From specially commissioned plays and a James Bond-inspired cocktail night to author talks and art exhibitions, Aberdeen crime-writing festival Granite Noir will truly offer something for everyone.
Inspired by the popularity of crime fiction in all its forms, the well-known festival is back tomorrow and will run until Sunday.
With brilliant talks, foodie events, podcast recording and even two plays, the jam-packed festival will explore the darkness around us in new and thrilling ways.
If you’re a bit overwhelmed with your options and the wide variety of events on offer, check out our top 10 Granite Noir picks below and click here for all you need to know about the festival.
Top 10 Granite Noir events taking place in Aberdeen
The Hound of the Baskervilles @ His Majesty’s (until Saturday February 26)
The daft, farcical and knockabout version of the classic Sherlock Holmes story brought criminally good fun to Aberdeen’s His Majesty’s Theatre. Check out our review of the show below.
REVIEW: The Hound of the Baskervilles leaves Aberdeen audience howling with laughter
Tickets: Click here to book tickets.
Witch Hunt @ The Kirk of St Nicholas (Friday February 25 – Sunday February 27)
Did you know that The Kirk of St Nicholas used to be a witch prison in the 1500s?
Aberdeen theatre company Ten Feet Tall thought it would be the perfect location to tell the story of the last person executed for witchcraft in the UK.
Specially created for Granite Noir, their play, Witch Hunt, is sure to delight crime fiction lovers.
Tickets: This event is now sold out.
The Grit in the Granite @ The Lemon Tree and Music Hall (until Sunday February 27)
Drawn from original records in Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives, the free exhibition showcases photographs, documents and maps to highlight the darker side of Victorian Aberdeen as the city experienced expansion and prosperity.
City archivist Phil Astley and Dr Dee Hoole, Hon Research Fellow at Aberdeen University, will give an accompanying talk about Grace McIntosh, who made her first court appearance in 1838 aged just 11.
Tickets: The talk is now sold out.
Cocktails – Shaken Not Stirred @ Music Hall (February 26)
Dr Kathryn Harkup will follow her sold-out 2020 Poisoned Cocktail workshop with a look at the reality behind the silly, and not so silly, ways to die in the world of 007.
Audiences can lift the lid on the science behind the world’s most popular secret agent and sample his favourite cocktails along the way.
Tickets: This event is now sold out.
Bad People Podcast Recording @ The Lemon Tree (Friday February 25)
Award-winning true-crime podcast Bad People is coming to Granite Noir to record an episode in front of a live audience.
Dr Julia Shaw and comedian Sofie Hagen will share gripping stories with Aberdeen fans.
Tickets: Click here to book tickets.
Cold Blooded Scandi @ The Lemon Tree (Sunday February 27)
Granite Noir will welcome a panel of Scandinavian writers. Anders de la Motte, Silje Ulstein and Kjell Ola Dahl will take part in the event, which will be chaired by Jacky Collins.
Tickets: Click here to book tickets.
This event will also be live-streamed. Click here to purchase tickets to the online event.
BBC Big Band: Criminal Tunes @ Music Hall (Sunday February 27)
BBC Big Band will return to Aberdeen with a specially curated programme of classic TV and movie soundtracks, from Shaft, Mission: Impossible, James Bond, The Pink Panther and more to classic Big Band and swing numbers inspired by all things crime.
Tickets: Click here to book tickets.
The Power of the Past @ The Lemon Tree (Saturday February 26)
Denise Mina and Jenni Fagan will explore some of Scotland’s most murky history in this event chaired by Alex Clark. The Power of the Past will also be live streamed.
Tickets: Click here to book tickets.
This event will also be live-streamed. Click here to purchase tickets to the online event.
The Century of Deception @ The Lemon Tree (Friday February 25)
In The Century of Deception, magician and historian Ian Keable tells the engrossing stories of these 18th Century hoaxes and those who were duped by them.
Tickets: Click here to book tickets.
Granite Noir: Crimewatch – Film Noir Screenings @ Belmont Filmhouse (Friday February 25)
Don’t miss the screening of the 1950 film In A Lonely Place, in which an aspiring actress begins to suspect that her temperamental boyfriend is a murderer.
Tickets: Click here to book tickets.
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