During October and November 2019 a series of events will unfold across Portsmouth for the 4^th iteration of DarkFest, an annual festival encompassing everything gloomy and mysterious. Amongst the organisers and speakers at the event, the Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries is represented by William Sutton, Dr Tom Sykes, Dr Alison Habens and Amanda Garrie.

Every year, Portsmouth DarkFest brings together artists, writers, performers, academics, storytellers and musicians to explore ghost stories, urban legends, crime, horror and hidden histories, inspired by the research of Dr Karl Bell and University of Portsmouth’s Supernatural Cities project. Dr Bell oversees the committee of volunteers who organised the festival and they are supported by other members of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences like Dr Brad Beaven and Eilis Phillips.

The upcoming edition will run from Monday 21st October – Sunday 10th November, and just like every year, the festival will include spooky storytelling, art workshops, public talks, immersive theatre, film screenings and much more. Alongside some established favourites like Dark Songs, events will include the staging of a new play, Scattering Salt, and a writers’ workshop with author Anna Mazzola. The festival will also include the culmination of two projects that are currently running in the city, Dark Side Port Side and the transmedia Snow Witch project.

The University will be directly involved in the following events:

• 20 Oct, 7pm: Entry to the Underworld – Amanda Garrie – The Square Tower
• 5 Nov 6.30pm: Dark Tourism – Travel Writing and Filmmaking on the Edge – Dr Tom Sykes – Eldon Building, Room 0.20
• 6 Nov 3pm: Typewriter, Treason & Plot – William Sutton – Southsea Coffee
• 7 Nov 7pm: Stoker on Stoker – Dacre Stoker – King Henry Building
• 8 Nov 7pm: How to Write Gothic Fiction – Anna Mazzola, Victoria Leslie, Catriona Ward and Tracy Fahey – Eldon Building

Events are still being added to the programme, so make sure to check this page closer to the time of the festival. You can find out more information on the Festival’s website or by following their Facebook page.