Wigtown Spring Weekend, organised by the Association of Wigtown Booksellers took place from 3 - 6 May 2013

 

Scotland's National Book Town hosted a vibrant long-weekend of activities for families and book lovers, including theatre, music, workshops and exhibitions. Most sessions were held in one of the town's many independent bookshops. 

To see a PDF of the programme click here

 

This year's Spring Weekend contained two new elements. On Friday 3 May, we were proud to be hosting the first Wigtown Writer's Gathering, a day of workshops, networking and professional advice for writers. We were also delighted to welcome the cream of Dumfries & Galloway's food, drink and arts and crafts producers at Wigtown Spring Fair on Sunday 5 and Monday 6 May. 

Friday 3rd May 2013
The Wigtown Writers' Gathering
An all day workshop and networking event for writers
County Buildings, Main Hall
Friday 3rd May 2013
9:15
This event starts at 9.15am and will finish at 5pm. ... →

Wigtown Book Festival Dinner and Charity Auction
Bladnoch Distillery
Friday 3rd May 2013
19:30
The 15th Wigtown Book Festival takes place from 27 September to 6 October. Pl... →

Music: The Mermaids
Winners of Wigtown's got Talent 2012
The Old Bank Bookshop
Friday 3rd May 2013
19:30
When the two MacFarlane Sisters won the Wigtown Book Festival ... →

Saturday 4th May 2013
Walk: Greet the Dawn Chorus
5.30am-7.30am
Crook of Baldoon
Saturday 4th May 2013
5:30
The RSPB warden at the Crook of Baldoon Nature Reserve, Paul Tarling, leads a... →

Phil McMenemy
Photographs
Book Corner
Saturday 4th May 2013
10:00
Stunning images of Dumfries and Galloway from the award-winning Laurieston-ba... →

Crafter & Maker
Show, Tell & See
ReadingLasses Bookshop and Café
Saturday 4th May 2013
10:00
Join crafters for leatherwork, spinning, art and more.  Watch them ... →

Children's Face Painting
ReadingLasses Bookshop and Café
Saturday 4th May 2013
10:00
Come and get your face painted in the VW Camper Van outside Reading Lasses. ... →

Jessica Fox
Things Things You Need to Know About Rockets
The Bookshop
Saturday 4th May 2013
10:00
Jessica Fox was a twentysomething film-maker living in Los Angeles and workin... →

Nicky McDonald
Letterpress & Book Binding Workshop
The Bookshop
Saturday 4th May 2013
10:00
Relaxed, friendly tuition in the heart of Wigtown with two tutors, using trad... →

Jennifer Smith
Prints
The Studio
Saturday 4th May 2013
10:00
Printmaker Jennifer Smith exhibits prints created using collagraph and drypoi... →

Drop-in Workshop
Drypoint Printmaking
The Studio
Saturday 4th May 2013
10:00
Printmaker Jennifer Smith will help you create a printing plate using drypoin... →

Renita Boyle
Hare, There and Everywhere
The Box of Frogs
Saturday 4th May 2013
10:30
Where oh where is Dash the Hare?  Help Renita Boyle search. Join in song... →

David Devereux
John MacTaggart and the Scottish Gallovidian Enclyclopaedia
Byre Books
Saturday 4th May 2013
10:30
When John MacTaggart published his survey of Galloway and its people in 1824,... →

Merryn Fergusson
What is Wrong with ME?
The Bookshop
Saturday 4th May 2013
12:00
For three years, Merryn Fergusson’s teenage son, Chris, was unable to g... →

Wigtown The Festival
Louise Welsh
The Girl on the Stairs
The Old Bank Bookshop
Saturday 4th May 2013
12:00
Louise Welsh’s psychological chiller The Girl on the Stairs has been de... →

Frances Wilkins
A Nest of Smugglers in Dumfries and Galloway 1688 to 1850
The Bookshop
Saturday 4th May 2013
13:30
The craze for tea, brandy and wine and the proximity by sea to England made D... →

Bike Ride
Cycle into Spring
Byre Books
Saturday 4th May 2013
13:30
Join Rab Wilson, author of 1957 Flying Scot, and Brian Ferguson of Kirkcowan ... →

Struan Stevenson
So Much Wind - The Myth of Green Energy
The Bookshop
Saturday 4th May 2013
15:00
Struan Stevenson MEP doesn’t dispute that climate change is one of the ... →

