Access Information

The following facilities are available at the Book Festival for visitors with access requirements:

Wheelchairs

The Book Festival Village and all its venues are fully wheelchair accessible and free wheelchair hire is available. Please pull in outside or opposite the Entrance Tent to drop off wheelchair users.

Hearing Assistance

A selection of scheduled events are British Sign Language (BSL) interpreted or captioned and can be viewed on the BSL/captioned events page. BSL interpretation by request is also available for any event in the programme: visit the How To Book page for more info. The final date for requests is 26 July.

There are infrared systems in all our theatres except the Baillie Gifford Story Box and the Baillie Gifford Imagination Lab. Please collect a set of earphones and a receiver along with an instruction card from the Information Desk in the Entrance Tent prior to your event.

Toilets

There are several disabled toilets on site - both in Charlotte Square Gardens and on George Street. A fully accessible Changing Places toilet is also available in Charlotte Square Gardens, complete with a hoist and changing table. Please note, for health and safety reasons users should provide their own sling for use in the Changing Places toilet, and one will not be provided by the Book Festival. Please see the site map for the location.

Assistance dogs

Assistance dogs are welcome in the Book Festival village. If you are attending an event with your assistance dog, staff can make sure you are seated somewhere suitable. Please let the Box Office know at least a day before your event and they will sort out your seats.

Noise reduction

Ear-defenders are available to borrow should you require them. Please ask at the Box Office or information desk in the entrance tent.

Easy read guide to visiting the Book Festival

Download the Easy Read Guide to the Book Festival (pdf). This is an illustrated guide showing and telling you what you can expect to see when attending the Book Festival, designed with children, families, and adults with learning disabilities in mind.

Easy read introduction to the Book Festival programme

Download the Easy Read Introduction to the Book Festival programme (pdf). This is a short guide outlining some of the events and themes present in the 2019 Book Festival programme, designed with adults with mild learning disabilities in mind. It features clickable links taking readers directly to our online event listings and should make discovering events and buying tickets easier.

These two guides have been created with input and support from PAMIS,  ARC Scotland and the National Involvement Network.

Additional Needs Badge

If you or someone you are attending the Book Festival with has additional or hidden needs and would like to discreetly make our staff aware, please request an Additional Needs badge at our Information Desk. Staff will recognise these otherwise unremarkable badges and speak with you about how they can make your visit as smooth as possible. 

Volunteer escorts

Artlink's Access Service offers support to disabled visitors to Edinburgh to attend Book Festival events with a volunteer escort. For further information please contact Artlink on 0131 229 3555 or email info@artlinkedinburgh.co.uk or Typetalk 18001 0131 229 3555.

Pay What You Can events

Edinburgh International Book Festival invites you to Pay What You Can for certain events. You may choose to pay an amount between £0 and £25 for your ticket, taking into consideration what you can reasonably afford to spend. This pricing has been introduced to help make the Book Festival accessible to those with limited means. The standard price is £12, but if you are able to pay more for your ticket, you will help support the festival's efforts to provide financial flexibility to those who most need it.

The Book Festival brochure is also available in different formats, including large print, braille, audio CD and MP3 format. To request a copy, contact admin@edbookfest.co.uk or call 0131 718 5666.

Disabled parking spaces

Blue badge holders can park in any pay and display bay around the Book Festival site. There is level access across the pedestrian crossing between the end of George Street and entrance to Charlotte Square Gardens, and a shallow ramp up into the Entrance Tent. There is level access across the whole of the Book Festival site.

Help with access

Please contact the Box Office if you have any specific access needs for your visit to the Book Festival and they will do their best to help: 0345 373 5888 or boxoffice@edbookfest.co.uk.

Additional Information

For additional information please visit the Access page on the Edinburgh International Book Festival website.