Would this be an Edinburgh Festival round-up without a few controversies along the way? Alas, it’s to the Festival's credit that, along with shows that elicit joy and conversation, it’s also doomed to become the embodiment of the UK’s anxieties about how the arts are funded and sustained year-on-year. That’s the problem faced by the Edinburgh International Book Festival (EIBF) as its impressive roster of events was overshadowed by its split with investment firm Baillie Gifford. 

We’ll be chatting about that debate while also biting into the meat of the EIBF’s exciting programme, as well as highlighting Fringe By The Sea and another highly-rated comic making their way to Edinburgh this August. 

Edinburgh International Book Festival launches its 2024 programme…

… with the theme ‘Future Tense’ reflecting the festival’s new home at the Edinburgh Futures Institute and the forward-looking approach of its new director Jenny Niven. The literary mainstay will host more than 500 events, including marking the 200th anniversary of James Hogg’s experimental masterpiece The Private Memoirs And Confessions Of A Justified Sinner; a series of interviews focusing on politics; ‘Table Talks’, a foodie haven featuring culinary demos, conversation and specially created menus; a strand on philosophy titled ‘How To Live A Meaningful Life’, reflecting on creativity, joy and paying attention; and the already announced ‘Front List’ strand, featuring talks from some of the most prominent authors of modern times, including Salman Rushdie, James O’Brien, Alice Osman and Dolly Alderton. Check out our coverage of the festival’s launch here. 

Edinburgh International Book Festival and Baillie Gifford’s split provokes mixed reactions…

… as the investment firm cuts ties with the literary festivals in Cambridge, Stratford, Wigtown and Henley. Alongside the prospective sale of Summerhall a few weeks ago, this severing of ties has acted as a national focal point to discuss the points of contention between the arts and potentially controversial funding streams. 

Fighting the corner for Gifford is Nils Pratley, who wrote in his column for The Guardian, ‘The likely outcome from such extreme demands will be a decline in sponsorship for the arts. Yes, festivals should apply an ethical filter of some form, but an insistence on investment purity will only lead to a plunge in contributions. Boardrooms everywhere will now be assessing whether they should quietly not renew next year.’ 

On the other side of the aisle is Sandy Winterbottom, who wrote for Bella Caledonia, ‘Book festivals are vital for giving voice to writers from many marginalised communities, including those from war zones. But if funding for cultural events has to rely on the benevolence of people that refuse to be held to account, then that’s not an “activist” problem.’ 

These are the extreme ends of the debate, but they highlight the growing complexity of funding arts organisations for participants, audiences and festivals themselves. Time will tell if EIBF find a funder that’s amenable to artists and pressure groups in 2025. 

The full programme for Fringe By The Sea has landed… 

… with a cover featuring a ‘Ska-gull’, designed by Emily Barnes, P6, Cockenzie Primary School (we’d like seagulls far more if they all wore porkpie hats. Great work, Emily). The festival will welcome a selection of music, comedy, discussions and child-friendly events to North Berwick, including Del Amitri, The Stranglers, Caitlin Moran, Hot Chip and more. Peruse the full line-up here. 

Four stars or more 

One of the funniest comics in Britain today is making his return to the Festival; Jordan Brookes will hit Edinburgh this August with Fontanelle, the epic story of the Titanic. Well… sort of. Here’s what Brookes has to say about the show: ‘The world is obsessed with turning everything into entertainment, finding stories to tell in a feverish desire to ensure every moment in human history has been thrown onto the bonfire of spectacle. I’ve taken a different approach, and turned back towards one of the original moneymaker tragedies in the biz – the Titanic. Convinced there’s something previously undiscovered, I’ve gone on an obsessive deepdive to prove there’s life in the old ship yet, and by extension, me. Can I find something original to say about the most well-worn topic of all time? Or will I have to make something up?’

We loved Brookes’ show This Is Just What Happens, awarding it five stars and writing, ‘Sharing a kinship with the alternative comedy scene, this chaotic oddball is at his best when he’s mangling turns of phrase or moving around the stage in curious, awkward fashion, like a ballet dancer too wallflowerish to commit to their performance. Yet mastery here lies in Brookes’ balance of self-loathing, misplaced confidence and sublime lack of self-awareness. Few performances are as deft at striking that chord, but this machine-tooled barrage of silliness has it down to an absolute tee.’ Read the full review here.