Why Visit Bristol for the Annual CRIMEFEST Event?

You can have a great time visiting Bristol at any time of the year, but anyone planning a trip should be sure to check out various festivals taking place across the calendar. You’ll probably be surprised by the rich array of events, which takes in everything from the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta to the annual Bristol Harbour Festival.

But if you’re more of a literary person, why not plan to visit when CRIMEFEST is going on?

It’s become an extremely popular event since first kicking off back in 2008. Whether you get a thrill from picking up the odd crime novel or consider yourself a die-hard fanatic, there’s plenty to draw your attention.

In fact, this is one of the biggest crime fiction events in Europe and one of the most popular dates in the international crime fiction calendar. It was featured as one of ‘the best crime writing festivals around the world’ in the Guardian and named by The Independent as among ‘the 50 Best Festivals’.

Top crime novelists, readers, editors, publishers, and reviewers from around the world gather for numerous panels, a gala award dinner, and usually a couple of surprises along the way, but organisers still prize themselves on maintaining an atmosphere that’s friendly, informal, and inclusive.

Previous guest authors in the past have included Ann Cleeves, Anthony Horowitz, Anne Holt, Peter James, and Ian Rankin. CRIMEFEST 2018 featured Lee Child – writer of the acclaimed Jack Reacher novel series – and Jeffrey Deaver, who is equally well-known for the Lincoln Rhyme series. The 2018 event also consisted of over forty panels with more than a hundred participating authors.

You might have missed this year’s CRIMEFEST, but that’s no reason to miss the next one! If you’re planning a city break to Bristol next year, make sure you take note of when CRIMEFEST will be going on.