Celebrities to join this year’s Wigtown Book Festival
The event is from September 26th to October 5th.
The Wigtown Book Festival line-up for 2025 has been revealed today, with a programme filled to the brim with new attractions and activities, including special visits from celebrities.
From chat shows and wild swimming with Still Game actors and a former First Minister, over the 10-day event starting late next month, spectators can see it all with over 200 events to choose from in Scotland’s National Book Town.
Every year, this event attracts around 26,000 visitors to the town, which has a population of less than 1,000, but is home to 15 bookshops and book-related businesses.
Comedians such as Julie Wilson Nimmo from the children’s series Balamory, and Greg Hemphill from Chewin’ the Fat will be closing this year’s festival.
Nicola Sturgeon, former First Minister, will also be making an appearance on one of the days.
In addition to other well-known names, including TV antiques expert James Braxton, who returns for another year with more riveting stories from the auction room, there are also some new emerging names in the world of poetry and writing.
Anna Sebba and Kate Summerscale, a couple of the UK’s most acclaimed non-fiction writers, will be there.
The Wigtown’s Got Talent contest, a mobile sauna in a bookshop garden, and a firework display are also making a return in the programme.
Programmes go on sale today, and tickets are available to purchase on Thursday, 7th August.
Julie Wilson Nimmo said: “We’ve always loved the sound of Wigtown Book Festival and now we finally get to go. We’re really looking forward to it. It’s such a great line-up of authors, and there’s so much more going on even beyond the book events. Plus, the Galloway coast is so beautiful, we’ll doubtless be off for a swim while we’re there.”
Adrian Turpin, the festival’s outgoing Creative Director, said: “Wigtown gives audiences the chance to enjoy famous names, new writers, great storytelling, big ideas and colourful characters in intimate surroundings at the heart of Scotland’s National Book Town. The festival prides itself on being friendly, laid-back, full of surprises and intensely curious. Dive and you never know what you will find."