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Wigtown Book Festival

@wigtownbookfest

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Annual ten-day book festival in Scotland's National Book Town.

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Do you believe books have the power to change lives? Then you're in the right place. With a recent influx of new followers, we thought we'd introduce ourselves -

We're based in Wigtown Soutwest Scotland. Wigtown became Scotland's National Book Town in 1998 and the first official Wigtown Book Festival took place the following year. In back gardens, living rooms and communal spaces, our community opened its doors to authors from across the UK.

Our town is a love letter to literature - or has a unique infestation, depending on your point of view - and today, books outnumber people in Wigtown by 250-1. The festival has grown beyond its small beginnings and now welcomes audience members in their thousands.

Our other projects include Wigtown Poetry Prizes and the Anne Brown Essay prize, as well as year-round events for children and young people.

We sell books and gifts, both online and in our Number 11 shop, to help support our work. We also run @theopenbookwigtown, an Airbnb experience where guests can run their own bookshop during their stay.

Find out more about Wigtown Book Festival and our projects on our website - see link in bio.

#bookfestival #wigtown #visitscotland #dumfriesandgalloway #southwestscotland #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #bibliophile #booklover #booktown #literature #book #books #writingcommunity #wigtownbooktown #rural #regenerativebusiness #regenerativeartsandculture #smalltown #ruralscotland #visitdumfriesandgalloway #allbookedup #bookshop @discoversouthscotland by @wigtownbookfest

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2 years ago

‼📚📖 Last chance to apply! The deadline for applications for our 2027 Festival Programmer is Sunday 18 October 2026 at 23:59‼.
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Please find the full details on the Opportunities page on our website.
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#wigtownbookfestival #bookfestival #booktown #wigtownbooktown #jobopportunity #wearerecruiting #workwithus #festivalprogrammer #lovebooks #bibliophile #bookstagram #booknerd #wigtown #dumfriesandgalloway taken in Wigtown - Scotland's National Book Town by @wigtownbookfest

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19 hours ago

📚🌟 We were delighted to welcome Robin Yassin-Kassab to Wigtown Book Festival this year.
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#wigtownbookfestival #wigtownbooktown #bookfestival #syria #dumfriesandgalloway taken in Wigtown - Scotland's National Book Town by @wigtownbookfest

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2 days ago

🎉🥳🏆 We're so thrilled to have won the Outstanding Cultural Event or Festival category at the South of Scotland Thistle Awards last night! Bring on the nationals!
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Congratulations to all the winners 👏🥰.
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Image credit: Phil Wilkinson
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@ssdalliance .
@discoverbordersculture .
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#SOSTA26 #thistleawards #southofscotlandthistleawards #awardwinners #southofscotland #culturalevent #wigtownbookfestival #bookfestival #booktown #wigtownbooktown #ssda #southofscotlanddestinationalliance #dumfriesandgalloway #wewon by @wigtownbookfest

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6 days ago

🌟📚📖 The application deadline for our 2027 Festival Programme job opportunity is next week - Sunday 18 October 2026 at 23:59.
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Please find the full details on the Opportunities page on our website.
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#wigtownbookfestival #bookfestival #recruiting #jobopportunity #workwithus #festivalprogrammer #bookfestivalprogrammer #lovebooks #bibliophile #bookstagram #booknerd #wearerecruiting taken in Wigtown - Scotland's National Book Town by @wigtownbookfest

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7 days ago

🏆🌟🥳 Last week we were delighted to win the Tourism and Visitor Management Award in the annual Helping it Happen awards, run by @scottishlandandestates (SLE).
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The award acknowledges Wigtown Book Festival’s remarkable resilience in recent years and it's contribution to Dumfries and Galloway and Scotland as a whole.
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#wigtownbookfestival #bookfestival #scotlandsnationalbooktown #booktown #wigtownbooktown #winner #scottishlandandestates #awardwinner #galloway #dumfriesandgalloway taken in Wigtown - Scotland's National Book Town by @wigtownbookfest

