Agatha Christie Festival secures patronage from the United Kingdom National Commission for UNESCO (UKNC) in 2024

This year’s Agatha Christie Festival, set to take place at a host of cultural venues across the English Riviera from 7th through 15th September, has been awarded official patronage from the United Kingdom National Commission for UNESCO.

The patronage is in recognition of its alignment with UNESCO educational and cultural goals. Torquay-born Agatha Christie remains both icon and phenomenon with global reach, attracting writers and performers across UK and overseas to speak at the Festival which is dedicated to celebrating Christie’s life and written legacy in inventive ways. Year-round the Festival promotes literacy and a love of reading, particularly engaging children and young people in Torbay.

The Festival is an associate partner of the English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark and a project partner of Exeter UNESCO City of Literature.

James Bridge, Chief Executive and Secretary General, United Kingdom National Commission for UNESCO (UKNC), says:

‘We are delighted to grant the UK National Commission for UNESCO Patronage to the Agatha Christie Festival in 2024.’

‘Agatha Christie is a cultural icon and to this day remains the world’s best-selling author of all time. Her works are read, admired and studied by hundreds of millions across the globe, who enjoy her masterful storytelling and literary craft.

The Agatha Christie Festival brings these elements together, fostering cultural exchange and understanding for those who come to participate from far and wide.’

‘And of course, the setting of the festival, the English Riviera, is both synonymous with the author and is itself now a UNESCO Global Geopark - something that with her appreciation for the area's heritage, including its geological significance, that Agatha would have no doubt celebrated.

For more information on this year’s festival programme, please see www.agathachristiefestival.com.