The start of June's an exciting time for Festival fans, as the August heavyweights unveil their programmes for this year's season.  On 10 June, it's the one we've all been waiting for: the launch of this year's brochure for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.  And just a day later on 11 June, we'll get our first look at the running order for the second-largest of August's gatherings - the Edinburgh International Book Festival. 

Despite the inevitable recession-related speculation, the rumours are that the Fringe will 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 (if previous years are a guide) will also be available for free download from the Book Festival's website.

The two Festivals' box offices open shortly 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 2008 booking out on the first day of ticket sales.  The bookish box office opens bright and early on Monday 22 June, so you should aim to have made your choices by then.

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.