The inaugural Edinburgh International Magazine Festival will run for a week from September 16-22, and will feature speakers and events from some of the world’s biggest magazine media brands.
The Edinburgh International Magazine Festival will be, says PPA Scotland, the first event of its kind – and a unique opportunity to celebrate the place of magazines in our culture, as well as meet the people behind your favourite titles.
Taking place in various venues across the city of Edinburgh, the festival will feature a variety of events for a wide range of audiences – from families to magazine professionals, and those with an academic interest in magazines to culture vultures.
At the heart of the festival will be PPA Scotland’s Magfest (September 20, Central Hall, Edinburgh), now in its eighth year.
Previous Magfest speakers have included comics impresario Mark Millar, best-selling author Ian Rankin, Twitter’s Director of Curation Joanna Geary, Radio Times Editor Mark Frith, Empire Editor Terri White, and many more. For the first time this year, members of the general public will be able to join in the festival for the headline interview of the day – a top magazine figure to be announced soon.
For the Edinburgh International Magazine Festival, Magfest will be joined by a mixture of free and paid-for events with a strong focus on engaging with a wide range of magazine communities. These will include talks and interviews; workshops and hands-on experiences; tours; kids’ events; and more. Individual events will be announced in the coming weeks.
PPA Scotland is calling on everyone to get behind the new festival by snapping up rewards – including advance tickets for events and merchandise – as part of their crowdfunding campaign.
Edinburgh International Magazine Festival Director Laura Dunlop said: “Magazines offer so many things to their readers. They are an affordable and healthy treat, and by giving us a break from everyday stresses they can help readers de-stress. You can learn new things, discover a community of fellow enthusiasts, or be inspired to try a fresh activity.
“As the ‘techlash’ against Silicon Valley gathers pace, magazines are also a trusted voice. According to Ofcom, magazines are the UK’s most trusted source for news. As the public turn away from clickbait and fake news, magazines provide reliable, quality content.
“I firmly believe that the creativity and ingenuity of magazines deserves its own dedicated festival and I encourage the magazine lovers of Scotland and beyond to get behind the Edinburgh International Magazine Festival.”
Chair of PPA Scotland, and Consumer Magazines Publisher at DC Thomson Media, Sally Hampton said: “Every day our magazines inform, entertain and inspire people of all ages and from all walks of life. The Edinburgh International Magazine Festival is a brilliant opportunity to bring the best of what we do to life for a vast audience over the course of a week. It promises to be great fun!”
The Edinburgh International Magazine Festival is run by the not for profit PPA Scotland and is supported by Gallus Events. All profit generated is put back into the magazine industry in Scotland, says PPA Scotland.
