Tickets have gone on sale for the Baillie Gifford Borders Book Festival, which takes place this summer in Melrose in the Scottish Borders from Thursday 14 to Sunday 17 June.
Now in its fifteenth year, the Baillie Gifford Borders Book Festival is established as one of the leading literary festivals in Britain, boasting a broad programme of more than 100 events over four days with live talks, debates and entertainment, including television cookery expert and Great British Bake Off presenter Prue Leith, comedian and ventriloquist Nina Conti, mountaineer Chris Bonington and authors Kate Mosse, Ian Rankin and Antony Beevor. Title Sponsor Baillie Gifford is supporting a series of non-fiction events, including Gordon Brown, Alexander McCall Smith and Stacey Dooley.
This year’s Family Book Festival will be sponsored for the first time by Nairn’s Oatcakes.Taking place throughout the weekend of Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th June, the Nairn’s Family Book Festival will include author events, live music, theatre and kids’ craft activities such as printing, writing and illustration workshops.
Last year’s sell-out Borders Book Festival Lecture will be presented by new key sponsors McIntoy & Wood who will also sponsor the McInroy & Wood Marquee, one of the key festival venues.
The Baillie Gifford Borders Book Festival also includes the Scottish Borders Housing Association (SBHA) Schools Gala Day on Thursday 14th June, which sees more than 1,500 children and teachers attending from primary schools across the Borders, and the announcement of this year’s winner of the prestigious £25,000 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction on Saturday 16th June.
Alistair Moffat, Festival Director, said: “It’s incredible we are delivering our fifteenth book festival programme. In an age of digital entertainment at our finger tips, the appetite for live talks and debate is as popular as ever. We had a record number of visitors last year and we’re looking forward to welcoming them back for another enjoyable weekend in June, as well bringing in new audiences. We are also delighted to welcome McInroy & Wood and Nairn’s Oatcakes as new sponsors to the Baillie Gifford Borders Book Festival and the continued support from funders and sponsors, especially our title sponsors Baillie Gifford.”
Locally-brewed beer and other produce from the Scottish Borders will be available at this year’s bars, which will be run by Hickory Bars and the food stalls in The Orchard.
The Baillie Gifford Borders Book Festival is also giving individuals the opportunity to become supporters and patrons of the festival. Details about the new individual giving scheme can be found at www.bordersbookfestival.org/support.
Tickets for this year’s Baillie Gifford Borders Book Festival will be available on 24th April midday from Hub Tickets, at www.bordersbookfestival.org or at 0131 473 2000.
The Borders Railway now takes passengers from Edinburgh Waverley to Tweedbank near Melrose.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
