The start of June's an exciting time for Festival fans, as the August heavyweights unveil their programmes for this year's season.  On Thursday 9 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 Thursday 16 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 ongoing economic climate, it's almost inevitable 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.  Alternatively, if you want to be one of the very first to get your hands on a copy, head down to the Fringe box office on the Royal Mile at 12 noon on Thursday.

This Book Festival's programme is coming out a week later - and in many ways that's an even more hotly-anticipated event, as demand for tickets means it's vital to get on top of what's on as soon as the listings hit the street.  It 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 2010 booking out on the first day of ticket sales.  The bookish box office opens bright and early on 26 June, so you should aim to have made your choices by then.  The Fringe, meanwhile, commences sales at 8am on 10 June, though - with the exception of a few sought-after events - little will sell out before August.

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.