The start of June's an exciting time for Festival fans, as the August heavyweights unveil their programmes for this year's season.  On 5 June, it's the one we've all been waiting for: the launch of this year's brochure for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.  And a week later on 12 June, we'll get our first look at the running order for the second-largest of August's gatherings - the Edinburgh International Book Festival. 

While the Fringe has been tight-lipped in the run-up to the launch, it's a pretty safe bet they'll soon be trumpeting another record year, with more than 2,000 shows expected to descend on Edinburgh for the three-week run.  The Fringe programme's free and will be widely available across Edinburgh.  But if you'd like the convenience of having it land on your doormat (and don't mind the £3.50 service fee), you can pre-order your copy online.

This Book Festival's programme, too, will be free to pick up across the city, and will also be available for free download from the Book Festival's website.  But if you'd like it sent out to you, join the Book Festival's mailing list - ask for a sign-up form by emailing  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The two Festivals' box offices open a few days after their respective programme launches.  While both are likely to be busy, the opening day's particularly important for bibliophiles - with many Book Festival events in 2007 booking out on the first day of ticket sales.

Want to be at the front of the box office queue?  We can email you to remind you when the programmes are available.  Just sign up for Ticket Alerts to your Inbox.