Preston fiction festival line-up and venue change revealed

A raft of bestselling and award-winning thriller writers has been secured for the inaugural Preston Crime Fiction Festival.

Some of the genre’s most successful authors will take to the stage when the event makes its debut in September, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) can reveal.

Organisers say that interest in the city’s new crime-writing celebration – which was announced back in January – has been so great that the festival has relocated from its originally-intended venue in part of the Harris Museum to a larger space at Preston Masonic Hall, which can accommodate 200 attendees.

City-born writer Christie J. Newport – who spearheaded the project – says she has been “completely blown away” by the response from fellow authors to her invitation to take part in what will be Preston’s first foray into the fiction festival scene.

“I never anticipated this level of trust, enthusiasm and belief from writers of such exceptional calibre in our very first year.

“Most debut festivals, particularly those without significant personal financial backing from the organiser, simply do not launch with a line‑up of this strength. To do so places Preston firmly among the UK’s major literary festivals from the outset,” said Christie, who is best known for her ‘Preston Murders’ series.

Half a dozen authors have so far been confirmed for the three-day, not-for-profit event, which is being staged between 25th and 27th September, as part of the Preston Arts Festival.

The literary line-up will include Adele Parks who has written 25 bestselling novels, including the recent Sunday Times Number One hits ‘Lies Lies Lies’ and ‘Just My Luck’. More than six million English editions of her books have been sold – and her tales have been translated into 31 different languages. She was awarded an MBE for services to literature in 2022.

The other authors heading to Preston are: Dorothy Koomson, an award‑winning and bestselling writer behind more than 20 books, including ‘My Best Friend’s Girl’ and ‘The Ice Cream Girls’, and a champion of underrepresented voices in fiction; Lesley Kara, whose debut thriller ‘The Rumour’ was turned into a Channel 5 TV series; Vaseem Khan, author of the ‘Baby Ganesh Detective Agency’ novels; ‘Leave No Trace’ author Jo Callaghan, who won the 2024 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year; and the multi-award-winning Mari Hannah who is behind the Kate Daniels series of police procedurals.

As the LDRS previously revealed, the festival – which has been backed by a £1,500 contribution from Preston City Council and has partnered with the National Year of Reading 2026 campaign – will be built around panel and Q&A sessions, as well as special readings of their work by the authors in attendance.

It will give fans, as well as aspiring writers, the chance to rub shoulders with some of the biggest names in crime fiction – and a separate meeting room at the masonic hall will be used for creative writing workshops.

Meanwhile, in a bid to reach beyond traditional book‑festival audiences and into the wider community, the event will also feature the Detective Lamb Mystery Trail – a free, family‑friendly adventure set across the city centre, in which The Harris will play a part.

Participants will follow clues, solve puzzles and unravel a crime‑themed storyline, an experience that it is hoped will captivate families, young readers and the generally curious – and encourage them to engage with storytelling in an accessible way. Local businesses are being invited to get involved by hosting clues, offering themed experiences or donating books or writing‑related prizes for adults and children.

Christie – who co-founded the festival with her artist wife Amy – says of the event that there is “a collective determination to ensure that writers and readers in the North West have the same opportunities as anywhere else in the country”.

“There is plenty of talent here – and I am passionate about helping to uncover and nurture it. There are also readers – and would‑be readers – who will, for the first time, find something truly special on their own doorstep.

“Preston is becoming a city recognised for culture and innovation – and we are immensely proud to be part of that journey.”

A limited number of early bird and concessionary tickets – as well as free tickets for carers – are to be released for the event in the coming weeks, with the rest going on sale soon after. In order to ensure full accessibility, all elements of the event will take place on the ground floor of the masonic hall.

Any businesses interested in sponsoring or partnering with the festival should email: chrissyjade1881@gmail.com, putting ‘Sponsorship PCFF26’ in the subject line.