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Creative Thursday

Immersive, Instructive, Invaluable

Created to support aspiring writers at all stages of their writing journey, whether the first page or the final draft, Creative Thursday plays a vital role in nurturing new talent in the writing world, offering participants the opportunity to tap into the knowledge and experience of bestselling crime writers, editors, agents and publishers.

Creative Thursday has provided the foundations and growth for a range of now successful writers in the genre including bestselling author Mari Hannah, who went on to become the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival Programming Chair in 2019, Suzy Aspley whose thriller Crow Moon was shortlisted for the McDermid Debut Award in 2024 and Andrew Bourelle who has collaborated with James Patterson on the popular Texas Ranger crime fiction series.

I took part in Creative Thursday 2023 and 2024. I was still drafting ‘How to Get Away With Murder’ and the workshops were incredibly helpful. In particular, I attended a workshop on Using Psychology in Crime Fiction, which directly informed my work on DI Sam Hansen, my detective character. I attended alone both years, and I was quite nervous about that, but people were friendly and I soon got chatting to fellow writers. It’s a great day – I wholeheartedly recommend it.
Rebecca Philipson, author of ‘How to Get Away With Murder’, published in 2026.
A group of women stood outside smiling wearing their lanyards for the festival.

Experience Creative Thursday

Our next Creative Thursday takes place on 23 July 2026 at the opening day of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate. Led by industry experts and authors including A.A. Dhand, Julie Mae Cohen and Becca Day, it is a jam-packed day of events and workshops where bestselling crime writers, editors, agents, and publishers share a wealth of knowledge and experience.

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Harrogate Carnival celebrates diversity, costumes, colours, sounds and flavours from the four corners of the world.

HIF+

Engage with world class artists, published authors and passionate musicians.

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HIF at HOME

Access to all the fun of the Festivals – without stepping outside your home.

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The singer Laura Mvula takes the stage, singing into a microphone on a stand whilst holding a keytar (portable keyboard) over her shoulder.

See what’s on

Explore our full range of festivals and events across Harrogate, all year round!

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