Wigtown Book Festival Explained

The Wigtown Book Festival is a ten-day literary festival held each autumn in Wigtown, Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. The festival was first held in 1999^[1] ^[2] and has grown to be the second biggest book festival in Scotland.^[3]

Future Festival

In 2024, the festival is scheduled 27 September - 6 October.^[4] ^[5] The 2024 festival has over 250 planned events, with a focus on discussing the Galloway Coast and climate change.^[5] Performers at the 2024 festival include actor Alan Cumming, poet Pam Ayres and writer Irvine Welsh.^[6]

History

The first festival took place in 1999.^[5]

In 2007, the Wigtown Festival Company became a registered charity.^[7]

In 2013, there were 7500 visitors to the festival, more than half of which were from outside Dumfries and Galloway.^[8] A report commissioned by the Wigtown Festival Company in 2013 estimated that the festival contributed £2 million to the regional economy each year. This was three times higher than that estimated by a similar study in 2008.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the festival was held entirely online.^[9] It resumed as a physical festival in September 2021.^[9] 2021 performers included the crime writer Val McDermid and the novelist Nadifa Mohamed.^[9]

The 2022 festival involved over 200 events, with novelist and speakers including Karen Campbell and Hugh McMillan.^[10]

The 2023 festival took place from the 22 September to 1 October.^[11] Performers and readers included Nigel Planer, Kate Mosse and Jo Caulfield.^[11]

Events, Competitions and Prizes

Regular festival events include the annual James Mirrlees lecture, which marks the local Novel Prize economist.^[6]

The Anne Brown Prize has been given since 2021 for the best essay.^[6] ^[9] It is named for Anne Brown, a former chairwoman and trustee of the festival and comes with a £1,500 financial prize.^[12]

Poetry competition

The festival runs an annual international poetry competition and awards three separate prizes for compositions in English, Scottish Gaelic and Scots.^[13] Prizes are given to winners.^[6]

External links

Official website
Programmes: 2004 2005 2006 2007 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Notes and References

News: Wigtown Book Festival to set sail on Solway Firth. Ferguson. Brain. 2014-08-27. The Scotsman: Scotland on Sunday. https://web.archive.org/web/20140830212939/http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/arts/news/wigtown-book-festival-to-set-sail-on-solway-firth-1-3523025. 2014-08-30.
Book: The Edinburgh history of the book in Scotland. Edinburgh University Press. 2008. 978-0-7486-1829-3. Edinburgh. 453. 4: Professionalism and diversity 1880-2000. Finklestein. David. McCleery. Alistair.
Book: Lu, Yu Tonia. Lost in location: arts development and policy in rural Scotland. University of Glasgow (PhD thesis). 2015. 152.
Web site: Wigtown Book Festival. www.wigtownbookfestival.com.
Web site: How becoming Scotland's National Book Town transformed Wigtown's fortunes . ITV News . 2023-12-07 . 2024-08-08.
Web site: Alan Cumming among Wigtown Book Festival highlights . BBC News . 2024-08-06 . 2024-08-08.
Web site: OSCR Charity Details. OSCR. 2015-08-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20150809193817/http://www.oscr.org.uk/charities/search-scottish-charity-register/charity-details?number=SC037984. 2015-08-09.
Web site: Wigtown Book Festival secures financial boost. BBC News. 2015-08-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20141004170500/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-28935567. 2014-10-04.
Web site: Wigtown Book Festival gets 'show back on the road' . BBC News . 2021-09-21 . 2024-08-08.
Web site: Wigtown Book Festival promises hundreds of events . BBC News . 2022-09-22 . 2024-08-08.
Web site: Wigtown Book Festival line-up begins to take shape . BBC News . 2023-07-18 . 2024-08-08.
Web site: Wigtown essay prize honours 'extraordinary' journalist Anne Brown . BBC News . 2021-07-13 . 2024-08-08.
Web site: Wigtown Book Festival - Poetry Competition. www.wigtownbookfestival.com. 2015-08-09.