Boswell Children's Festival

Guaranteed to appeal to the creative and curious, the annual Boswell Children’s Festival brings a weekend of exciting events and hands-on activities to young readers of all ages in Ayrshire.

A sparkling programme of storytelling talks and interactive workshops - including free activities - is led by an amazing array of well-loved children’s authors and popular illustrators. Previous festival years have featured Vivien French, Justin Davies, Nick Sharratt, Kate Leiper, Christopher Lloyd, Macastory, Edward Ross and The Happiness Collectors.

The Boswell Children’s Festival takes place each May in the gorgeous grounds of Dumfries House Estate. With an adventure playground, iconic maze, café and acres of grounds for picnicking, it makes for a wonderful, affordable day out for all the family.

Explore all the events on this year’s festival programme

Schools Programme

We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to read, write, and unlock their creativity.

Our dedicated Schools Day, on the opening day of the festival, brings over 400 primary and secondary school children to Dumfries House for a day of free workshops and talks. These are designed to explore creative writing and introduce ideas of discovering lives and telling our own stories. Our outreach project takes authors and illustrators into local primary schools, connecting them directly to the festival.