Everyday
Heroes,
Everlasting
Icons
15 to 17 May 2026
The Paisley Book Festival is a platform for celebrating books, reading and writing in Paisley over the course of three days. It is a festival with creativity and innovation at the heart of its programme, showcasing some of the best and most diverse voices being published today in Scotland and beyond.
The festival connects readers and writers with bold, contemporary ideas, engages established audiences, inspires new ones and serves as an effective marketplace for the writing and publishing world.
Now entering its seventh year, the theme for Paisley Book Festival 2026 is Everyday Heroes, Everlasting Icons.
Who do you look up to? Here at Paisley Book Festival, we’re spoilt for choice with awe-inspiring authors breezing through our doors every day. This year is no different, and we’re excited to welcome some of Scotland’s most iconic writers, thinkers, and creatives to share their latest stories, best-loved characters, and life-changing ideas. We’ll also be asking them who their role models are, and where else we should be looking for inspiration when the world feels lacking. Of course, not all heroes are well-known, and many of our favourite books feature ordinary people who go the extra mile to really make a difference. So, what really makes a hero? Join us at Paisley Book Festival and find out.
Book lovers of the world, Paisley Book Festival is one to add to your calendars. I had the best sessions today, with the best staff, talking about books and creating stories.
Huge thanks to all the volunteers who made the festival run so slick and made the performers and guests feel so welcome. Very well done PBF, you pulled a blinder!
This event helps put Paisley on the map by attracting artists and writers from all over the UK.
Fantastic event! Looking forward to next year’s
An absolute tonic of a weekend Paisley Book Festival thanks for the invite and the warm welcome. We will be back.
It’s so good for kids to hear stories from real life authors about how they got into writing. This type of event could inspire so many kids to read more and start writing.
