Preston Crime Fiction Festival 2026 [25-27 September]

3 FULL DAYS! Join us for the inaugural Preston Crime Fiction Festival with over 40 authors including major names & global bestsellers!
About this Event

Preston’s First Crime Fiction Festival: Step Inside the Story

🚨 PLEASE NOTE: This is a full three-day weekend festival. While Eventbrite displays the start time above, registration opens at 10:00am on Friday 25 September, and our packed programme of events runs all the way through until it draws to a close at 6:30pm on Sunday 27 September.

Meet 40+ outstanding crime writers — from global bestsellers and New York Times and Sunday Times bestsellers to award-winners, rising stars and brilliant Northern voices.

Featuring Adele Parks, Dorothy Koomson, Alex North, M. W. Craven, Mari Hannah, Trevor Wood, Vaseem Khan, Anna Mazzola, Jo Callaghan, Lesley Kara, award-winning Preston author and festival co-founder Christie J. Newport, ex-M**der detective Bob Bridgestock — and many more.

Preston’s first crime fiction festival brings together readers, writers and crime-story lovers for three packed days of author events, intimate book discussions, live readings, writing opportunities, an on-site bookshop, accessible facilities and concessionary ticket options. Join us to celebrate brilliant stories, discover new voices, ask your burning questions and be part of a welcoming new literary community in Preston.

"This is a moment to show up for Northern stories. Literacy levels are in worrying decline. Fewer children are reading for pleasure. Untapped talent across our region is waiting to be discovered, and readers here love books just as fiercely as anyone, anywhere else. Festivals like this should not be reserved for elsewhere. They should be here, for us, now. Show up. Celebrate your passion for books. Then take that spark home to the young people and children in your life. Our choices matter — and every time we choose to champion reading, share stories and make books feel exciting, we help build a future where more children see reading and writing stories as something for them."

by Christie J. Newport

Read on for further information and why you cannot afford to miss this event…

A bold new cultural event is coming to Preston — and crime fiction fans, readers, writers and curious minds are invited to be part of it from the very beginning.

Usually, festivals of this kind are reserved for London, major literary cities or established cultural hubs. Now Preston has its own: a three-day celebration of crime writing, storytelling, reading, conversation and community.

Whether you devour crime novels, binge crime dramas, belong to a book club, write in secret, dream of being published, or simply love a brilliant story with a twist, this festival has been created for you.

Why come?

Because crime fiction is more than M**der on the page. It is motive, atmosphere, character, fear, justice, humour, grief, suspense and the places we recognise. It asks sharp questions about who we are, what we hide and what we are willing to do when the pressure is on.

At Preston Crime Fiction Festival, you will get closer to the stories you love. Hear directly from authors about the inspiration behind their books, the characters who refuse to stay quiet, the settings that shape a plot and the real-life questions that spark fictional crimes.

You will also have the chance to ask your own questions: Why this place? Why that ending? How did that character come to life? And why should more books be set in places like Preston, with characters and communities we recognise?

For readers

If you love reading, this is your chance to enjoy a unique, personal and memorable festival experience. Our specially created In the Room With... events are designed with serious readers in mind: just 14 seats, one author, and the opportunity to take your most burning questions directly to the source.

Put the author under the interrogation lamp. Discuss the book you have read, explore what they were thinking when they wrote it, and enjoy the kind of lively, intimate conversation that simply does not happen at larger events.

For writers

If you are writing crime fiction — or wondering whether you have what it takes — this is the place to invest in yourself. Learn from published authors and industry professionals, hone your craft, build your confidence, consider an MS assessment and meet people who understand the writing journey.

Our experts have years of hands-on knowledge of detective work and crime scene investigations and more.

Networking matters. Conversations matter. Being in the room matters. Come along, take part and become part of a welcoming crime-writing community. One day, it could be you on the stage.

Noir at the Bar

Experience Noir at the Bar, the live-reading event made famous in America. Hear writers at every stage of their careers read three to five minutes of their work to a live, attentive audience. And if you dare, put your name in the hat for the chance to become one of our two wild-card readers.

A festival with purpose

Preston Crime Fiction Festival is proud to be an officially badged event for the National Literacy Trust’s National Year of Reading Go All In campaign. We take that responsibility seriously.

We want to inspire tomorrow’s readers by reigniting the passion of today’s readers. Take your love of books home to your children, your friends’ children, your reading group, your classroom, your community — and help create more readers.

We also believe that everyone deserves a seat at the table. That means creating opportunities for underrepresented voices, Northern voices, working-class voices, people of colour, disabled people and chronically ill people. Some voices begin small and need space, support and strength to grow. Until then, let us shout for you.

Accessible, welcoming and great value

Every festival activity takes place on the ground floor. We have paid close attention to the details so that the weekend is as accessible, inclusive, diverse and representative as possible.

There are excellent facilities, an on-site caterer serving hot and cold options from breakfast through to the evening, and an on-site bar selling drinks and bar snacks at affordable prices.

Our official festival bookseller, Ebb & Flo Bookshop in Chorley, will also be operating an on-site pop-up bookshop, so you can buy books and have them signed after each panel.

Across three packed days, you will find author events, reader experiences, writing opportunities, community, conversation, entertainment and exceptional value for money. You will not find many events of this type, at this scale, at prices like these.

Tickets and concessions

Alongside £90 full-price tickets, we offer a range of concessions to help as many people as possible join us:

Local residents concession: £70 for PR1 and PR2 postcodes

Low-income: £60

Disabled, chronically ill, low-income and senior citizen concession: £60

Carer or essential companion ticket: FREE

Pay-It-Forward weekend pass: FREE, subject to availability

If money is tight, please do not rule yourself out. Our Pay-It-Forward ticket pool is there to help. Send us a brief email explaining why a ticket would benefit you and, if one is available, it is yours.

Proof of residence or eligibility is required for discounted or free tickets, but evidence will be checked before the event and will not be stored. There will be no difference in the way anyone collects their ticket on the day. Complete discretion and respect for all.

For writing group or book club offers, concession enquiries or Pay-It-Forward applications, contact us at [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected]. For more information about the festival, our ethos, what’s on offer please visit our website: www.prestoncrimefictionfestival.co.uk

Book your place

This is more than a festival. It is a chance to celebrate stories, champion Preston, support new voices, discover brilliant writers and be part of something from the very start.

Join us for Preston’s first ever crime fiction festival. Book your ticket, bring your questions, and step inside the story.