From Richard Osman’s retired amateur sleuths solving cosy crimes every Thursday, to Freida McFadden’s murderous housemaids and Harlan Coben’s twisty thrillers, the crime genre has long been a favourite of readers around the world.
Reading and writing are notoriously solitary pursuits, so it is no wonder that a global industry has sprung up to stage live events designed to appeal to fans of the genre.
One theme that is proving popular across the world this year is Agatha Christie, the world’s best-selling crime writer, who is outsold by only the Bible and William Shakespeare. This year marks 50 years since her death, so expect to see many panels celebrating her illustrious career.
There are dozens of crime-writing festivals around the world, so here is our guide to some of the best of the bunch. Happy sleuthing.
International Agatha Christie Festival
The original Queen of Crime, Christie, ruled the golden age of crime writing in the 1930s – including penning stories inspired by Middle Eastern journeys – and many crime-writing festivals will feature homages this year to the iconic creator of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.
However, for dedicated Christie fans the only place to be is the annual gathering held at her birthplace in Torquay, south-west England. This year’s programme celebrates the centenary of the publication of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, one of her most popular novels.
September 12–20, 2026, Torquay, UK
Bloody Scotland
The home of Scottish hero William Wallace, Stirling’s annual crime writing festival has attracted many legendary Tartan Noir scribes since it started in 2012.
Sir Ian Rankin, creator of the best-selling Rebus detective series, was last year the first to take on the role of guest programmer, and following in his footsteps this year is Denise Mina, with a programme that includes big names such as Richard Osman, Lee Child, Ardal O'Hanlon, Tana French and Val McDermid.
September 18-20, 2026, Stirling, Scotland
Getafe Negro
A 12-day celebration of crime, this festival mixes the genre with a healthy dose of academia, film and popular culture.
It is also a chance to delve into the popular Spanish novela negra tradition, which became popular in the 1970s when Spain emerged from the Franco dictatorship and the crime fiction genre was used as a not-so-subtle critique of the changing society. This year includes a special focus on the works of legendary American writer Stephen King.
October 14-15, 2026, Getafe/Madrid, Spain
Bouchercon: World Mystery Convention
One of the largest global gatherings of crime-writing fans, this event has been running since 1970 and was established in honour of American crime writer and critic Anthony Boucher. One of the 2026 highlights is guest of honour Kathy Reichs, a forensic anthropologist-turned-author, whose best-selling Temperance Brennan novels inspired the popular Bones TV series.
A trip to the festival also offers a chance to check out the Rockies and the rugged Canadian setting, while fans of the comedy-horror genre should check out a production of Little Shop of Horrors running at Theatre Calgary over the same period.
October 21-25, 2026, Calgary, Canada
Iceland Noir
Iceland may have only about 400,000 residents, but its long hours of winter darkness and alien landscape give it one of the most atmospheric settings on the annual crime-writing festival calendar. This event is more intimate than many of the larger festivals and most events are in English, which makes it particularly accessible to international visitors.
Previous guests have included Dan Brown and George R.R. Martin and while the full 2026 line-up hasn’t yet been confirmed, this year’s focus will include a full day dedicated to Agatha Christie.
November 11-14, 2026, Reykjavik, Iceland
Venice Noir
One of the newest additions to the global crime-writing calendar, the festival counts Sir Ian Rankin among its fans and has been described by him as “the most beautiful book festival in the world”. Highlights this year include a discussion focused on Robert Louis Stevenson’s epic masterpiece The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, the evolution of the modern spy genre and the history of giallo, Italy’s crime subgenre, which is believed to have influenced the growth of American slasher films.
Authors to look out for include Mark Billingham, Elly Griffiths and Clare Mackintosh.
November 12-15, 2026, Venice, Italy
Singapore Writers Festival
Established 40 years ago, the festival has attracted global names such as Margaret Atwood, Zadie Smith and Neil Gaiman. The event includes sessions across a number of languages, including English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil.
The full 2026 programme has not yet been unveiled. While it is not a dedicated crime festival, this year’s theme is Hidden in Plain Sight and covers areas such as crime fiction, investigative journalism and stories about concealment.
Festivalgoers should also check out Singapore Murder Mystery 2: Crime on Date Night, an interactive outdoor detective game Old Hill Street Police Station, and players have around 90 minutes and players have around 90 minutes to solve a fictional murder while looking for clues around the city.
November 13-22, 2026, Singapore
BAD Sydney Crime Writers Festival
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Sydney is one of the strongest dedicated crime festivals outside Europe and North America, and previous big-name participants have included Lynda La Plante, Ann Cleeves and Lee Child.
The festival is renowned for its quirky elements, such as themed city walking tours. In 2023, it staged an interactive event where players were presented with a crime scene and could examine evidence, test for DNA and fingerprints, and interview witnesses in a bid to solve the murder.
November 20-21, 2026, Sydney, Australia
Krimimessen
The major attraction of this Danish festival is that it is staged inside Fængslet, a former prison, so it is no wonder it regularly attracts around 100 authors and 7,000 participants.
Next year it will celebrate its 25th anniversary, and while the programme hasn’t been announced, guests in the past have included Inspector Morse creator Colin Dexter, American author Don Winslow and British bestseller Lisa Jewell.
Panel sessions also often feature experts on topics such as DNA, forensic genealogy and arson.
March 13-14, 2027, Horsens, Denmark
ThrillerFest XXII
A major global conference for crime writers and those across the industry, it includes elements such as CraftFest, Masterclass and PitchFest, where aspiring authors can network and pitch their novel ideas to more than 60 literary agents and editors.
Some of the A-list authors announced so far for 2027 include Michael Connelly, creator of the Harry Bosch series, and Mark Greaney, who has written several novels taking place in Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan universe.
One of the highlights of the festival is the full day of events organised by the FBI, which in the past has covered issues such as bombing forensics, cybercrime, firearms trafficking, and insights into real murder investigations.
April 27-May 1, 2027, New York, US
Some other crime-writing festivals to consider
The crime-writing calendar extends well beyond the major festivals above. St Hilda’s Crime Fiction Weekend runs from September 4 to 6 in Oxford, England, followed by Lisle Noir in Lisle-sur-Tarn, France, from September 19 to 20. Toulouse Polars du Sud takes place from October 9 to 11 in Toulouse, with Murder One following in Dublin, Ireland, from October 15 to 18. The Nederlands Thrillerfestival rounds out the 2026 calendar on October 25 in Zoetermeer.
Looking ahead to 2027, SleuthFest takes place in Orlando, Florida, in March, followed by the Emirates airline Festival of Literature in Dubai in April. Capital Crime runs from May 28 to 30 in London, while the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival returns to Harrogate in July. Bute Noir takes place from August 6 to 8 in Rothesay on Scotland’s Isle of Bute.
Whether you prefer cosy mysteries, psychological thrillers, Nordic noir or hard-boiled detective stories, there is now a festival to match. And with events taking place everywhere from historic seaside towns to former prisons, following your favourite crime writers can be a good excuse to discover a new destination along the way.
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