The Festival News

“One of the highlights in my yearly calendar”

– Annabella Rodgerson

Calling All Poets!

Fancy a shot at the title of NBF Poetry Slam Champ and booking your place in the National Scottish Poetry Slam Finals 2026?

We’re running a poetry slam as part of our 2025 festival programme and are now looking for competitors to make our slam another right good night!

Message us or email nbfinverness@gmail.com now for more details/to enter!

Ness Book Fest 2025: First Events Revealed!

The wait is over! The first events for Ness Book Fest 2025 are here, and we’re so excited to give you a sneak peek of what’s in store! From 2nd to 4th October, we’ll be bringing stories to life across Inverness at Eden Court Theatre, Discovery College, and The Bike Shed. As always, it’s completely free and full of variety, with something for book lovers of all ages.

We’re thrilled to welcome Philip Paris as this year’s festival headliner. Philip will launch his brand-new novel, A Fire in Their Hearts, a gripping story set in 17th-century Scotland. Known for his powerful historical fiction, Philip weaves together love, sacrifice and the fight for freedom in a time when the country was on the brink of transformation. It’s going to be a memorable way to kick off the weekend.

For those passionate about Scotland’s languages and culture, we’re honoured to host Billy Kay, one of the most respected voices promoting the Scots language. Billy will be joined by the brilliant Robyn Stapleton, whose singing brings Scots poetry and song to life. Together, they’ll offer a powerful evening of literature and music in our country’s second most spoken language.

Writers, take note: Merryn Glover, former Writer in Residence for the Cairngorms National Park, will be leading a writing workshop open to all. Whether you’re just getting started or already deep into your writing journey, this session will offer encouragement, insight and creative spark. Merryn brings a global background to her storytelling, with roots in South Asia and Australia and a deep connection to Scotland. Her novels, including A House Called Askival and Of Stone and Sky, have captivated readers and listeners around the world.

We’ll also be bringing back some of our most loved events:

The Poetry Slam – always energetic and inspiring
Meet the Books – a chance to see, touch, and learn about old, unusual and rare books.
A special celebration for the Highland Schools Writing Competition winners
UHI Scribblers present their work

Ness Book Fest Chairperson Meilan Simanjuntak summed it up perfectly:

“We’re thrilled to unveil a programme that truly reflects the heart of Ness Book Fest – accessible and engaging with something for everyone. This year’s events celebrate the voices, history and creativity of Scotland and the Highlands, and we’re proud that the festival remains free and open to all.”

We can’t wait to welcome readers, writers and curious minds of all kinds to this year’s festival. Whether you’re joining us for the first time or returning for another year, Ness Book Fest 2025 promises to be a warm and welcoming celebration of stories, community and creativity.

The full programme will be confirmed in August, along with details on how to book free tickets, so keep an eye on our website and follow us on social media for updates.

See you in October!

2025 NBF WRITING COMPETITION: UNLEASH YOUR WILD IMAGINATION!

Get ready to let your creativity soar at the 2025 NBF Writing Competition, where we’re on a mission to spotlight the brightest young writing stars! Our festival thrives on celebrating fresh talent, and this year, we’re thrilled to launch a FREE TO ENTER competition with the theme: ‘NATURE’!

Whether you’re inspired by rolling oceans, whispering forests, or the untamed beauty of the world around you, we want YOUR unique take on “Nature” in a dazzling short story!

Two Categories:
– Secondary Students: Craft a tale in up to 500 words
– Primary Students: Spin a story in up to 500 words

Unleash your voice in poetry or prose, and write in English, Scots, or Gaelic—we’re here for it all!

Prizes:
Score 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place in your category and claim awesome rewards (stay tuned for the big prize reveal)!

NessBookFest 2025 dates!

Highland’s biggest free book festival is set for October return

The Highlands’ biggest free book festival is set to return to Inverness this October, building on the success of our 2024 edition.

Ness Book Fest 2025 will run from the 2nd to the 4th of October 2025, and we’re aiming to make this year’s festival the best one yet.

Chairperson Meilan Simanjuntak:

“Ness Book Fest has rapidly become a staple in the diaries of the people of Inverness and the organisation is keen to add many more years.

This festival brings together a diverse community and that in itself is utterly beautiful!

To ensure the festival remains accessible to everyone, one of our key pillars remains: as in previous years, entry to any of our events is free, which, especially in the current economic climate, is a very welcome feature for many.”

This year’s festival will explore the theme of ‘nature’, offering a diverse programme that delves into topics ranging from animals and wildlife to the complexities of human nature.

The 2024 edition featured an impressive lineup, including local children’s author Barbara Henderson, historian and novelist Maggie Craig, and architect Calum MacLean.

Reflecting on the festival’s impact over the years, Barbara Henderson who helped plan the inaugural event as chairperson and was welcomed as a performer at last year’s festival, said:

“A place as creative and vibrant as Inverness deserves a great book festival, and thankfully, in NessBookFest we have it.

The Highlands have such a long heritage of the written word.

What better way to pay tribute to that heritage than bringing exciting authors here, so that young and old can be inspired to discover new ideas and worlds for themselves?”

Eagerly anticipated highlights of every festival, the Young Writers Competition and Poetry Slam, will return as part of NBF 2025’s programme, offering opportunities for local talent of all ages to shine.

Stick the dates in the diary, subscribe to our mailing list, and follow our socials for updates on the authors and performers coming to a venue near you in 2025!

ABOUT NESSBOOKFEST

The inaugural NessBookFest took place in November 2016 and returned the following year with a taster day at Inverness Town House on 9th September, followed by the main festival in October 2017, with an extensive programme of performances by both local and visiting authors.

NessBookFest is organised and run by the community, for the community. As a matter of principle, our events are free to attend and held in accessible, central locations throughout the city, to encourage not only the regular book festival demographic to attend, but also to reach those who have never been to a book festival before. Our guest authors write in various genres for all age groups, collectively offering an appealing and diverse programme for audiences.

This festival, and our programme of year-round events, showcase the Inverness area as a creative centre, which produces a considerable amount of home-grown talent. We provide opportunities for local emerging authors to share a platform with well-established writers from further afield. Reflecting and celebrating the strong arts scene in Inverness and the Highlands, NessBookFest is of benefit to the whole community.

Our Aims are:

To run a no-barriers book festival in Inverness, being inclusive on all grounds such as: cost, social background, ability, age and ethnicity.
To develop and strengthen links with other organisations and community groups, thus increasing event outputs and impact.
To hold pop-up events throughout the year, providing more opportunities for the community to participate, as well as more widely publicising and creating interest for our main Festival in October

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