Secure your place in the history books this year. We’ve some outstanding events for history lovers and booking couldn’t be easier. PENNY MORDAUNT: POMP & CIRCUMSTANCE / SAT 13 JUNE / 12.15pm
tikt.link/penny
PETER RICKETTS: PEACE MAKERS / SAT 13 JUNE / 2.00pm
tikt.link/peterr
JUSTINE PICARDY: FASHIONING THE CROWN / SAT 13 JUNE / 3.45pm
tikt.link/justine
TIM WILLASEY-WILSEY: THE SPY AND THE DEVIL / SAT 13 JUNE / 7.15pm
tikt.link/timw
ALISTAIR MOFFAT: THE NORTH SEA - ALONG THE EDGE OF BRITAIN / SUN 14 JUNE / 4.00pm
tikt.link/Almoff
TOM SERVICE: A HISTORY OF THE WORLD IN 50 PIECES / SUN 14 JUNE / 4.00pm
tikt.link/tomserv
LARRY LAMB / SUN 14 JUNE / 4.00pm
We're delighted to welcome back Larry Lamb for what promises to be a truly personal and unexpected event. Best known for his roles in EastEnders and Gavin & Stacey, the actor and presenter reveals a different side of himself as he shares his own poetry alongside stories from a career spanning several decades. Expect to laugh - and quite possibly cry.
TICKETS: tikt.link/larryl
LIVE MUSIC AT THE FESTIVAL
Our festival wouldn’t be the same without live music - so don’t miss three brilliant acts. Come along to listen, dance, and sing your heart out.
HORSE - TRIO / THU 11 JUNE / 8.30pm
Songs and stories from across her remarkable career, A sides and B sides as well as a sneaky preview of brand new material from her up and coming 13th album.
TICKETS: tikt.link/horsem
JAYWALKERS / FRI 12 JUNE / 8.30pm
Foot-tapping Americana blended with bluegrass and folk will jettison you into the festival weekend. Mandolin, fiddle and bass with perfect vocal harmonies from a vivacious band of acclaimed musicians.
TICKETS: tikt.link/jaywalk
DOWN IN LAUREL CANYON / SUN 14 JUNE / 7.30pm
Join us to hear classic songs from Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Crosby Still and Nash and The Mamas & the Papas for a feel-good ending to the festival weekend.
TICKETS: tikt.link/downlaur
EVE MUIRHEAD: ICE QUEEN / THU 11 JUNE / 5.00pm
Fairy tales such as the Ice Queen do sometimes come true. At the Winter Olympic Games in 2022 in Beijing, Eve led the British Women’s Curling Team to the gold medal. It was the culmination of a lifetime in the sport for the Perthshire farmer’s daughter. But in ‘the roaring game’ her journey from child prodigy to the best in the world was not a straight line. With Eric Nicolson, Eve tells a story of hidden adversity, inner doubt and external pressure on the journey to becoming a national icon and one of Scotland’s greatest athletes.
TICKETS: tikt.link/evemuir
#evemuirhead
TOM KITCHIN / FRI 12 JUNE / 6.45pm
Could a chef ever have been so appropriately named? And not only a chef either, but a storyteller. Tom weaves a warming family tale around the creation of one of Scotland’s leading gastropubs, The Scran & Scallie in Edinburgh’s Stockbridge. Alongside recipes that reimagine Scottish classics such as Cullen skink, cock-a-leekie and ham, egg & chips, are the stories of the people who make the pub so special. Chaired by Stephen Jardine.
TICKETS: tikt.link/tomkit
JOIN E-NEWSLETTER: bbf-links.org/newsletter See less
NICOLA STURGEON / SUN 14 JUNE / 5.45pm
Scotland’s first female and longest-serving First Minister, reflects on a life at the very centre of political change. In 'Frankly', she charts her journey from Ayrshire to the forefront of Scottish and UK politics. With candour and insight, she explores the realities of leadership, the pressures of public life and the personal experiences behind the headlines. This is a rare opportunity to hear directly from one of the most significant political figures of our time.
In conversation with Gavin Esler.
