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Organisers said they were “thrilled” by the success of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, which attracted more than 100,000 visitors this month.
Writers Margaret Atwood, Richard Osman, Salman Rushdie, Philippa Gregory and Marianne Keyes were among those taking part in the event, which concluded on Sunday 25 August.
The event was also attended by figures from across the political spectrum, including Scottish First Minister John Swinney, Home Office Secretary Jess Phillips, former Green Party MP Caroline Lucas, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Organisers said the festival’s new venue, the Edinburgh Institute for Future Studies, attracted more than 100,000 visitors, with ticket and book sales up significantly on previous years.
Nearly 600 events were held, with more than 200 achieving ticket sales of 90% or more.
Jenny Niven, director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, said: “We are absolutely delighted with the success of this year’s festival.
“The audience voted with their feet and we saw sold-out shows and a wonderful, engaged crowd.
“Audiences and writers alike enjoyed the debates and discussions, proving that literary festivals are really important spaces for people to be inspired and come together.
“The Edinburgh Future Institute has been fantastic as a venue for the Book Festival and we’ve already started looking at how we can build on that next year.
“We look forward to beginning conversations in the fall with everyone who will be part of our story for the next great edition.”
During the festival, audiences from 55 countries participated in the pay-as-you-go event online.
During the event, over 4,500 pupils from P1 to S6 were sent to the festival to take part in free activities and receive their own free books, all made possible by the last of Baillie Gifford’s funding.
Additionally, in August, authors including Andrew O’Hagan, Amy Liptrot, Jenni Fagan and Joseph Coelho visited schools, prisons and local reading centers as part of the festival’s year-round community events.
Jamie Crawford, the new chair of the Edinburgh International Book Festival board, said: “Over the past two weeks the excitement among authors, staff and audiences about the new chapter of the Festival has been overwhelming.
“The new space at the Institute for the Future opens up a long-dormant part of the city and clearly demonstrates its value and enormous future potential.
“At this point it’s vital to reflect on the huge success of this year’s Festival to emphasise the crucial importance of literary culture to Edinburgh and Scotland.
“It’s in everyone’s interest to support it and see it flourish.”
The 2024 Edinburgh International Book Festival takes place at the Edinburgh Futures Institute in Lauriston Square from 10 to 25 August, with the event being organised in partnership with the University of Edinburgh.
The festival is also partnering with Underbelly at McEwan Hall to bring audiences its Front List series of major events. — PA Media/dpa
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