Ness Book Fest

18/01/2026

Wow! What a night we had at the (delayed) 2025 NBF Poetry Slam at The Bike Shed - Events Venue/Coffee House 😃
The talent on show was absolutely incredible, with such a wide range of powerful, creative performances from every competitor. But there can be only one winner…

👑 Huge congratulations to Caroline Burrows (VerseCycle) 👑

Caroline now goes on to compete at the National Slam Final next month, where she will duke it out against winners from across the country 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

A massive thank you to all our brilliant competitors and to our fantastic audience for scoring each and every poem 🙌
We could not have done it without you!

17/01/2026

🔥 The Not So Serious Burns Unit 🔥
A sharp, funny, and musical alternative take on Scotland’s national bard.

Scottish Slam Poetry Champion and Burns Fellow Hamish MacDonald teams up with acclaimed folk singer songwriter Liza Mulholland for an entertaining evening of poetry, music, and song inspired by Robert Burns.

Fresh from performances at the Edinburgh Fringe and Dundee Burns Club in 2026, this lively show blends humour, insight, and live music in an intimate setting.

📍 La Tortilla Asesina. (upstairs)
🕖 Saturday 24 January, 7.00pm
📍 99 Castle Street, Inverness
🎟 Tickets available via Eventbrite
🍽 Optional tickets include haggis paella

17/01/2026

Tonight sees the much-anticipated return of the NBF Poetry Slam at The Bike Shed - Events Venue/Coffee House.
After a rake of inconvenient wind postponed the last comp, we're finally back with a fistful of versemakers battling it out to be crowned Champ of The Highlands!

Very much looking forward to spending a SOLD OUT evening with the doomed! 😍
Doors 6.30pm - 7pm start

15/01/2026

Happy Birthday to the Glasgow Dreamer himself, Ivor Cutler!

The writer, poet, musician, and humourist Ivor was a pure one off.
If you don't know him, there's no better day to discover this magical weirdo who was loved and even inspired the likes of The Beatles and Billy Connolly.
Ivor sadly died in 2006, but his work still lives on.

14/01/2026

There are 2 tickets available for the fantabulous POETRY SLAM on Saturday. Come on down and see local poets battle it out to become THE Poet of Inverness!

Doors open at 6:30…

https://www.tickettailor.com/self-service/nessbookfest

07/12/2025

When Storm Amy rudely wiped out our Saturday night events for NBF25, we had to have a big reshuffle.
We managed to move and complete most of our scheduled events last month, and now we've got a new date for our EPIC Poetry Slam! 🥳

📍The Bike Shed - Events Venue/Coffee House
📆Saturday 17th January 2026
⏰Time: 6.30pm for 7pm start

The Slam was sold out in October, but a few tickets might come back due to the date change. If you already have tickets, they’re still valid. If you’re on the wait list, keep an eye on your inbox. And if you can’t make it anymore, please return your tickets using the link below so others can get a chance to go! 🙏

https://www.tickettailor.com/self-service/nessbookfest

01/11/2025

Some of our merry band after today’s events…

30/10/2025

📚✨ Gaelic Storytime with Shelagh Chaimbeul ✨📚

There is still good availability for this event.
Come along and support our wonderful author with a warm Inverness welcome.

Join award-winning author Shelagh Chaimbeul for a special kids Gaelic event at NessBookFest!

📖 Shelagh will be reading from her brand-new children’s book 'Ailig agus an Dalek Gàidhlig' followed by a fun activity for young readers.

🗓 Saturday 1 November
🕚 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
📍 Eastgate Shopping Centre, discovery college

Shelagh is a Glasgow-based writer of fiction for adults and children in Scottish Gaelic. She received the Gaelic New Writers Award from the Scottish Book Trust in 2022, won the Highland Society of London Prize for Best Fiction Book in 2024, and has published both adult and children’s fiction with Luath Press and Acair.

🎟 This is a free event, but tickets are required:
👉 Book your ticket at our Box Office on Tickettailor

Come along and celebrate Gaelic stories with us! 🥳

29/10/2025

Merryn Glover's workshop event is now
***SOLD OUT***

Don't miss out on our other events. Book your free tickets before they all go!

🎟

NessBookFest – The inaugural NessBookFest took place in November 2016 and returned the following year with a taster day at Inverness Town Hous...

29/10/2025

It's nearly time for Ness Book Fest and we have just 1 ticket remaining for this event!

📚✨ Comics-Making Workshop with L. D. Lapinski ✨📚

Please note the new date!! There are still 2 places available

📅 Saturday 1 November
🕜 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
📍 Eastgate Shopping Centre, discovery college

Join bestselling author L. D. Lapinski for a hands-on comics-making workshop, perfect for ages 12 and up.

👉 Learn how comics and graphic novels are created, from first script to final page
👉 Get expert tips from the award-winning author of the Strangeworlds Travel Agency series, the ARTEZANS trilogy, Jamie, Stepfather Christmas and more
👉 Have fun making your very own comic!

🎟️ Free tickets available now:
https://buytickets.at/nessbookfest/1816280

🌍 Lapinski’s books are published worldwide in 16 languages and have been recognised with Kirkus stars and nominations for the Yoto Carnegie Medal, Polari Prize and Branford Boase Award.

This Ness Book Fest event is kindly sponsored by My Primary and Secondary Tutor, an award-winning tuition business supporting young people across the UK.