This weekend Stirling will be transformed into the home of one of the biggest crime writing festivals in the world. The Bloody Scotland literary event will kick off on Friday the 13th, the spookiest day of the year!
The event will take place in charming and historic Stirling, just a short train ride away from Edinburgh. The social hub of the event is the Golden Lion Hotel and events will take place there as well as at Albert Halls and Trinity Church.
Throughout the weekend you can expect to see many new and familiar faces in crime writing, some notable names include Ann Cleeves, Richard Armitage, Irvine Welsh and Peter May, along with BBC’s Frank Gardner and Louise Minchin. The writers will discuss their work and their approach to crime writing with audiences.
The festival is more than just talks, though – it also offers plenty of social opportunities for fans of crime writing to mingle. There’s the Wickedest Link Friday night quiz, where eight crime writers will battle not to be the first one voted off. On Saturday there will be a Criminal Karaoke at the Coo, hosted at the Curly Coo whiskey bar. Attendees should bring their best (or worst) singing voice and be prepared to have a blast at one of the most popular events of the festival.
While Bloody Scotland is host to both new and established writers, the event prides itself on supporting debut authors. On the first evening of the festival, the debut crime writer of the year will be honoured with the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize. On the final day, an event called Pitch Perfect will give aspiring writers a chance to pitch their book idea to publishers and agents.
There’s truly something for everyone to explore and enjoy at the Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival. It’s sure to be the perfect introduction to ‘spooky season’ and a great way to connect with likeminded fans.
The Festival runs from Friday the 13th of September through Sunday the 15th of September.
More information and tickets can be found here.
“Stirling Landscapes” by Stirling Council is licensed under CC BY 2.0.