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]
2024 Festival
editIn 2024, the festival took place between 27 September - 6 October.[4][5] The 2024 festival had over 250 planned events, with a focus on discussing the Galloway Coast and climate change.[5] Performers at the 2024 festival included actor Alan Cumming, poet Pam Ayres and writer Irvine Welsh.[6]
History
editThe 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.[1]
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
edit
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
editThe 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]
References
edit- ^ a b Ferguson, Brain (27 August 2014). "Wigtown Book Festival to set sail on Solway Firth". The Scotsman: Scotland on Sunday. Archived from the original on 30 August 2014.
- ^ Finklestein, David; McCleery, Alistair, eds. (2008). The Edinburgh history of the book in Scotland. Vol. 4: Professionalism and diversity 1880-2000. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. p. 453. ISBN 978-0-7486-1829-3.
- ^ Lu, Yu Tonia (2015). Lost in location: arts development and policy in rural Scotland (PDF). University of Glasgow (PhD thesis). p. 152.
- ^ "Wigtown Book Festival". www.wigtownbookfestival.com.
- ^ a b c "How becoming Scotland's National Book Town transformed Wigtown's fortunes". ITV News. 7 December 2023. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Alan Cumming among Wigtown Book Festival highlights". BBC News. 6 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ "OSCR | Charity Details". OSCR. Archived from the original on 9 August 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
- ^ "Wigtown Book Festival secures financial boost". BBC News. Archived from the original on 4 October 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Wigtown Book Festival gets 'show back on the road'". BBC News. 21 September 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ "Wigtown Book Festival promises hundreds of events". BBC News. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Wigtown Book Festival line-up begins to take shape". BBC News. 18 July 2023. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ "Wigtown essay prize honours 'extraordinary' journalist Anne Brown". BBC News. 13 July 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ "Wigtown Book Festival - Poetry Competition". www.wigtownbookfestival.com. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
Further reading
edit- MacLeod, D. (2009). "Scottish theme towns: Have new identities enhanced development?" (PDF). Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change. 7 (2): 133–145. doi:10.1080/14766820903126460. S2CID 35853860.
- Seaton, A. V. (1999). "Book towns as tourism developments in peripheral areas". International Journal of Tourism Research. 1 (5): 389–399. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1522-1970(199909/10)1:5<389::AID-JTR204>3.0.CO;2-0.