Crime writing festival with author talks, writing workshops and the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award at the Old Swan Hotel.
The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival returns to The Old Swan Hotel on Old Swan Road (HG1 2SR) from Thursday 22 to Sunday 25 July 2027. It's one of Harrogate's biggest annual fixtures, and for good reason: it's billed as the world's longest-running and most prestigious celebration of crime writing, and the epicentre of the crime fiction community. The festival is proud of its Yorkshire roots, and the Old Swan is a fitting home for it — it's often described as Agatha Christie's old haunt.
Over the four days, the festival pairs bestselling authors with emerging voices, so you'll hear from the household names alongside the newer writers coming up behind them. The centrepiece is the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award, which is handed out in the shape of a barrel — a nod to the festival's sponsor that's earned it the nickname 'The Hay-on-Wye of the crime world' from The Times.
The whole thing is immersive and fast-paced. Sessions run nearly every hour across three stages — the Theakston Stage, the Swift Half Stage, and the Wedgwood Restaurant — so there's usually something on while you're there. After each event, there are book signings at the Waterstones festival bookshop in the Garden Room, where you can get your copy signed by the authors you've just heard. Beyond the talks, there's a full day of writing workshops called Creative Thursday, and Jane Gregory bursaries for aspiring writers, so it's as much about the craft as it is about the reading.
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It runs from Thursday 22 to Sunday 25 July 2027 at The Old Swan Hotel, Old Swan Road, Harrogate, HG1 2SR.
