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Helen Fowler
Say hello to our resident Edinburgh expert! Helen is here to keep you posted on the latest goings on in Edinburgh. Email Helen to talk about the blog.
Why I love the Edinburgh Book Festival
Written by Helen Fowler
They say reading certain books can change your life. Hearing an author can have the same effect too. No-one visiting Edinburgh in August should go home without at least one trip to the Edinburgh Book Festival. The event, which runs from 15 to 31 August, is one of the biggest and best literary festivals in the world. In many ways it's my favourite of the several wonderful festivals - Jazz, Fringe, Festival - taking place around the same time in Edinburgh.
An annual event since 1997, the Book Festival takes place in a tented village in Charlotte Square Gardens, the picturesque heart of Edinburgh's Georgian New Town. There are more than 750 ticketed author events, featuring writers including William Boyd, Richard Dawkins, Tracy Chevalier, Alexander McCall Smith, Ian Rankin and Douglas Coupland. Entry to the gardens where the book festival takes place is free - yes, free! - and everybody is welcome to wander in and soak up some of the atmosphere. You can enjoy a cuppa in the cafe, browse in the independent Festival bookshop or simply sit on the grass looking for famous faces in the crowd. It's a good place for anyone looking to relax after a frenetic day chasing round different Fringe venues.
The Book Festival's famous Spiegeltent hosts excellent free live music most lunchtimes and evenings after 9pm. One minor downside is that it can take a while to get served at the Spiegeltent bar - but, in my experience, the wait is almost always worthwhile. Like many people, I've spent happy evenings there, talking with friends about whichever author event we've just seen, fired up by the music, atmosphere and fun.
