After the sell-out success of the inaugural Spring Gathering in April 2025, we are delighted to be able to invite you to our Spring Gathering for 2026. We are looking forward to sharing a day of murder, mystery, fun and intrigue with you all. So do please join us in celebrating the Queen of Crime with this exclusive and exciting Spring Gathering.
The Day’s Events
The day begins in the Pengelly Hall at Torquay Museum with talks from bestselling mystery author Tom Mead discussing locked room mysteries, as well as very special guests Val McDermid and Abir Mukherjee. We are also delighted to welcome back Dr Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown presenting a live recording of the hugely popular Swinging Christies podcast. Throughout the day there will be opportunities for book signings and there will be books available for sale courtesy of The East Gate Bookshop.
The evening's events take place at the Livermead House Hotel and include live music, further talks and a fun interactive game to play. There will be a welcome drink served, followed by a two-course meal and period music from vintage vocalist Terrie-May McNulty. We then welcome back Kelly Mullen to talk about her new book A Murder in Eight Cocktails, followed by a talk and game from Antony Johnston, author of Can You Solve The Murder. The whole evening will be relaxed and sociable, with exclusive themed cocktails available.
Saturday 11th April 2026
| Pengelly Hall, Torquay Museum
Tom Mead: A Most Simple Solution: The Locked-Room Puzzles of Agatha Christie?
Tom Mead is a mystery writer and aficionado of Golden Age Crime Fiction. His novels include Death and the Conjuror, The Murder Wheel, Cabaret Macabre and The House at Devil’s Neck, and he also recently published a collection of mystery stories, The Indian Rope Trick (And Other Violent Entertainments). His books have been translated into twelve languages (and counting), nominated for various awards and named books of the year by The Guardian, The Telegraph, Publishers Weekly and Crimereads.
Saturday 11th April 2026
| Pengelly Hall, Torquay Museum
Abir Mukherjee
Abir Mukherjee is the bestselling author of historical and modern-day crime thrillers. His books have won numerous awards including the Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year, the Prix du Polar Européen and the British Book Awards Crime & Thriller Novel of the Year.
Saturday 11th April 2026
| Pengelly Hall, Torquay Museum
The Swinging Christies: The Picture of Agatha Christie
Join Dr Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown of the hit podcast The Swinging Christies for a LIVE episode all about a very special 1960s portrait of Agatha Christie!
Saturday 11th April 2026
| Pengelly Hall, Torquay Museum
Val McDermid
One of the UK’s most accomplished and respected novelists, number one bestseller Val McDermid has sold over 19 million books to date across the globe and her work has been translated into more than 40 languages.
Saturday 11th April 2026
| Pengelly Hall, Torquay Museum
Agatha Christie Mile App
The daytime events conclude with an introduction to the new Agatha Christie Mile app by Festival Creative Director and the driving force behind the app, Matt Newbury.
Why not grab a cocktail and settle back to enjoy a chat with Kelly Mullen, the author of This Is Not A Game and the brand-new A Murder in Eight Cocktails? Kelly was a big hit at our 2025 festival, so we are delighted to welcome her back to launch her new book set at the opening of the chicest cocktail bar in town, where not everyone will make it to their next drink…
Join us for an unforgettable murder mystery evening with Antony Johnston, author of Can You Solve the Murder? Unleash your inner detective in a captivating, interactive experience designed specifically for bookshop events. Work in teams to uncover hidden clues, interrogate suspects, and piece together the puzzle to identify the culprit. Will you be the one to crack the case?
The costumed promenade at the 2025 Festival proved so popular that we wanted to invite you all to walk the Agatha Christie Mile with us. Don your finest 1920s attire, grab your cloche hat, your favourite pearls or your finest moustaches and enjoy a simply marvellous Sunday morning stroll!
A day of talks at Torquay Museum with bestselling mystery author Tom Mead discussing locked room mysteries, very special guests Val McDermid and Abir Mukherjee as well as Dr Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown presenting a live recording of the hugely popular Swinging Christies podcast.
A picnic-style lunch
An exclusive look at the new Agatha Christie Mile App
A two-course evening meal at the Livermead House Hotel
An evening of events and live music with award winning crime novellist Antony Johnston and award-winning producer and author Kelly Mullen
An exclusive 2026 Spring Gathering newspaper
An exclusive 2026 Spring Gathering pin badge
An exclusive 2026 Spring Gathering souvenir lanyard
An invitation to join a costumed promenade along the Agatha Christie Mile while exploring the new App
Ticket Price: £150
Ticket numbers are strictly limited so don’t miss out!
Please note: the ticket price does not include drinks with the meal
Day Only Tickets
We are also able to offer a very limited number of Day-Only tickets which include:
A day of talks at Torquay Museum with bestselling mystery author Tom Mead discussing locked room mysteries, very special guests Val McDermid and Abir Mukherjee as well as Dr Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown presenting a live recording of the hugely popular Swinging Christies podcast.
A picnic-style lunch
An exclusive look at the new Agatha Christie Mile App
An exclusive 2026 Spring Gathering newspaper
An exclusive 2026 Spring Gathering pin badge
An exclusive 2026 Spring Gathering souvenir lanyard
An invitation to join a costumed promenade along the Agatha Christie Mile while exploring the new App
Torquay Museum: The talks will be held in the Pengelly Hall at Torquay Museum. This is on Level 1 and is fully accessible for wheelchair users. Access to the ground floor entrance is by ramp, while a lift and stair lift provide access to all the other levels. There are accessible toilets on both the ground floor and Level 1. There is a hearing loop and assistance dogs are welcome. There is one disabled parking space in the Museum forecourt, which is bookable in advance on 01803 293975. There is also limited parking opposite the Museum which Blue Badge users are permitted to use for free for an unlimited period of time. For any enquiries or particular needs please contact the Museum on 01803 293975 or email enquiries@torquaymuseum.org For their full accessibility information click here: torquaymuseum.org/accessibility
The Livermead House Hotel, Torquay, TQ2 6QJ: There is a flat entrance into the hotel. The event room is a flat walk from the entrance with toilets en route, including an accessible one. If you have any additional accessibility requirements, please email admin@iacf-uk.org or for more specific queries contact the Livermead directly on info@livermead.com or 01803 200758. For their full accessibility information please click here: livermead.com/access-statement
Agatha Christie Mile and Statue: The area around the Strand where the statue is situated and the promenade route are flat and you'll find ideal rest stops at cafés, gardens, and viewpoints along the way.
If you have any particular access requirements or enquiries, do please get in touch and we will do whatever we feasibly can to accommodate you. Please email admin@iacf-uk.org
Under the Patronage of the UK National Commission for UNESCO
