Free family fun at Paisley Book Festival

An array of fun events for families will be held as part of Paisley Book Festival on Saturday April 26th.

The events, which are free to attend, include those which focus on everything from dancing mushrooms to witches and naughty fairies.

First up is The Happiness Collectors where families can pop on their headphones and travel on a journey of sounds and silliness to learn the best ways to collect happiness - and most important of all, how to pass it on!

BAFTA-nominated Alan Dapré will also share GRIZZLY BEN! Ready - Teddy - Go!, his heart-warming picture book about a boy who becomes a bear. Expect lots of props, wordplay, laughter and fun as Alan shares his hairy, bear-y, not-too-scary story.

1, 2, 3 Resilient Mushrooms! is a joyful, family-friendly performance celebrating the resilience of nature through the story of three mushrooms who thrive together in a damaged landscape. Using ceilidh dancing, physical storytelling, and Scottish traditional music, it explores themes of community, care, and hope.

This is a brand-new commission debuting at the Paisley Book Festival from lovebug + worm (Hope Kennedy and Florence Logan) made possible through a partnership between Imaginate, Aberdeen Performing Arts and OneRen. The show includes light audience participation and spontaneous appearances around the venue on family day.

J L Givens brings their mini workshop and theatre performance ‘The Witch and the Snitch’ to the festival to talk about the Paisley Witch Trials. Focusing on this fascinating piece of Paisley's history, the workshop will talk about the modern-day idea of 'Witch hunts’.

Author Karen Herbison and illustrator Kevin Cantwell will create stories and fun drawings all about adventures with a slimy, sticky, smelly swamp as they focus on Tillie the Naughty Fairy and her Grandpa’s Teeth. The book also supports dyslexic readers.

Kids are experts. Some are experts on jumping, some on dinosaur fossils, some on making mud pies. Experts Radio Lab and the accompanying Listening Station is a free, drop-in experience, set within a pop-up radio studio at the Paisley Town Hall. Interviews will be shared live to an audience of fellow interviewees, their families and anyone who’s curious. Commissioned by Edinburgh International Children’s Festival, produced by Imaginate, for their Family Encounters at the National Museum of Scotland (Edinburgh) and for Platform (Glasgow) Bridge Festival.

Join storyteller Ailie Finlay from My Kind of Book on a sensory story adventure for Spring. Swish through the grass and squelch through the bogs as they rescue some lambs and spot springtime animals - lots of props to bounce and squeeze and inclusive games to play. A fun and engaging session for everyone but particularly suitable for children with additional needs and their families and friends.

A Dream Plan For Dottie is the story of a feisty Scottish princess who is having bad dreams. Luckily, Kitty, the scullery maid, has the solution…Dottie needs a dream plan. A Dream Plan for Dottie aims to empower your child to manifest happy dreams for a better night’s sleep. Listen to the enchanting story then take part in drawing your own magical dream and decorate a crown to take home!

Paisley Book Festival 2025 is organised by OneRen supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland.

Full details about the Paisley Book Festival line-up - including booking information - are available at www.paisleybookfestival.com.