Festival 2025

Push the Boat Out 2025 is here! This year’s festival sets sail from 20-23 November with a bold mix of poetry, performance, music and art in a sparkling celebration of words in all their forms. With over 120 artists on board you can expect a packed weekend full of fresh voices, and stories and experiences that surprise, challenge and delight, all while capturing the messy, marvellous complexity of the world we share.

This year we’re kicking off before the festival with a very special event featuring Hollie McNish and Michael Pedersen on Leith’s iconic floating hotel, The Fingal, on Saturday 8 November.

We’ll also be giving you the chance to get into the festival spirit by joining Marjorie Lotfi for Open Book’s Festival Reading Group featuring work from festival poets. Most of the programme will take place at one of Edinburgh’s most beloved festival venues, the Pleasance. We’re excited to be working in such an inspiring venue, with its rich creative atmosphere and vibrant festival vibes. And if you need a breather between events you can take part in our treasure hunt or enjoy our Ian Hamilton Finlay centenary exhibition, and we’ll be offering massages and tarot reading throughout the weekend!

Our 2025 themes dive into Poetry is Punk, a timely reminder that poetry can be raw, edgy, DIY and, importantly, for everyone; The Anthropocene explores the human-made marks on our planet and our bodies, while The Unseen World looks at belief, comfort and imagination beyond the everyday.

In all, 63 events will showcase some of the most exciting voices from Scotland and around the world. Audiences can look forward to appearances by acclaimed poets and performers including Leena Norms, Luke Kennard, Anthony Anaxagorou, Marjorie Lotfi, Zinnie Harris, Karen McCarthy Woolf, Victoria Chang, Lorna Goodison, Anthony Vahni Capildeo, Najwan Darwish, Noor Hindi, Roseanne Watt, Michael Mullen, and Scotland’s Makar, Peter MacKay, among many others.

Alongside poetry, performances and conversations, we’re proud to continue our engagement work with partners across the city including SCOREScotland, Tinderbox Collective, Amnesty International UK and the Simon Community Scotland. These programmes will give young people and adults the opportunity to explore how words can empower, connect and challenge. If you can’t make it in person, we have a fantastic line up of online workshops and discussions and an expanded hybrid programme with five free live-streamed events and a full broadcast schedule with EHFM.

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to make the next step into publishing and performance – our Development Day is here to offer practical advice and encouragement. Join us for a day of networking and workshops in a friendly and supportive environment.

The Development Day is free to attend. Snacks, drinks and a light lunch will be provided.

ConVERSE

We’re once again working in partnership with the University of Edinburgh’s School of Literatures, Languages & Cultures to present ConVERSE: a project to support students as they develop their skills as event chairs. A deft and impassioned chair is very much a co-pilot of any event – they can help ensure the event soars, sizzles and leaves a lasting impression on audiences and authors alike. At best, it will be remembered for years to come.

Students were invited to attend chairing masterclasses led by the University’s Writer in Residence, Mary Paulson-Ellis, along with other experienced voices. Selected students have been matched up with events to chair during the festival, and offered further support from the School of Literatures, Languages & Cultures at UoE. This partnership offers us the chance to support and nurture future talent and we’re pleased to add it to the portfolio of support that we offer developing artists.

For people who can’t come to the festival in person, we offer an online programme, a number of live streamed events, and a programme of events free to listen to at home via our partners EHFM. Look out for updates on the EHFM page of our website.