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8 days ago

🌟📚🥳 Community Thanks for Wigtown Book Festival’s 2026 Success - Final day ends with appearance by Outlander’s Sam.
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🔗 https://www.wigtownbookfestival.com/blog/community-thanks-for-wigtown-book-festivals-2026-success .
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Wigtown Festival Company (WFC) has thanked the public, volunteers, staff and guests as this year’s event comes to a close – with plenty to celebrate.
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The sold-out finale of the festival saw Galloway’s Sam Heughan talk about how his acting career began, his success with Outlander, his writing, his Galloway Distillery and his love of hiking in the Scottish countryside – and his affection for southern Scotland.
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Heughan said: “I think Galloway, the southwest and the south of Scotland, have got so much to offer. There's so much history here - it's tangible. And look at this amazing festival.”
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And last week the festival’s contribution to Scotland and the region were also recognised when it received the Tourism & Visitor Management Award in the annual Helping it Happen awards, run by Scottish Land & Estates (SLE).
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Read the full article via the link above.
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#wigtownbookfestival #bookfestival #booktown #wigtownbooktown #outlander #samheughan #gallowaydistillery #lovebooks #booklover #bookstagram #volunteers #lovelyvolunteers #bestvolunteers #awardwinner taken in Wigtown - Scotland's National Book Town by @wigtownbookfest

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10 days ago

Thank you for joining us at Wigtown Book Festival 2026 🌟📚📖.
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Huge thank you to everyone who has been involved; volunteers, the community of Wigtown, local businesses, trustees, staff, funders, sponsors, visitors and supporters from all corners of the globe 👏🙏.
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The festival wouldn't be possible without you all 🫶.
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See you next year.
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#wigtownbookfestival #bookfestival #booktown #wigtownbookfestival #thankyou #thankyouforjoiningus #wigtown #galloway #dumfriesandgalloway #booklover #lovebooks #bookstagram taken in Wigtown - Scotland's National Book Town by @wigtownbookfest

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10 days ago

✍🏆🌟 Crunch Moment – Jemma Neville Wins Anne Brown Essay Prize
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https://www.wigtownbookfestival.com/blog/crunch-moment-jemma-neville-wins-anne-brown-essay-prize
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The fifth annual Anne Brown Essay Prize has been awarded to Jemma Neville for Crunch – described as a gracefully written work of tenderness, intelligence and ambition.
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Her essay was selected from a strong field of 10 finalists, with Stephen Stewart’s Bield and Esa Aldegheri’s When Did the War Begin? being highly commended.
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Read the full article via the link above.
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#wigtownbookfestival #bookfestival #annebrownessayprize #essayprizewinner #essay #writingcompetition #competitionwinner #writingcompetitionwinner #wigtown #galloway #dumfriesandgalloway #annebrown #writer #essaywriting taken in Wigtown - Scotland's National Book Town by @wigtownbookfest

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10 days ago

📚🌟 Feeding the Fairies and Celebrating Gaelic Culture at Book Festival
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Read the full article ⬇.
https://www.wigtownbookfestival.com/blog/feeding-the-fairies-and-celebrating-gaelic-culture-at-book-festival
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From helpful house sprites to dark, dangerous spirits – Sarah Clegg revealed the strange history of the faerie folk at Wigtown Book Festival.
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Gaelic culture also took centre stage with guests such as Ceitidh Campbell, who presented her debut poetry collection Dàn nam Ban and also ran a session helping hill walkers and climbers understand the Gaelic names of the landscapes they love.
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#wigtownbookfestival #bookfestival #booktown #scotlandsnationalbooktown #lovebooks #bookstagram #faeries #gaelic #gaelicculture #reading #author #booknerd #wigtown #dumfriesandgalloway taken in Wigtown - Scotland's National Book Town by @wigtownbookfest

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11 days ago

🌟📚 Wigtown Book Festival 2026 - Day Ten.
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#wigtownbookfestival #dumfriesandgalloway #booktown #bookstagram #books taken in Wigtown - Scotland's National Book Town by @wigtownbookfest

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11 days ago

🌟📚 We were delighted to welcome Sam Heughan to Wigtown Book Festival, here in Scotland’s National Book Town, to chat about his books, his career and his fabulous Galloway Distillery, just 6 miles up the road from us🍸🥃.
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#wigtownbookfestival #galloway #samheughan #gallowaydistillery #outlander taken in Wigtown - Scotland's National Book Town by @wigtownbookfest

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