Wigtown Book Festival: Creative director to stand down from much-loved festival after two decades

The long-running creative director of one of Scotland’s best-known book festivals is standing down after two decades with the flagship literary event.

Adrian Turpin will finish up at the helm of the Wigtown Book Festival following this autumn’s event.

Signs that highlight the renown of the Wigtown Book Festival

The departure of Mr Turpin, who first worked on the festival as a volunteer in 2006, was confirmed in a post made on the festival’s Facebook page on Monday.

The event’s creative and strategic director was awarded an OBE in 2017 for services to literature and the economy of Dumfries & Galloway.

Mr Turpin has overseen the expansion of the festival, which has grown from three days to ten, quadrupling its audience to more than 20,000 people and generating £4.2 million a year for the region.

Outgoing Wigtown Book Festival artistic director Adrian Turpin

Scotsman literary critic Stuart Kelly said: “Adrian has done a magnificent job over the past 20 years turning Wigtown Book Festival into one of the highlights of the literary calendar.

“Having worked with him throughout, it’s been a joy that every year had something different or unusual, and it never felt like part of a tired and predictable circuit.

“It will be quite a challenge for anyone to equal the sprezzatura - the ingenuity and hard work that passes off as nonchalance and serendipity.”

Wigtown was named Outstanding Cultural Event or Festival at Scotland’s national event awards, The Thistles, in November, and secured a £388,000 three-year funding commitment in January to safeguard its immediate future.

This year’s Wigtown Book Festival runs from September 26 to October 5. The programme will be announced in August.