The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival returns to the Old Swan Hotel on Thursday 17 to Sunday 20 July 2025!
For one long, sultry, summer weekend the temperature in Harrogate rises whatever the weather as the world’s hottest celebration of crime writing swings into town. Once tasted, the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival leaves you on the edge of your seat, waiting for the next exciting chapter.
The 2025 Festival guarantees thrills, and perhaps a few spills at the hotel bar, at the gathering of the crime writing industry’s self-appointed Annual General Meeting, with a difference! Grab a pint of Yorkshire’s finest ale, relax in the hotel gardens, and dip into an intoxicating mix of comedy, cabaret, heated debate, and scintillating socialising. It would be a murderous misdemeanour to miss it.
It’s the friendliest Festival with its feet firmly on Yorkshire ground. Hang out with your heroes, get an exclusive insight into the Next Big Thing, rub shoulders with the UK’s leading agents, editors and publishers. Be inspired and join in the drama at Agatha Christie’s old haunt: the luxurious Old Swan Hotel.
“Harrogate: a town defined by the Festival” Luca Veste
What are the ticket options?
We have a number of different ticket options, from spending the whole weekend with us to choosing just to catch your favourite author. Tickets are released in stages, so we’ve provided some details below:
- 3-Nights accommodation with breakfast at a Festival hotel arriving Thursday 17 July 2025
- Access to all events on the Theakston Stage with a guaranteed seat (21 altogether)
- Priority booking for additional events, including the Author Dinner and Creative Thursday (additional fees may apply).
- A Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival goody bag.
For more information and how to book, click >> HERE<<
We have three types of Rover Tickets available:
Friday Rover Tickets: Access to all events on Friday 18 July 2025 on the main stage (8 events)
Saturday Rover Tickets: Access to all events on Saturday 19 July 2025 on the main stage (8 events)
Weekend Rover Tickets: Access to all events from Thursday 17 – Sunday 20 July 2025 on the main stage (21 events)
Rover tickets will be on sale to Friends of the Festival Thursday 3 April 2025* and general bookings will open Tuesday 8 April 2025*.
*Please note that these dates are subject to change. More information about priority bookings can be found >> here <<.
Individual event tickets will be on sale to Friends of the Festival Monday 12 May 2025* and general bookings will open Thursday 15 May 2025*.
*Please note that these dates are subject to change. More information about priority bookings can be found >> here <<.
Please note: Site passes do not give you access to any events on the main stage – tickets for events must be booked separately. However, if you book a ticket for an event from the main programme, you are automatically granted access to the site for that day, and so there is no need to purchase a site pass.
For example, if you book to see a panel event on Friday, then you do not need to book a Site Pass for Friday – your ticket to the event automatically grants you access to the site for the whole day. But if you want to meet a friend in the bar on Saturday and you don’t have a ticket for any events on Saturday, then you do need to book a Site Pass for Saturday to be allowed on site.
The cost of a Site Pass cannot be redeemed against the cost of any event tickets you choose to buy for that day, so please do consider carefully if you would like a Site Pass or an event ticket. If you need any further guidance, please do call our Box Office on 01423 562 303.
Individual event tickets will be on sale on Monday 2 June 2025*.
*Please note that this date is subject to change.
It wouldn’t be a true crime evening without a mystery to be solved – and will your table be the team to find out who did it?
Please be aware that there will be a panel event at the same time as the author dinners on the Theakston Stage on the Friday and Saturday.
Bookings will open to Friends of the Festival and Weekend Break Packages bookers on Tuesday 21 January 2025 and general bookings will open Tuesday 28 January 2025*.
*Please note that these dates are subject to change. More information about priority bookings can be found >> here <<.
A day of writing workshops, panel discussions and pitching sessions which no aspiring crime writer will want to miss. They say every day is a school day, but if your favourite lesson is learning how to write a bestselling crime novel, then no day beats Creative Thursday.
Wherever you are in your writing journey, whether on the first chapter or the final draft, you’re guaranteed to pick up pointers which will help polish your prose and perfect your plot. Leading authors and industry professionals are on hand to share their secrets and arm you with everything you need to take that great idea and make it into a great book.
It’s a full day, packed with information, help, encouragement, and diabolically golden advice. Creative Thursday is immersive and unique, and is designed to give you the best chance of getting that publishing deal you dream of.
Hear from successful authors who took the plunge to attend Creative Thursday and subsequently found themselves on the path to publication! Who knows, one day that could be you.
Bookings will open to Friends of the Festival and Weekend Break Packages bookers on Tuesday 21 January 2025 and general bookings will open Tuesday 28 January 2025*.
*Please note that these dates are subject to change. More information about priority bookings can be found >> here <<.
More information about our partners events will be announced late spring / early summer 2025.
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