An appearance by Outlander star Sam Heughan concluded the 2026 Wigtown Book Festival which was described as a 10-day “melting pot of ideas and connections”.
The final weekend saw appearances from best-selling author Alex Howard with his new book The Ship’s Cat, plus Sophie Raworth, Manjeet Mann, Vince Cable and many others.
Despite difficult economic times, final figures for the annual event in Scotland’s National Book Town are expected to show an increase in ticket sales and visitor numbers on 2025.
The sold-out finale of the festival saw Galloway’s Sam Heughan talk about how his acting career began, his success with Outlander, his writing and his love of hiking in the Scottish countryside – and his affection for southern Scotland.
Heughan said: “I think Galloway, the southwest and the south of Scotland, have got so much to offer. There’s so much history here – it’s tangible. And look at this amazing festival.”
The festival’s contribution to Scotland and the region has also just been recognised with the Tourism & Visitor Management Award in the annual Helping it Happen awards, run by Scottish Land & Estates (SLE).
This year’s festival featured more than 250 events ranging from book talks to film, theatre, guided walks and live music, all organised by a small core professional staff and a 100+ army of volunteers, most from Wigtown, which has a population of under 1,000.
Isla Rosser-Owen, Wigtown Festival Company CEO, said: “It always amazes me the way the community comes together to make this festival happen, helping promote Wigtown as Scotland’s National Book Town and Galloway as a wonderful place to visit.
“Despite the difficult economic times we set ourselves some ambitious targets for this year in terms of visitor numbers and ticket sales – and it looks as if we have achieved them all.
“This is vital not just for the future of the festival, but so we can carry on doing the rest of our work, such as our projects with children and young people.
“Our team delivering the festival is absolutely fantastic and I’d like to thank our volunteers, trustees, and staff for working so, so hard to make it all happen. Thanks, too, to all our guests, visitors, sponsors and funders for supporting and contributing to this year’s festival.”
Other guests for the final day included Glasgow’s multi-award winning debut author of A Bad, Bad Place Frances Crawford, and Professor Melanie Ramdarshan Bold, talking about Please Look After This Bear her book, co-authored with Aishwarya Subramanian, about how Paddington became a global symbol for the UK in the 21st century.
Cathy Agnew, Chair of the board of trustees, said: “It’s been a terrific week and we’ve welcomed authors, audiences and volunteers from all over the world. As ever, it’s been a real melting pot of ideas and connections whose legacy is a memorable Wigtown shared experience.
“It was a terrific boost to the team to receive the Scottish Land and Estates Helping it Happen Award during the week as we built up to a crescendo of exciting events in the final weekend with Bill Paterson, Sophie Raworth, Vince Cable, Larry Lamb and Sam Heughan. Definitely something to suit all tastes!”
The festival brings in around £4.3 million a year to Dumfries & Galloway, boosting local businesses such as cafes, self-catering and B&Bs, shops and restaurants, and creating employment and business opportunities through event and hospitality contracts. WFC also uses local suppliers and businesses wherever possible.
Many events in the festival programme are a platform for local voices, regional history and topical subjects for the area, strengthening our sense of place and community.
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Notes
- For more about Wigtown Book Festival see www.wigtownbookfestival.com
About the Helping it Happen Awards
The awards honour businesses, community projects and individuals across rural Scotland making an outstanding contribution to the rural economy, communities, wildlife and the environment.
For more about the SLE see https://www.scottishlandandestates.co.uk.
About VisitScotland
VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism and events organisation. Its core purpose is to drive the visitor economy, growing its value in Scotland. As an economic growth agency, VisitScotland’s activity focuses on three key priorities – market development, place development and business and experience development. VisitScotland’s work helps deliver the ambitions of the national tourism strategy, Scotland Outlook 2030, for Scotland to be a world leader in 21st century tourism, and Scotland’s National Events Strategy 2024 – 2035.
It leverages tourism and events as a force for good for all of Scotland’s people and places and builds Scotland’s international profile as a leading place to visit, live, work, study and do business. For VisitScotland’s press releases, tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to visitscotland.org or follow us on @VisitScotland on LinkedIn.
About Creative Scotland
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports culture and creativity across all parts of Scotland, distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery. Further information at creativescotland.com. Follow Creative Scotland on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
For media information: Matthew Shelley at Matthew@ScottishfestivalsPR.org or 07786 704299.
Wigtown Festival Company, 26 South Main Street, Wigtown, Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland, UK, DG8 9EH. Wigtown Festival Company is a company limited by guarantee with charitable status. Scottish Charity No. SC037984
