the bookshop staff can advise.

Website: https://www.theportobellobookshop.com/

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 available from today, exclusively from the 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.

One exception to this is the Nicola Sturgeon event where tickets are limited to two per person. For security reasons we are required to take names and contact details and a list of attendees will be created. These will be stored securely and destroyed after the event. No large or bulky rucksacks or bags will be allowed – bags A4 size or under are allowable. Please note that there will be NO tickets available on the evening of the event. Admission to this event is strictly those on the list of attendees. Doors will open at 7.15pm and there will be no admittance after the event begins.

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.

You can view the full programme by clicking here

The Portobello Book Festival organising committee has already been busy planning this year’s festival and we will have a fantastic line-up for you! So save the dates – this year’s festival will run from Friday 3rd October to Sunday 5th 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!

X: Portobello Book Festival

Facebook: Portobello Book Festival

Instagram: Portobello Book Festival

With just over two weeks to go until the 2024 Portobello Book Festival, here is an update about 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

It’s Murder in Edinburgh

Once Upon a Gay

Saturday

Women in Historical Fiction

Born in Kyle

Stories from Scotland

Don Roberto

Sunday

Wild Places. Wild Encounters

Britain in Fragments 

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.

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?