Theatre
Tall Tales for Wee Folk
Baptist Church
Saturday 4th May 2013
15:00
Join magical storyteller Kreestan Sennakie and Milo the Magical Mutt on a fan... →

Mary Smith
Drunk Chickens and Burnt Macaroni - Real Stories of Afghan Women
The Old Bank Bookshop
Saturday 4th May 2013
16:30
Mary Smith’s book offers a rare insight into the lives of Afghan women.... →

Rab Wilson
1957 Flying Scot Film Show
Byre Books
Saturday 4th May 2013
18:00
Once upon a time, a Flying Scot bicycle was the dream of many a working-class... →

Theatre: Double Take
Dead Dag Dog/All an Act
Swallow Theatre
Saturday 4th May 2013
19:30
Quids In Theatre Company present two one-act plays. Dead Dad Dog by John ... →

Dinner with Alyne Jones
Vanishing Scotland
ReadingLasses Bookshop and Café
Saturday 4th May 2013
19:30
Alyne Jones is a cultural historian based in Moniaive. For the past 20 years,... →

Walk to Fear
£5 per team of 4
Meet Outside County Buildings
Saturday 4th May 2013
21:00
Take a terrorising tour around Wigtown’s dark streets but beware of wha... →

Sunday 5th May 2013
Guerrilla Poetry
ReadingLasses Bookshop and Café
Sunday 5th May 2013
10:00
Expect the unexpected with pop up readings from local writers thoughout the d... →

Children's Face Painting
ReadingLasses Bookshop and Café
Sunday 5th May 2013
10:00
Come and get your face painted in the VW Camper Van outside Reading Lasses. ... →

Wigtown Spring Fair
New for 2013
County Buildings, Main Hall
Sunday 5th May 2013
10:00
Browse through an eclectic mix of stalls featuring artisan food and drink, co... →

Hope London
Drawing & Seeing
ReadingLasses Bookshop and Café
Sunday 5th May 2013
10:00
Artist Hope London leads relaxed drop-in sessions about enhancing your abilit... →

Phil McMenemy
Photographs
Book Corner
Sunday 5th May 2013
10:00
Stunning images of Dumfries and Galloway from the award-winning Laurieston-ba... →

Crafter & Maker
Show, Tell & See
ReadingLasses Bookshop and Café
Sunday 5th May 2013
10:00
Join crafters for leatherwork, spinning, art and more.  Watch them ... →

Nicky McDonald
Letterpress & Book Binding Workshop
The Bookshop
Sunday 5th May 2013
10:00
Relaxed, friendly tuition in the heart of Wigtown with two tutors, using trad... →

Jennifer Smith
Prints
The Studio
Sunday 5th May 2013
10:00
Printmaker Jennifer Smith exhibits prints created using collagraph and drypoi... →

Nature Acitivities
Wigtown Bay Visitor Centre
Sunday 5th May 2013
10:00
Drop-in fun and games for all.     10am-4pm   ... →

Mad Science Drop-in
Church Hall
Sunday 5th May 2013
11:00
Release your inner scientist with Dr Rebecca Crawford from Glasgow University... →

Paul Tarling
Wetland Restoration Along Wigtown Bay
Byre Books
Sunday 5th May 2013
12:00
Paul Tarling of the RSPB talks about how the work undertaken at Crook of Bald... →

Workshop: Book It!
With Julie Houston
The Bookend Studio
Sunday 5th May 2013
13:30
Local artist Julie Houston offers endless ways to get creative with old books... →

Jayne Baldwin
Elsie Mackay
The Bookshop
Sunday 5th May 2013
13:30
A pioneering aviatrix and actress, Elsie Mackay took up flying in 1923 and wa... →

Patrick Laurie
The Black Grouse
The Bookshop
Sunday 5th May 2013
15:00
Patrick Laurie discusses his beautifully illustrated new book, the first to b... →

Bookbug Rhymetime
Wigtown Library
Sunday 5th May 2013
15:00
Join us for songs, rhymes and stories tailored to the youngest Spring Weekend... →

Kriss Nichol
In Desolate Corners, Shadows Crouch
The Old Bank Bookshop
Sunday 5th May 2013
15:00
Grace has always been strange. But when her granddaughter dies in her care an... →

