Alicante Noir returns for its third edition this weekend, turning the city into a hub for crime fiction. The festival presents a robust, free program that invites readers to engage with the genre through conferences, roundtables, intimate meetings, and book signings.
The event begins Friday at 18:45 with an opening gathering that spotlights a prominent Alicante author, and the schedule unfolds across Friday afternoon, Saturday, and Sunday morning. The festival will be brought to a close by a well-known Alicante writer from the same community.
Roundtable discussions are guided by local journalists who offer insightful context and question-driven dialogue. Each day concludes with a session of author signings, giving attendees the chance to connect directly with the writers. Among the participating authors this year are noted names such as Santiago Díaz, Fernando Benzo, Toni Hill, Teresa Cardona, Maite Ochotorena, and Nagore Suárez, whose voices highlight the breadth of contemporary crime storytelling.
Writers are featured in a footer caption by the festival’s photographers, underscoring the collaborative spirit that threads through the weekend.
The cultural leadership group emphasizes the festival’s growth within the city, noting that crime literature attracts a loyal and growing audience. The councilor pointed out a rising presence of Alicante writers this year, and stressed the festival’s role in showcasing local talent alongside broader national voices.
Programming
The festival launches with a Friday roundtable at 19:00, exploring themes of crime, mystery, and detective fiction. The evening continues with discussions on investigation and the suspension of disbelief. Saturday’s morning sessions tackle murder, crime storytelling, and the mystery at large, followed by conversations about cops and robbers. After lunch, topics shift to tension and corruption, with a focus on how narrative devices shape perception, and later, discussions about the darker edges of the genre. The program also includes a session with finalists from Alicante Noir Prize, featuring notable authors such as Marías and Díaz.
In a later installation of the program, a closing segment highlights the closing voices of Alicante Noir as the weekend nears its end.
Sunday brings three roundtables: first, a look at Deaths and Terror; next, a discussion on Judges, Bulls, and Priests; and finally, a segment titled Total Murderers. The roundtables are again moderated by local journalists, while each day wraps with author signings, allowing readers to meet the writers up close. The lineup remains robust, with standouts including Santiago Díaz, Fernando Benzo, Toni Hill, Teresa Cardona, Maite Ochotorena, and Nagore Suárez, whose contributions help anchor the festival as a key event in the crime fiction calendar.