Jam-packed Paisley book festival gets great review
Thousandspourinto town for the literary 4-day extravaganza
Record-breaking crowds turned out for Paisley Book Festival with the literary extravaganza forming part of a jampacked weekend for events in the town.
Running over four days from Thursday, April 25 to Sunday, April 28, the festival, produced and delivered by OneRen, enjoyed a record of 2,113 attendances across 42 events, five of which were BSL [British Sign Language] interpreted.
The festival’s accompanying schools’ programme attracted 24 primary schools with over 1,490 children attending 38 events in the newlyrefurbished Paisley Town Hall, their school or a public library.
Among those to speak at the events across the four days were Pat Nevin, Judy Murray, Graeme Armstrong, Andrew O’Hagan, Alan Bissett and Len Pennie as well as a host of other literary and music events.
Councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes, chair of OneRen said: “We were delighted to welcome readers to Paisley Book Festival, whether they were returning visitors or attending for the first time.
“It was wonderful to see the refurbished Paisley Town Hall and new Paisley Central Library abuzz with people, excited about seeing their favourite writers whether literary authors, sporting legends or poets. Our schools programme has also been a great success with young people from across Renfrewshire enjoying sessions and exploring new worlds and lives through reading.”
She added: “This has been our busiest Paisley Book Festival ever, building on the success of past years.
“We are proud to have presented a diverse and exciting programme that had something for everyone. Paisley Book Festival has become a key event in Renfrewshire’s cultural calendar and we can’t wait to welcome attendees next year.”
Jess Orr, curator of the 2024 Paisley Book Festival, said: “It was a joy to see everyone bustling around the town hall to go to events, meet their favourite authors and get their books signed.
“It reminded me of what a fantastically wide and diverse net of people a book festival can draw in, from poetry lovers to crime fans and fantasy fiction heads to families looking for some creativity to light up the weekend, as well as those seeking more urgent political discussions.
“It was great to see the whole community come together and enjoy the sense that arts and culture are very much alive and well in Paisley.”
Folk in the town also had the chance to enjoy Paisley Food and Drink Festival which also attracted good crowds in the spring sunshine.