Hillingdon Crime Festival Brings Bestseller Line-Up
Hillingdon’s crime-writing festival returns on Saturday 13 June with its biggest author line-up so far, bringing more than 15 bestselling writers to the Winston Churchill Theatre for a full day of talks, book discussion and writing insight.
The Hillingdon Libraries Crime Festival will run from 10am to 5pm, with tickets priced at £12. The event follows last year’s sell-out festival, when more than 200 visitors heard from nine crime writers.
This year’s programme is aimed at readers, book groups and aspiring writers who want to hear directly from authors working across one of the UK’s most popular fiction genres.
Date, venue and ticket details
The festival will take place at the Winston Churchill Theatre in Hillingdon on Saturday 13 June 2026.
Practical details confirmed by Hillingdon Council include:
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Event | Hillingdon Libraries Crime Festival |
| Date | Saturday 13 June 2026 |
| Time | 10am to 5pm |
| Venue | Winston Churchill Theatre |
| Tickets | £12 |
| Audience | Crime fiction readers, book lovers and aspiring writers |
The council said tickets are available through Hillingdon’s Discover events pages. Separate author events are also planned across Hillingdon libraries during 2026.
Bestseller names on the Hillingdon bill
The confirmed line-up includes several recognisable names from contemporary crime and thriller writing, with Tom Hindle, Sarah Yarwood-Lovett, TM Logan, Louise Candlish and Araminta Hall among the authors due to appear.
The council has described the 2026 programme as the festival’s biggest line-up yet, expanding from last year’s nine-writer event to more than 15 authors on stage.
For readers, the draw is not only the chance to hear about new books. Crime literature festivals often give audiences a closer look at how plots are built, how suspense is controlled, and how writers approach character, motive and setting. For aspiring authors, that kind of live discussion can be more useful than a standard signing queue.
From library coffee mornings to a full-day festival
The festival grew out of Hillingdon libraries’ regular Coffee and Crime events, which have helped build a local audience for crime-writing talks and author appearances.
That library connection gives the event a community feel rather than a purely commercial book festival model. It places the festival inside a wider programme of reading activity, using familiar local venues and council-run library networks to bring authors closer to residents.
The 2026 edition also sits within the National Year of Reading, a campaign designed to promote literacy, encourage reading for pleasure and support a broader culture of books across communities.
Daniel Kennedy, Hillingdon Council’s Corporate Director of Residents Services, said the festival was “a fantastic event for book lovers” and part of the council’s work to find engaging ways to connect people with reading.
He said Hillingdon libraries are “welcoming community spaces that bring people together,” adding that residents and visitors will have more opportunities during the National Year of Reading to discover authors and share a love of books.
More reading events to follow this summer
The crime festival is one part of Hillingdon’s wider 2026 library calendar. The council said more author events are scheduled during the year, giving residents further chances to attend talks and meet writers through the library service.
Young readers will also have a separate summer programme. The 2026 Summer Reading Challenge for children aged four to 11 is due to launch on Saturday 4 July, offering families another route into library activity during the school holidays.
For the crime festival, the key date is Saturday 13 June, with the full-day event running from 10am to 5pm at the Winston Churchill Theatre and tickets priced at £12.
Source: Hillingdon Council
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This preview is based on Hillingdon Council’s published event notice and keeps dates, venue, price and named authors aligned with that source.
- Confirmed the event date as Saturday 13 June 2026.
- Checked the venue as the Winston Churchill Theatre.
- Kept the ticket price at the stated £12.
- Included only authors and programmes named in the council notice.
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- Hillingdon Council
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- 2026-06-04 19:56
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