Bloody Scotland festival to go ahead as hybrid event

Bloody Scotland International Crime Festival is to go ahead as a live event in September and it will also run a streaming service, thanks to funding from Creative Scotland.

Held over the weekend of 17th to 19th September, the festival will feature large screens from its base in Stirling, which will stream all the events in addition to live performances on stage in front of an audience.

The opening night will be marked with the presentation of the McIlvanney Prize and the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize.

Festival director Bob McDevitt said: "We are hugely grateful to Creative Scotland for sharing in our vision for an ambitious hybrid festival for 2021. Their funding will allow us to both welcome people back to Stirling and to deliver an extensive programme online for those who can’t make it this year."

Katalina Watt, literature officer at Creative Scotland, said: "Scottish crime writing is a beloved and globally renowned literary export, and it’s heartening to see that with the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, this year’s enticing programme can offer in-person events in Stirling, alongside a host of digital offerings. Creative Scotland is delighted to support the festival once more in bringing the diverse plethora of Scottish crime writing voices, both emerging and established, to a wide audience within Scotland and beyond."

Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival receives funding from Creative Scotland, Stirling Council, Visit Scotland and the Culture & Business Fund Scotland and is sponsored by The Glencairn Glass, H W Fisher, Open University Scotland, Go Forth Stirling and individual publishers.

The full programme will be revealed on Wednesday 18th August and tickets will go on sale at noon that day. Full details of all events, and how to book tickets for both watching online and in person will be available on the website.