TICKETS: tikt.link/nicstur
DOWLOAD PROGRAMME: bbf-links.org/programme
JOIN E-NEWSLETTER: bbf-links.org/newsletter
@nicolasturgeon
David’s top pick for the festival this year is @jamiejbartlett discussion on ‘How to Talk to AI’.
Join us in person or catch the live stream from wherever you are - online access runs 11th- 30th June. Tickets for both options are available on our website. See you there!
#scottishborders #booktok #bordersbookfestival #southofscotland #ai
We’ve committed the perfect crime...
Presenting our formidable line-up of crime fiction authors booked for you this year.
STEPH MCGOVERN: DEADLINE
FRI 12 JUNE / 8.30pm
The nation’s TV treasure has taken 20 years of news and broadcast experience and wrapped it around a family kidnap
TICKETS: tikt.link/dealine
CHRIS BROOKMYRE & DOUG JOHNSTONE: 50 YEARS OF THRILLING FICTION
SAT 13 JUNE / 9.00pm
This Scottish deadly duo celebrate their personal milestones with you. 30 years of Brookmyre’s investigative journalist Jack Parlabane, and 20 years of thriller writing by Doug Johnstone.
TICKETS: tikt.link/chrisdoug
DENISE MINA & HEIDI AMSINCK: SECRETS AND DEADLY TRUTHS
SUN 14 JUNE / 7.30pm
Two exceptional crime writers explore how themes of power, class, and human nature create suspense. A discussion so thought-provoking it may leave you questioning your own moral beliefs when faced with a life changing choice.
TICKETS: tikt.link/deniheidi
Tickets are flying out the door at record levels - don’t miss out. Get yours now!
WEBSITE:
BOX OFFICE: bbf-links.org/box-office
DOWLOAD PROGRAMME: bbf-links.org/programme
JOIN E-NEWSLETTER: bbf-links.org/newsletter
PENNY MORDAUNT: POMP & CIRCUMSTANCE / SAT 13 JUNE / 12.15pm
Penny knows more than most about pomp and circumstance. As Lord President of the Council, she held aloft the Sword of State at King Charles III’s coronation – for a very long time. In this superb new book, written with Chris Lewis, Penny celebrates the traditions and values that underpin British life. Her achievement is to show how important pomp and circumstance are. Far from being solely symbolic or ceremonial, the book shows how a country often thought of as old-fashioned actually uses its historical conventions to navigate the future. Chaired by Gavin Esler.
TICKETS: https://tikt.link/penny
DOWNLOAD PROGRAMME: bbf-links.org/programme
ALAN TITCHMARSH / FRI 12 JUNE / 8.30pm
Gifted, with talent – and hard work – to burn in several directions, Alan has compiled a unique career as gardener, TV/radio presenter and prolific writer of 43 gardening books, 4 memoirs, 12 novels and poetry. Join Alan to reflect on life, books, gardens and everything.
TICKETS: https://tikt.link/alanti
DOWNLOAD PROGRAMME: bbf-links.org/programme
To celebrate this years Borders Book Festival, our friends at @crabtreeholiday are kindly offering one lucky winner a perfectly curated book lover’s escape for two, from 12 – 15 June 2026.
Think festival days filled with stories and ideas, slow summer evenings by the River Tweed, and a beautifully cosy Borders bolthole to call home. It’s a weekend shaped around culture, comfort and countryside calm in unmistakable C&C style.
Worth over £900, the winner will enjoy:
🏡 A three-night stay for two at The Old Cart Shed, Melrose
🎟️ Tickets to the Borders Book Festival, plus a £50 food and drink voucher
🏰 Tickets to local attractions, including Abbotsford, the home of Sir Walter Scott
📚 A £100 book voucher to spend at the festival bookshop
Visit the Journal section of the C&C website or follow the link in @crabtreeholiday Instagram bio and provide your email address to enter the prize draw.
Good luck!
The giveaway closes at midnight on 11 May 2026 and is open to over 18s only. One winner will be selected at random and will be contacted via email by Crabtree & Crabtree in the following week to organise the prize. Full terms and conditions apply and can be found on the C&C website. Please do be mindful of any fake accounts posing to be the brands involved. This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by or associated with Instagram
#BookTok #bookish #ukbooktok #bordersbookfestival #scottishborders
