Tickets and the full line-up has just been revealed for the Dundee Book Festival - here’s everything that is happening

The brand new Dundee Book Festival is coming to the city next month. Celebrating books, writers, and creativity with an exciting line-up of events.

The Dundee Book Festival, which will take place primarily at the Steps Theatre within the Central Library, promises four days packed with talks, music, performances and discussions, bringing some of the best-known names in the world of literature to the city.

The festival will open with a lively gig featuring some of the biggest crime writers around. Val McDermid will take on vocals, joined by Mark Billingham, Luca Veste, Chris Brookmyre and others, performing as the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers. Organisers say it will be a gig to remember.

Local talent will also take centre stage, with Fraser Reid, well known for his fruit and veg shop on Perth Road, sharing the story behind his successful soup recipe books.

Visitors can enjoy a special three-course meal inspired by Fraser’s creations, served at the stunning McManus Galleries.

Saturday evening will tackle one of Scotland’s darkest chapters. Claire Mitchell KC and Zoe Venditozzi, founders of the Witches of Scotland campaign, will discuss their work to secure a legal pardon for victims of historic witch trials.

The event will be chaired by former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, promising an evening of powerful and important conversation.

Adventure and inspiration come to the fore on Sunday afternoon, as record-breaking explorer Mollie Hughes visits Dundee.

Having climbed Everest from both sides and trekked solo to the South Pole, Mollie will share her experiences and life lessons from her new book Breathe.

Full line-up

Thursday 12 June 2025

• 8:00pm – Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers at the Marryat Hall

Friday 13 June 2025

• 10:00am – Andrew Orr – The Flight of the Vikings at the Steps Theatre, Central Library

• 11:30am – Brookmyre, Veste & Neville – Axe-Wielding Crime Writers at the Steps Theatre, Central Library

• 12:00pm – Thrills at the Mills: Doug Johnstone – The Enceladons Trilogy at Mills Observatory

• 12:45pm – Micro Story Café at the Steps Theatre, Central Library

• 1:30pm – Andrew Liddle – Churchill: The Scottish Years at the Steps Theatre, Central Library

• 2:00pm – Thrills at the Mills: It’s About Time at Mills Observatory

• 3:00pm – Open Book – Readers and Writers of Dundee at the Steps Theatre, Central Library

• 3:30pm – Thrills at the Mills: From the Glen to the Page

• 4:30pm – James Crawford – Wild History: Journeys into Lost Scotland at the Steps Theatre, Central Library

• 5:30pm – Chris McQueer – Discovering the Hermit at Lochee Library

• 6:00pm – Thrills at the Mills: Epic Stories, Eternal Enchantment at Mills Observatory

• 6:30pm – Ambrose Parry & Michele Sloan – Writing the Past at the Steps Theatre, Central Library

• 6:45pm – Thrills at the Mills: Strange Stories at Mills Observatory

• 7:00pm – Seasonal Foods with Fraser from Fraser’s Fruit and Veg at the McManus Galleries

• 7:30pm – Val McDermid in conversation with James Robertson at the Steps Theatre, Central Library

Saturday 14 June 2025

• 10:00am – Christopher Whatley and Jim Tomlinson – The Triumph of Textiles at the Steps Theatre, Central Library

• 11:30am – Michael Pederson – Muckle Flugga, a novel at the Steps Theatre, Central Library

• 12:45pm – Andy Jackson – Selling the Light at the Steps Theatre, Central Library

• 1:30pm – Gary Robertson – Dundee Poet’s Life in Words at the Steps Theatre, Central Library

• 3:00pm – Kate Muir – How to Have a Magnificent Midlife Crisis at the Steps Theatre, Central Library

• 4:30pm – Sara Sheridan & Flora Johnston – Epic Adventures at the Steps Theatre, Central Library

• 6:00pm – Zoe Venditozzi & Claire Mitchell – How to Kill a Witch: A Guide for the Patriarchy at the Steps Theatre, Central Library

• 7:30pm – Charlie Connelly – Attention All Shipping: A Celebration of The Shipping Forecast at the Steps Theatre, Central Library

Sunday 15 June 2025

• 11:00am – John MacKay – Scotland Today & Yesterday: Witness to a Changing Nation at the Steps Theatre, Central Library

• 12:45pm – Jen Dunn – The Poetry Doctor: Reflections on Surgery, Psychotherapy and Poetry in the NHS at the Steps Theatre, Central Library

• 1:30pm – Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin, Selali Fiamanya, & Alessandra Thom at the Steps Theatre, Central Library

• 3:00pm – Jen Stout – Night Train to Odessa at the Steps Theatre, Central Library

• 4:30pm – Mollie Hughes – Breathe: Life Lessons from the Edge of the World at the Steps Theatre, Central Library

• 6:00pm – Hugo Rifkind – Rabbiting at the Steps Theatre, Central Library

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Across four days, over thirty events will be held, featuring writers like Ambrose Parry, Chris McQueer, Michael Pederson, and many more. The festival promises a rich variety of talks, readings and discussions for audiences to enjoy.

Dundee’s own literary voices will be celebrated too. Local writers including Gary Robertson, Professors Chris Whatley and Jim Tomlinson, poet Andy Jackson, and doctor-poet Jen Dunn will all feature on the programme.

Tickets for most events are priced at just £5, making the festival affordable and accessible for everyone. Organisers hope this will encourage as many people as possible to get involved.

For ticket information, visit www.dundeebookfestival.com.