The Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival has been officially launched, featuring a star-studded line-up including Father Ted and Death In Paradise star Ardal O'Hanlon. The event will take place in the historic city of Stirling from September 18 to 20.
Star-Studded Line-Up
Big names on the 2026 Bloody Scotland programme include Richard Osman, Liz Nugent, Sarah Pinborough, Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, Steve Cavanagh, Nadine Matheson, Gregg Hurwitz, Robert Bryndza, Janice Hallett, China’s bestselling crime writer Cai Jun, Irish crime writer Andrea Mara, and broadcasters Robert Peston, Olly Smith, and Jeremy Vine.
Guest programmer Denise Mina has revealed her full list of special guests, which includes Irish comedian and actor Ardal O’Hanlon, Australian author Jane Harper, Jane Casey, Lucy Foley, Tana French, S A Cosby, and Lee Child – who sold out within 24 hours of early bird tickets going on sale.
Denise Mina said: “If Bloody Scotland 2026 is even half as much fun as I had helping to put this festival together then it’s going to be bloody brilliant. See you there!”
Scottish Talent and Fringe Events
The Scottish line-up includes bestsellers Harriet Tyce, Abir Mukherjee, Chris Brookmyre, Callum McSorley, Alex Gray, Lin Anderson, Alan Parks, Louise Welsh, and Graeme Macrae Burnet. The festival also introduces Scottish debut prize shortlisters Zoe Rankin, Frances Crawford, Kirsty Lockwood, May Rinaldi, and Linda Duncan McLaughlin.
Non-fiction events include discussions on free speech and extremism with Professor Lara Frumkin, How to Clean a Crime Scene with Ben Giles, How to Pitch Your Book with Sheila M Averbuch, and A History of Modern Britain in Twenty Murders with Professor David Wilson.
Fringe events feature a Royal Stirling-themed procession led by Denise Mina, a Saturday night game show Eight Out Of Ten Crime Writers Do Countdown, an event with the creator and stars of Netflix hit Dept Q, a play based on Denise Mina’s Rizzio at the Church of the Holy Rude, an interactive murder mystery experience, and a literary take on Desert Island Discs called Desert Island Crooks.
Other fringe highlights include a screening of The Maltese Falcon introduced by the author’s granddaughter, a play You the Jury in Stirling Sheriff Court, the True Crime Walking Tour, and the annual cabaret night Karaoke at the Coo.
International Partnership
For the first time, the festival includes a partnership with Helsinki Noir, welcoming Finnish authors to Stirling and sending Scottish authors to Helsinki for a Bloody Scotland panel in 2027.
Festival director Bob McDevitt said: “Working with Denise on the programme this year has been an absolute joy, and I’m now really looking forward to what promises to be a sensational weekend of non-stop bookish delights.”
Stirling Council leader Susan McGill added: “Bloody Scotland is firmly established as a Stirling institution and this year’s bumper programme shows why it continues to grow in stature as an internationally-renowned festival. We can’t wait to welcome some of the world’s best crime writers to Stirling in addition to celebrating the very best of Scottish writing talent. Bloody Scotland is a jewel in the crown of Stirling’s cultural offerings which attracts visitors from around the globe, and we’re once again looking forward to being joined by bookworms and crime fiction aficionados for this annual celebration of mystery, murder and mischief.”
