About

‘This is a cultural festival with a local flavour. It makes me proud to see the area I grew up in celebrate great writing in such style’
– Our Patron Andrew O’Hagan, award-winning author and Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature

Tidelines Book Festival is a community-run charitable trust bringing world-class literary events to Ayrshire at affordable prices. Our mission is to celebrate the joy of literature and inspire people of all ages and backgrounds to get involved. We’re passionate about creating inclusive, welcoming experiences that spark curiosity and make the written word feel exciting, engaging and open to everyone – especially those who may be discovering it for the first time!

The Festival was first established in 2013 following a great idea by local Ayrshire man John Steele and runs over one weekend in late September at the Harbour Arts Centre on Irvine’s historic harbourside. Tidelines has grown in strength and reputation over the years and in 2019 was a finalist in the NAC Provost’s Civic Pride Awards, in recognition of our contribution to arts and culture in North Ayrshire. Our previous guests include Chris Brookmyre, Denise Mina, Nicola Sturgeon, Sally Magnusson, Stuart Cosgrove, Jenny Colgan, Graeme Macrae Burnet, Darren McGarvey, Graeme Armstrong, and Len Pennie.

Alongside the main festival, Tidelines also runs a schools programme, organising free author visits to local schools within North Ayrshire’s most deprived areas, to encourage engagement with reading and literacy. We also run ad hoc community events, such as free creative writing workshops for those at risk of loneliness and isolation.

Watch some festival footage below: