South Ayrshire’s first-ever book festival is set to go ahead after the council secured £26,715 in funding for the project.
The award will support a festival across two flagship venues in Ayr: The Carnegie Library and The Cutty Sark Centre. The programme is intended to bring the library experience to life while encouraging people from under-represented groups to become active library users.
Funding for a new library-focused festival
South Ayrshire Council received the money from the Public Library Improvement Fund, known as PLIF. The fund is administered by the Scottish Library & Information Council on behalf of the Scottish Government.
The council said the festival will provide a platform to promote the importance of libraries and help communities discover new books, stories and reading materials.
Festival linked to national reading campaign
The investment comes as Scotland prepares for Wee Read, described as a national reading moment taking place on Wednesday, October 7, as part of the National Year of Reading 2026.
Led by the Scottish Library & Information Council, the campaign is encouraging people of all ages to make time to read something they enjoy. Libraries are expected to play a key role in helping communities take part and find reading material that interests them.
The funding announcement marks the next step towards delivering the first South Ayrshire Book Festival in Ayr. Further programme details were not included in the announcement.