Storytelling
How Notter to Spotter and Otter with Renita Boyle
Wigtown Bay Visitor Centre
Sunday 5th May 2013
15:00
Drop your kids off and visit the Spring Fair.    Free ... →

Mike Marshall
McMillan -The Couple Who Built the Family Business
The Bookshop
Sunday 5th May 2013
16:30
From humble  beginnings in Stranraer, Janet and Hammy McMillan built up ... →

Book Town Writers
The Book Town Works
The Old Bank Bookshop
Sunday 5th May 2013
16:30
Now in its second year, Wigtown’s writing group has made its mark with ... →

Music: Mairi Campbell and David Francis
Revival! and The Red Earth
Wigtown Church
Sunday 5th May 2013
18:00
Playing together as The Cast, Mairi Campbell and David Francis are two of Sco... →

Dinner: Celebrate Spring Festival
ReadingLasses Bookshop and Café
Sunday 5th May 2013
18:00
The menu of this special dinner reflects a weekend of events and offers a cha... →

Monday 6th May 2013
Nature Activities
Wigtown Bay Visitor Centre
Monday 6th May 2013
10:00
Drop-in fun and games for all.   10am-4pm   (Free, ... →

Nicky McDonald
Letterpress & Book Binding Workshop
The Bookshop
Monday 6th May 2013
10:00
Relaxed, friendly tuition in the heart of Wigtown with two tutors, using trad... →

Hope London
Drawing & Seeing
ReadingLasses Bookshop and Café
Monday 6th May 2013
10:00
Artist Hope London leads relaxed drop-in sessions about enhancing your abilit... →

Wigtown Spring Fair
New for 2013
County Buildings, Main Hall
Monday 6th May 2013
10:00
Browse through an eclectic mix of stalls featuring artisan food and drink, co... →

Jennifer Smith
Prints
The Studio
Monday 6th May 2013
10:00
Printmaker Jennifer Smith exhibits prints created using collagraph and drypoi... →

Children's Face Painting
ReadingLasses Bookshop and Café
Monday 6th May 2013
10:00
Come and get your face painted in the VW Camper Van outside Reading Lasses. ... →

Crafter & Maker
Show, Tell & See
ReadingLasses Bookshop and Café
Monday 6th May 2013
10:00
Join crafters for leatherwork, spinning, art and more.  Watch them ... →

Phil McMenemy
Photographs
Book Corner
Monday 6th May 2013
10:00
Stunning images of Dumfries and Galloway from the award-winning Laurieston-ba... →

Renita Boyle
Not a Cloud in the Sky
Church Hall
Monday 6th May 2013
10:30
There was no cloud  in the sky, not a drop of rain – but Noah... →

Jacquie Swift's Topsy Turvy, Gan Tapsalteerie
In Aid of the Alexandra Unit, Dumfries
The Old Bank Bookshop
Monday 6th May 2013
10:30
Before her death this year, Jacquie Swift compiled a final verse an... →

Andrew Nicholson
The Vikings in Galloway
Byre Books
Monday 6th May 2013
10:30
When the Vikings invaded Scotland, Galloway was on the frontline, and the inf... →

John Nelson
A Broken Shoe - The Clue that Hanged George Watson
The Old Bank Bookshop
Monday 6th May 2013
12:00
In 1811 John Kerr, followed the trail of his stolen horse 150 miles from Ayrs... →

Ted Cowan
Wit and Wisdom of Wigtownshire
Wigtown Golf Club
Monday 6th May 2013
13:30
Wigtownshire has been described as the last place before you fall into the se... →

Andrew Nicholson
Viking Board Games
Wigtown Bay Visitor Centre
Monday 6th May 2013
13:30
Discover what it meant to be a Viking through board games.   (Ag... →

Janet Butterworth
Whithorn, Ancient Place of Pilgrimage
Byre Books
Monday 6th May 2013
15:00
Ever since St Ninian came ashore in the Dark Ages bringing Christianity to th... →

Jean Atkin
The Crow House
The Bookshop
Monday 6th May 2013
15:00
Jean Atkin wrote The Crow House after Wigtown’s Georgian bookshops and ... →

Music
Red Rose, White Rose
Sacred Heart Catholic Church
Monday 6th May 2013
16:30
On the eve of the battle of Flodden in 1513, the wife and lover of James IV s... →