About

The Noirwich Crime Writing Festival is the region’s largest annual celebration of crime writing and one of the fastest growing literary festivals in the UK.

Many incredible crime writers have attended the festival in recent years, including Val McDermid, Sara Collins, Yrsa Sigurdardottir, Louse Doughty, James Runcie, Lee Child, Ian Rankin, Peter James, Anthony Horowitz, Nicci French, Paula Hawkins and Benjamin Black.

Noirwich is about the reading and the writing of crime fiction. We explore how the genre works and where it is going, thanks to our unique connection with the University of East Anglia’s creative writing department. Our crime writing workshops provide attendees with the opportunity to enhance their own skills.

The festival is a co-production by the National Centre for Writing and the University of East Anglia, bringing together our expertise to deliver a celebration of crime writing like no other.

Join us every September for a four-day spectacular at three venues across Norwich: the medieval Dragon Hall, the University of East Anglia and Jarrold.

Visiting Norwich

Norwich has rail, air and bus links and can be reached from London in under two hours.

During your stay you can easily travel to the beautiful Norfolk coast and explore castles, cathedrals and some of England’s finest stately homes.

Norwich is a city where heritage landmarks spanning 1,000 years of history blend with striking 21st century architecture. It is an inclusive place alive with all the sights, local delights and cultural vibrancy of a major city while still being possible to navigate on foot.

Find out more about the city.

If you’re coming from further afield, Visit Norwich have more information about what you can see and do around the city.