This year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival is set to take place from August 10-25 at its new home in the Edinburgh Futures Institute, near The Meadows.
Book lovers will flock to over 500 events, with this year’s theme being ‘Future Tense’, exporing “how future-oriented thinking, learning across generations and disciplines, and approaching change with curiosity, compassion, and imagination, could help us untangle the huge systematic challenges we currently face, both as individuals and as a society”.
Many of the world’s biggest authors will be attending the festival, including the likes of Marian Keyes, Robert Harris, Salman Rushdie, David Nicholls, Val McDermid and Ian Rankin.
But there will also be plenty of big names who are better known for their work in the worlds of comedy, acting, music and politics.
Here are 11 of the most famous faces appearing at the festival in 2024.
Many of the world’s biggest authors will be attending the festival, including the likes of Marian Keyes, Robert Harris, Salman Rushdie, David Nicholls, Val McDermid and Ian Rankin.
![Ian Rankin is busy this book festival - he'll also be interviewing host of BBC gameshows Pointless and House of Games Richard Osman aout his brand new book - We Solve Murders. It marks a departure from the best-selling Thursday Murder Club series, and follows Amy and Steve Wheeler, a father and daughter-in-law detective duo. He'll be at the McEwan Hall on Saturday, August 24, at 1.30pm.](https://www.thestar.co.uk/jpim-static/image/2024/06/18/11/11/Untitled%20design%20-%202024-06-18T124720.022.jpg.jpg?crop=3:2&trim=&width=800)
5. Richard Osman
Ian Rankin is busy this book festival - he'll also be interviewing host of BBC gameshows Pointless and House of Games Richard Osman aout his brand new book - We Solve Murders. It marks a departure from the best-selling Thursday Murder Club series, and follows Amy and Steve Wheeler, a father and daughter-in-law detective duo. He'll be at the McEwan Hall on Saturday, August 24, at 1.30pm. | Getty Images
![Fern Brady is one of the biggest success stories in Scottish comedy of recent years and will be playing the cavernous Edinburgh Playhouse Theatre at this year's Fringe. You can see her in more intimate surroundings at the at the EFI Spiegeltent on Wednesday, August 21, at 9pm. The Taskmaster star will be talking about her critically-acclaimed and prize-winning book Strong Female Character.](https://www.thestar.co.uk/jpim-static/image/2024/06/18/11/28/p0981ct7.jpg.jpg?crop=3:2&trim=&width=640)
6. Fern Brady
Fern Brady is one of the biggest success stories in Scottish comedy of recent years and will be playing the cavernous Edinburgh Playhouse Theatre at this year's Fringe. You can see her in more intimate surroundings at the at the EFI Spiegeltent on Wednesday, August 21, at 9pm. The Taskmaster star will be talking about her critically-acclaimed and prize-winning book Strong Female Character. | Contributed
![Comdian, author, television star and filmmaker Richard Ayoade will be chatting about the children's book he's written with David Roberts - Step into the Fairy Tale Kingdom - at Venue T at 3.15pm on Saturday, August 24. The 'behind the scenes' look as fairytales is recommended for ages 8-12 but it's one that parents will probably not mind accompanying their kids along to.](https://www.thestar.co.uk/jpim-static/image/2024/06/18/12/56/GettyImages-500236464.jpg.jpg?crop=3:2&trim=&width=800)
7. Richard Ayoade
Comdian, author, television star and filmmaker Richard Ayoade will be chatting about the children's book he's written with David Roberts - Step into the Fairy Tale Kingdom - at Venue T at 3.15pm on Saturday, August 24. The 'behind the scenes' look as fairytales is recommended for ages 8-12 but it's one that parents will probably not mind accompanying their kids along to. | Getty Images
![By the the time the book festival comes along Labour politician Jess Phillips might be a member of the cabinet. She's in Edinburgh to talk about her political memoir 'A Breath of Fresh Air', at Venue T at 12.15pm on Sunday, August 11.](https://www.thestar.co.uk/jpim-static/image/2024/06/18/13/02/GettyImages-1199541083.jpg.jpg?crop=3:2&trim=&width=800)
8. Jess Phillips
By the the time the book festival comes along Labour politician Jess Phillips might be a member of the cabinet. She's in Edinburgh to talk about her political memoir 'A Breath of Fresh Air', at Venue T at 12.15pm on Sunday, August 11. | Getty Images