Tuesday 19 – Friday 22 August 2025
The 2025 Schools Programme will be here soon.
Join us in-person or remotely from your classroom for a packed programme of book events created specially for schools this August. All schools events are in-person with selected events available to watch online, live or on demand at a time that works for you.
Our Schools Programme features special events for primary and secondary schools to help keep young minds active and inspired. Events explore a variety of curriculum-led topics from some of the best authors, illustrators and thinkers writing for children and young people today, allowing children to engage with books and stories in a fun and accessible way.
This year, all authors in the programme are live on stage in Edinburgh at Edinburgh Futures Institute or McEwan Hall. Selected events will also be livestreamed, and available to watch online from your classroom, live or on-demand.
Schools can book tickets to in-person events using the booking form found at learning.edbookfest.co.uk/tickets from 28 April (booking deadline for attending in-person is Thursday 13 June).
There’s no deadline for booking to watch events online – you can book to watch events on our website from Tuesday 10 June right up until the event starts or catch up on our learning site following the livestream. More details about booking tickets can be found in our Schools Programme.
Primary Schools Gala Day – exclusive to primary schools – returns to the Festival on Wednesday 20 August. The Teen Takeover – exclusive to secondary schools – makes its first appearance at the Festival on Thursday 21 August. Pupils attending in-person can look forward to receiving a free book, which they can get signed.
Explore the full line-up, including how to take part, and take advantage of our special bookshop discount and offers – including FREE books for schools with the Big Book Giveaway – in our Schools Programme.
Adult Programme
Our public programme – to be announced on Tuesday 10 June – is educational too, and offers hundreds of events, workshops, debates and masterclasses to get grown-ups and children alike thinking and learning:
Stay tuned to find out about our wide range of public events that aim to inspire and educate, and offer you the opportunity to discuss the hot topics of the day. You’ll find hundreds of events featuring world-class authors, writers and thinkers in our adult programme.
Children’s Programme
Our renowned Children’s Programme encourages children to play with words and engage with books, and offers plenty of opportunities to discover something new. Featuring the best writers and illustrators for children and teens, the programme – announced on 4 June – gives youngsters the chance to explore subjects as diverse as the natural world, art, history and astronomy, in a vibrant and interactive environment.
The 2025 Schools Programme runs from 19-22 August 2025.
Download the 2025 Schools Programme here – coming soon!