Hollywood star Alan Cumming will headline a galaxy of literary talent at this year’s Wigtown Book Festival.  

The actor will be joined by  performance poet Pam Ayres, fellow thespian Forbes Masson and a “festival-within-a-festival” of food hosted by The Hebridean Baker Coinneach MacLeod. 

Tickets for the 10-day festival, which takes place in Scotland’s picturesque National Book Town in Galloway from 27 September to 6 October, will go on sale from go on sale on 6 August. 

There will be more than 250 events for all tastes and ages, with a host of well-known faces including naturalist Kate Humble, comedian Janey Godley and singer and songwriter Cerys Matthews,  

Novelist Irvine Welsh and Channel 4 International Editor Lindsey Hilsum will also be on the bill,  alongside children’s authors Frank Cottrell Boyce, Strictly Come Dancing champion Hamza Yassin, and the winner of the Waterstones Children’s Book Award 2024, Pari Thomson. 

New this year will be the introduction of a "festival-within-a-festival" dedicated to food, featuring three days of talks, interviews and demonstrations. 

Alan Cumming Alan Cumming (Image: Lucy North)

Guest programmer Coinneach will be joined by among others Masterchef finalist Sarah Rankin and Great British Bake Off winner Peter Sawkins. 

The Food Festival includes cooking demos and well as special events like Tea with the Hebridean Baker, a cake decorating demo with Peter Sawkins and a demo with Café Canna chef Gareth Cole. 

Coinneach, who will also be launching The Hebridean Baker: The Scottish Cookbook at Wigtown, said: “Hosting the food festival-within-a-festival at the Wigtown Book Festival is incredibly exciting. 

“This is a unique opportunity to bring together foodie lovers and book enthusiasts and I can't wait to celebrate the people and stories behind our rich culinary traditions.” 


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Also taking part in the festival will be Coinneach’s partner Peter MacQueen, author of The Art of Hutting, a guide to and celebration of living off grid in which he shares his knowledge of everything from foraging and places to stay, to fire-making and building solar panels. 

Peter said: "I am thrilled to take the folk of the Wigtown Book Festival offgrid to explore Scotland's rich cabin culture. Who knows, we might even discover some budding Felicity Kendal and Richard Briers ready to embrace The Good Life.” 

The environment will be a major theme of the festival, with a  ‘Change the Stories’ event, looking at new stories to tell about climate change, and the Coastal Fringe -  which will invite visitors to experience for themselves the beautiful Solway shoreline around Wigtown in the company of speakers. 

The festival will also be launching a new sustainable transport initiative, encouraging visitors to share transport and providing extra bus links. 

This year's festival will have a min-fest devoted to food This year's festival will have a min-fest devoted to food (Image: WBF)

Lee Randall, Festival Programmer, said: “Nothing makes me happier than bringing readers and writers together.  

“I hope this year’s programme, with all its range and reach, proves a hit with our regular visitors while also enticing first-timers into the fold. We make sense of our world through the stories we tell one another, and this year’s crop of authors have amazing, fascinating, even hilarious tales to share.” 

Wigtown Book Festival takes place across the small rural market town in some of Scotland’s most beautiful countryside.  

From the traditional opening-night fireworks and pipe band to the final weekend ceilidh, the event aims to create an atmosphere of celebration. 

As well as author talks, the programme includes music, theatre, topical debates, workshops and walks, including a tour of the dozen and more bookshops, led by Diary of a Bookseller author Shaun Bythell and Ben Please of The Bookshop Band, both Wigtown-based. 

The full programme will be announced and go on sale on Tuesday 6 August 2024.