Join Catherine from Wine Wednesdays North Berwick and Rebecca from Night Owl Books for an Italian-themed wine tasting book club! We’ll be enjoying three different wines from Italy while discussing The Eight Mountains, the epic internationally bestselling novel of friendship and self-discovery set in the Italian Alps. Tickets include a copy of the book, which can be collected from Night Owl Books in East Linton, and ideally read in advance of attending. Alternatively, if you will be attending as a couple and would like to share a book and receive a voucher for £10.99 to spend on another book of your choice, or would like to arrange to have your copy posted to you, please email hello@nightowlbooks.co.uk

Please note that this event is for adults aged 18+ only. If you are lucky enough to look under 25, please bring along photo ID when you attend.

This is a seated event (unreserved).

The Times Lounge venue is wheelchair accessible.  If you require further information on accessibility please visit our Accessibility Guide or contact info@fringebythesea.com. TICKETS ARE NON REFUNDABLE

Join award‑winning poet and playwright Hannah Lavery and Edinburgh Makar Michael Pedersen for a rich conversation about friendship, connection and the communities that shape us.

Hannah Lavery, former Edinburgh Makar and Associate Artist with the National Theatre of Scotland, is known for her incisive, socially engaged work across poetry and theatre. Her acclaimed collections Blood Salt Spring and Unwritten Woman have established her as a vital voice exploring identity, care and belonging, with a new collection, Everything, Everyday, forthcoming in 2026.

Michael Pedersen is a prize‑winning poet, author and current Edinburgh Makar. His poetry collection The Cat Prince won Best Poetry at the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards, while his memoir Boy Friends was a Sunday Times Critics’ Choice. His debut novel Muckle Flugga has been praised as “garishly alive” and “extraordinary”.

Together, they reflect on creativity, relationships and the ties that hold us in life, in art and in community.

This event is presented in partnership with Coastal Community Connections, a local charity dedicated to turning loneliness and isolation into connection.

Hannah and Michael will be available for a (time-limited) book signing after the event.

Both books will be available to purchase at the event, during Fringe by the Sea (31st July-9thAugust) through Night Owl Books.

All ages are welcome. Under 16s must be accompanied by an over 18.

This is a seated event (unreserved).

The Famous Grouse Lodge stage venue is wheelchair accessible. If you require further information on accessibility please visit our Accessibility Guide or contact info@fringebythesea.com.

TICKETS ARE NON-REFUNDABLE

North Berwick‑raised Maggie O’Farrell returns to town where she went to high school, for a special conversation about *Land*, her 10th and most ambitious novel to date. This sweeping, multi‑generational epic opens on a windswept peninsula in the west of Ireland and follows a mapmaker, Tomás, and his young son as they chart a country devastated by the Great Hunger. When they discover an unrecorded scrap of ancient woodland, a strange encounter sends them on an odyssey that will reshape their lives and echo through generations.

Inspired by Maggie’s own family history, including her great‑great‑grandfather who worked on the Ordnance Survey, Land explores how personal stories intertwine with myth, memory, rebellion, colonisation and the landscapes that hold them. It is a spellbinding novel of separation, longing, recovery and survival in the shadow of tragedy.

Land’s publication follows the release of a film adaptation of Hamnet, Maggie’s much loved and highly acclaimed novel. Maggie will also reflect on the extraordinary success of the Hamnet film adaptation, co‑written with Academy Award‑winner Chloé Zhao and starring Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley, which has earned a remarkable sweep of BAFTA, Academy Award®, Golden Globe and Critics Choice nominations. Maggie O’Farrell is one of the great novelists, drawing readers into fictional worlds few ever forget.

Maggie will be available for a (time-limited) book signing after the event. The book will be available to purchase at the event, during Fringe by the Sea (31st July-9th August) through Night Owl Books. 

All ages are welcome.

Under 16s must be accompanied by an over 18.

This is a seated event (unreserved). The Famous Grouse Lodge stage venue is wheelchair accessible.

If you require further information on accessibility please visit our Accessibility Guide or contact info@fringebythesea.com.

A tiny‑world adventure inspired by the Brothers Grimm. A Raven visits a young girl named Ada, but why are the birds gathering, and what secret about her past is he trying to reveal? Swept into a dreamlike landscape of quests, feathers and a Glass Mountain, Ada’s journey unfolds across a handcrafted miniature world made from recycled materials, felted merino wool and found objects.

Blending storytelling, object theatre, puppetry and poetry, this intimate show invites audiences into a richly imagined small‑scale universe. After the performance, children can explore the puppets up close and ask questions.

For ages 5+ and adults (younger children welcome in family groups).

Under 16s must be accompanied by an over 18. 

This is a seated event (unreserved). The Dome venue is wheelchair accessible.

If you require further information on accessibility please visit our Accessibility Guide or contact info@fringebythesea.com.

TICKETS ARE NON REFUNDABLE

 

Join Chandlers North Berwick for a relaxed community crafting project creating a vibrant “Flower Curtain” from textile waste generated by the Scottish Woollen Industry.

The finished piece will be exhibited in Forgotten Fleece Tales – a touring exhibition celebrating artworks made from unwanted Scottish fleece and textile byproducts.

All ages are welcome. Under 16s must be accompanied by an over 18.

This is a seated event (unreserved).

The Times Lounge venue is wheelchair accessible.  If you require further information on accessibility please visit our Accessibility Guide or contact info@fringebythesea.com.

FREE/TICKETED