CrimeFest closing due to 'number of reasons' but organisers focusing on 'making last event the best ever'

The CrimeFest team has described a "number of reasons" behind the festival’s closure after 16 years, although it is believed publishers’ costs may have played a role.

Adrian Muller, co-founder, co-host and director of the popular Bristol-based event, announced the news of the closure last week. The annual festival takes place across four days and showcases around 150 authors across more than 50 panels. It started in 2008 and is sponsored by SpecSavers. 

When asked on reasons behind the closure, CrimeFest told The Bookseller there were "a number of reasons” but declined to expand further.

A spokesperson added: “For now we want to solely focus our energy on making the last CrimeFest one of the best ever. With that in mind, we look forward to making some exciting announcements about the line-up and one or two surprises in the near future.” 

The Bookseller understands from talking to those in the trade that part of the increasing challenge could be due to the fact that publishers pay for the authors to take part in the festival. Combined with other costs, such as accommodation, this could mean it is proving more difficult as the financial landscape grows more pressurised.

Additionally, the launch of other festivals has also meant more competition in the crime writing event space.

More generally, many festival organisers have shared concerns including the withdrawal of Baillie Gifford funding and the rise of theatre-style tours.

The final CrimeFest takes place 15th to 18th May at the Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel.