It is with sadness – but great pride – that we announce that our sixteenth CrimeFest, which takes place from 15th-18th May 2025, will be the final one.
CrimeFest was created following the hugely successful one-off visit to Bristol in 2006 of the American Left Coast Crime convention. The British hosts were encouraged to continue with a similar annual event and, as a result, the first CrimeFest was organised in June 2008. Like our American counterparts, CrimeFest runs on the US model where everyone who attends (other than Featured and Highlighted Guest Authors) pay to attend. Unlike any other major crime fiction event in the UK – where authors have to be invited to appear – any commercially published author who signs up for CrimeFest before all panel slots are allocated, is guaranteed at least one panel. In this way, CrimeFest has provided many authors with a platform they would not have been offered elsewhere in the UK. And, subsequently, readers have discovered and met writers they otherwise may never have heard of. During CrimeFest, all delegates – be they authors, readers, etc. – come together as equals to celebrate the genre they love.
Every year we have been able to showcase approximately 150 authors on some 50+ panels, interviews and events over a four day period. Over 1,100 authors have appeared on panels, many of them returning year after year. We’ve also brought in new initiatives as the years have passed. With the funds we received from Specsavers, our highly valued sponsor, we introduced reduced cost Community Passes for UK school and public librarians, full-time UK students and for recipients of Jobseekers Allowance, Income Support, Employment Support Allowance, Universal Credit and DLA/PIP (£25 – £50 for the full weekend). In 2021 we also created an annual bursary for crime fiction authors of colour, with the recipient receiving a full weekend pass to CrimeFest, a night’s accommodation and a guaranteed panel appearance. We’ve run community projects at local schools in the community; donated books to many schools and libraries across Bristol and the UK; our anthology Ten Year Stretch and our raffles each year have raised thousands of pounds for the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB); and the seven awards we present each year celebrate crime fiction, non-fiction, TV and crime fiction for children and young adults (the latter two being the first in the UK). We are immensely proud of these initiatives.
CrimeFest is a convention run by fans of the genre. Initially organised and co-hosted by Myles Allfrey, Liz Hatherell, Adrian and Donna, and more recently just the latter two. Throughout, we have had the help from a fabulous dream-team of volunteers, and each and every one of us has done so because we love crime fiction and its community. CrimeFest has been championed as one of most important and friendliest crime fiction events, which is the highest accolade we could have wished for.
The community is largely a wonderful, supportive, helpful and welcoming one and CrimeFest is a labour of love for us and our volunteers. We don’t have a big staff or many corporate backers. What we do have is a small team who come together every year and help out over the weekend at the registration desk; stuffing book bags; time-keeping panels, etc. We are immensely grateful to the authors, readers, publishers, booksellers, sponsors, volunteers and a whole host of other people who have supported us over the years. We are delighted to call many of you friends, and most likely will see you at many other crime fiction events in the UK and further afield. And, though we can’t thank you all by name here, we look forward to getting a chance to thank you next May.
Whilst this is the end of CrimeFest – certainly for the immediate future – Adrian and Donna both love the genre, the community and, most importantly the CrimeFest family, so who knows what the future may hold. One thing we can say for sure is that, whether it is your first visit, or whether you’ve been before, and likely are a regular, we hope you can join us to celebrate sixteen years of CrimeFest and say goodbye – for now – in style.
With best wishes,
Donna Moore and Adrian Muller,
CrimeFest co-hosts.
