Kirkcudbright Book Festival

08/05/2026

You don't need an excuse to come to as it is a gem of a town. Add in the performance of by Amanda Whittington by the , then it's a great time to visit!
Performance dates:
Friday 29th May at 7.30 pm
Saturday 30th May at 2.30 pm and 7.30 pm
Tickets £8- for sale in advance at Thompson's Newsagents and at the door if seats still available.
May not be suitable for young children

22/04/2026

New website supports town’s crime writing scene

A website has been created to celebrate Kirkcudbright’s developing links with crime writing, which stretch back to the 1931 novel Five Red Herrings, written by legendary crime author Dorothy L Sayers, in which her investigator Lord Peter Wimsey investigates the murder of a local artist.

The town in South West Scotland has a track record for continuing to promote crime writing and the site will build into a guide to events in Kirkcudbright and the wider Dumfries and Galloway.

The website, which has been created by Chris Walker, owner of the Selkirk Arms in the town, and local crime novelists Ian Robinson and John Dean, can be found at

21/03/2026

Please do contribute to the consultation survey if you can. Let’s show just how far above its weight Kirkcudbright can punch

The historic harbour town of Kirkcudbright has announced that it is preparing an application to become the UK Town of Culture in 2028 and is inviting the community to help shape the vision for what…

12/03/2026

We’re in the news! The Book Festival concluded last Sunday, and its many successes are celebrated in a one page feature in this week's The Galloway News out today. Lots of buzzing and brilliant events, authors and discussions with engaged audience members. Overall, numbers attending were up 23% per event compared to last year's Book Week. We’re delighted that everyone’s hard work paid off.

08/03/2026

And that's A WRAP! Bluesy Susi & Bottleneck Blake were a fitting end to a successful four days of book-filled fun. Thank you to our volunteers, our authors, our venues & every single person who bought a ticket. We couldn't have done it all without you!

08/03/2026

Fascinating session with Darryl Cunningham in the wonderful setting of Dark Art Distillery

08/03/2026

Stewartry Writers have just kicked off our final day. A few walk in tickets available for all remaining 5 events including Musk, music, murder and marriage! See you at the closing party!

07/03/2026

Thank you Ian Wemyss for opening our 5pm session, where lots of assumptions about the national instrument were challenged!

07/03/2026

What a 3rd day!! Crime inspiration, LGBTQ grooves, the Beautiful Game, Mary Queen of Scots, then bagpipes' & our islands' curious histories!

07/03/2026

We're warming up here for Richard McLauchlan at venue 4!