Scotland’s book festivals are making a comeback to their ‘old’ live format after being scaled back because of the Covid pandemic last year.
The Borders Book Festival is planning to make its return to its traditional date and venue for the first time in three years.
Organisers hope to go back to the Harmony Garden in Melrose from 16 to 19 June and hope to return to “pre-pandemic bliss”.
Last year the event was held at Abbotsford House in November having effectively been cancelled the previous year.
Wigtown Book Festival will also be making a return in September and is said to be worth more than £4m to the economy.
Research which included high-profile events such as the Bloody Scotland crime writing festival in Stirling, the Edinburgh International Book Festival, Aye Write in Glasgow found that Scotland’s main literary events attracted an overall audience of more than 780,000 when they were last staged in full in 2019.
They were worth more than £11.3 million to the economy.
In 2020 the total audience dropped to 344,000, with 91% being online or digital, as the festivals worked to find new ways to reach audiences, or were forced to cancel.
But festivals are now looking to take advantage of the easing of Covid restrictions.
Alistair Moffat, director of the Borders Book Festival said they hoped to be able to return to “relative pre-pandemic bliss” this summer.
The full programme of more than 100 events will be announced next month but some names have already been confirmed.
Joanna Lumley, Andrew Marr, Julian Clary, Val McDermid and James Naughtie will all be part of proceedings.
A special show with Scottish impressionists Rory Bremner, Ronni Ancona and Lewis MacLeod is also set to be staged.
Mr Moffat said: “We couldn’t be more excited about our return to Harmony Garden this summer.
“Undoubtedly, Abbotsford made a fabulous venue last November, and was especially fitting for the 250th anniversary year of Sir Walter Scott’s birth, but our hearts lie at Harmony Garden.
“To return there more than two years since the pandemic paused life as we knew it is a poignant cause for reflection and celebration.”
As well as dozens of events, the winner of this year’s Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction will also be announced at the festival.
Last year’s winner of the prestigious £25,000 prize prize was Hilary Mantel for The Mirror and the Light.
Contenders on the longlist include Colm Toíbín, Nadifa Mohamed, Sebastian Faulks, Sarah Winman, Andrew Greig and Stacey Halls.
“This year, whilst all relevant Covid-19 measures will still be in place to ensure the safety and peace of mind of festival-goers, we hope to be able to return to relative pre-pandemic bliss, spending long, light days in a beautiful setting, surrounding ourselves with inspiring debates and exchanges of ideas to fuel mind and soul and enjoying the delights, once more, of the Food and Drink Village to fuel (just as importantly) the body,” said Mr Moffat.
And this year, the event aims to proclaim the power of a strong tale as part of the Year of Stories 2022.
The initiative will spotlight, celebrate and promote the wealth of stories inspired by, written, or created in Scotland.
From icons of literature to local tales, Year of Stories encourages locals and visitors to experience a diversity of voices, take part in events and explore the places, people and cultures connected to all forms of our stories, past and present.
In 2019, there were more than 2500 events featuring 2800 authors staged across the country by festivals as far afield as St Andrews, Nairn, Mallaig and the islands of Islay and Skye over the course of 12 months.
More than 450 permanent and part-time jobs were created by Scottish book festivals in 2019.
