Fuelled by a delicious new IPA from Yorkshire’s famous Theakston’s Brewery, mini pies and plenty of gossip and chat, a good night was had by all at the programme launch for the 2016 Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Festival, or ‘Harrogate’ as most regular festival-goers refer to it. Speeches were given by Sharon Canavar, CEO of Harrogate Festivals, who confirmed that Harrogate is now the largest dedicated crime festival in the world, Simon Theakston, Executive Director of Theakston’s, who broke the welcome news that the company had just inked a new sponsorship deal with the festival, and finally programming chair Peter James, who both entertained and made the serious point that at the end of the day, it’s all about the books. The Killer Reads team were joined by authors Beth Lewis, who will feature on this year’s New Blood panel for debut authors, and festival favourite Charles Cumming. This year’s festival, which takes place from 21 – 24 July looks set to be the biggest yet. We hope to see some of you there.
