Wigtown Weathers the Storms with Vibrant and Successful Book Festival
Final weekend welcomes adventurers, royal butlers, crime writers, comedians and TV stars.
Despite the ravages of Storm Amy, Wigtown Book Festival saw an increase in ticket sales after a sparkling 10 days of events.
Thousands also came into Scotland’s National Book Town to enjoy free events like the annual festival fireworks, which launch the festival each year, and simply to browse the shops in Scotland’s National Book Town.
Storm Amy meant that many events had to be moved from marquees into alternative venues such as the parish church.
Road and rail disruption also led to a small number of events being cancelled. Despite the challenges provisional figures showed ticket sales approaching 15,600 at the start of the final day – around seven per cent up on the same time last year.
Wild swimming, Victorian Edinburgh, mountaineering, royal service
Visitors came to see guests including Greg Hemphill (Still Game) and Julie Wilson Nimmo (Balamory), talking about their TV series inspired book Jules and Greg’s Wild Swim.
There were appearances by husband and wife novelists Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman who recreate Edinburgh’s dark Victorian past in under the pen name Ambrose Parry.
Mollie Hughes was present to talk about her book Blue Scotland – an adventurer’s guide to exploring and enjoying Scotland’s wild waters and to talk about her experiences as a mountaineer and polar explorer.
Wigtown also welcomed Grant Harrold, who was raised in Airdrie and dreamed of going into royal service, with his book The Royal Butler, an account of his life as butler to King Charles III.
Ambrose Parry authors
Grant Harrold - The Royal Butler
Mountaineer Mollie Hughes
Adrian Turpin - driving force
The 27th annual festival saw the departure of Artistic Director Adrian Turpin who has been a driving force in building the event into one of Scotland’s best-loved festivals.
Adrian said: “The festival has weathered so many storms in recent years. Storm Amy was a dramatic way to go out. But it highlighted the ingenuity and resilience of the event staff, tech crews and volunteers as they went above and beyond to keep the show on the road.
“It has been one of the privileges of my life to be involved with the Wigtown Book Festival and this unique, can-do community. It’s a magical place and a magical event and I’ll miss it hugely. But I know that it will go from strength to strength under Isla Rosser-Owen, the new CEO.”
Female-led team
Wigtown Festival Company will now be headed by a female-led team featuring CEO Isla-Rosser Owen, Communities Director Anne Barclay, Board Chair Cathy Agnew with Lee Randall in charge of programming in 2026.
Cathy said: “It’s been a fantastic festival – made all the more memorable by the weather. The resilience and flexibility of the festival team has shone through.
“And the success of this year’s festival makes it a fitting farewell to Adrian who has made such a remarkable contribution to Wigtown Book Festival and Scotland’s National Book Town over the past 20 years.”
Award winning cultural event
The event’s contribution to national life was confirmed last year when it was named Best Festival or Cultural Event 2024 in Scotland’s national events awards, The Thistles.
Rob Dickson, Director of Industry and Events at VisitScotland, said: “The Wigtown Book Festival is not only a celebration of literature but also a key part in helping drive Scotland's visitor economy, drawing people from near and far to discover our stories, landscapes, and communities.
“As part of Scotland’s diverse portfolio of cultural and sporting events, the festival plays an important role in showcasing our creativity and reinforces our reputation as a world-leading tourism and events destination.
“As Scotland’s National Book Town, Wigtown is the perfect stage for this great event. Congratulations to all involved in the successful delivery of this year’s event, especially Adrian Turpin who marks his final chapter as Creative Director after 20 years the festival.”