A north-east crime writing festival is celebrating after receiving a significant cash boost to support its growth.
Granite Noir has proved an enormous success since it started in 2017, with the four-day event attracting internationally renowned authors and thousands of crime fiction enthusiasts to Aberdeen.
And preparations for the fourth – and biggest – Granite Noir in February received have been backed by Event Scotland, part of Visit Scotland, which has provided £25,000 from its national events funding programme.
Elsewhere, the Scapa Fest outdoor adventure event in Argyll received £4,000 from the fund.
It takes place on the Ardkinglas Estate, on the banks of Loch Fyne, and aims to use the power of nature and Scotland’s landscape to help people transform their physical and mental health.
Granite Noir and Scapa Fest were two of five events in Scotland to receive funding. The others were RunStirling and Fife’s MacTuff and Beast Race challenges.
The success of Granite Noir has revealed how popular crime fiction is in the north-east.
It is home to one of the most successful creators of the form in Stuart MacBride, with the worldwide bestselling author selling-out the Aberdeen Music Hall during this year’s event.
The festival presents a programme of author conversations, family events, walks, concerts, theatre events and exhibitions across Aberdeen, transforming the city into a hub for crime writing lovers of all ages.
Drawing inspiration from the Granite City, it also explores the enduring appeal of stories with dark plots, complicated motives and characters keeping dark secrets.
Visit Scotland’s director of events, Paul Bush, said: “Event Scotland is delighted to support these five diverse events and festivals through our national events funding programme.
“We look forward to working with the organisers to develop and grow the profile of their events in the upcoming year.”
The deadline for the next round of Event Scotland funding is February 7, 2020, with events taking place from August 2020 onwards eligible to apply.
Visit www.eventscotland.org for more information.
