Summary
An overview of the 2026 Bloody Scotland event, which brings crime authors and fans to Stirling for one weekend in September
Bloody Scotland, Scotland’s International Crime Writing Festival, returns to Stirling city centre from Friday, September 18 to Sunday, September 20.
The event is a must for all fans of crime novels, with a wide-range of sub-genres covered across the event’s packed schedule.
There are two main types of event. One is a panel format, where authors who have written books with a thematic similarity are interviewed by a panel host. As an example, on the afternoon of Friday, September 18, ‘Dangers on a Train’ unites three authors who have written books set on trains.
Second is the ‘conversation’ event. These events attract some very big name authors, and this year’s top draws include: ITV political editor Robert Peston; TV producer turned host turned writer Richard Osman; TV and radio personality Jeremy Vine, and; comedian and actor Ardal O’Hanlon.
There’s also a wide-range of other events. These include an interactive murder mystery experience event, and a talk on how to clean a crime scene, both taking place on Friday, September 18. On Saturday, September 19 there’s a screening of classic film The Maltese Falcon and the fun quiz event Eight Out Of Ten Crime Writers Do Countdown.
Sunday, September 20 sees the return of the ‘Pitch Perfect’ event, where budding authors introduce their finalised, but not yet published, crime novels to a panel of industry experts, who provide feedback. A lot of people who have gone on to secure publishing deals have appeared in this event, which is free to attend. One for any future crime writers.
Events take place in venues across the city centre. The central hub for the festival is The Golden Lion Hotel, where many of the panel events take place. New for this year is the ‘Made in Stirling’ venue, located on King Street, slightly uphill of The Golden Lion. The majority of the ‘big name’ conversation type events happen in the Albert Halls.
Students are eligible to buy tickets at the concessionary price, as are the over 60s, under 16s and unemployed people.
The full programme, together with links to buy tickets, and details of possible further discounts, can be found online on the Bloody Scotland website: bloodyscotland.com
Image Credit: Bloody Scotland
