Xàbia Negra returns for its 8th edition: A Festival of Mystery, Crime, and Culture
The festival returns with 19 events celebrating noir fiction, true crime, and new literary voices.
Between November 7th and 9,th Xàbia will once again turn noir. The Xàbia Negra Festival, now in its eighth edition, has become one of Spain’s most distinctive cultural gatherings, filling the town with books, podcasts, film, and conversation for all ages.
Rosa Montero Receives “La Criminala” Award
This year’s guest of honour is the acclaimed writer Rosa Montero, who will receive the festival’s Premio La Criminala for her original approach to crime fiction, mixing noir with elements of science fiction and her unmistakable social insight.
Montero is one of Spain’s most celebrated literary voices, winner of the Premio Primavera de Novela, Premio Grinzane Cavour (Italy), Premio “Roman Primeur” 2006 (France), and many others. She received Spain’s National Literature Award in 2017, the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts in 2022, and was named Officière des Arts et des Lettres by France in 2024. In 2025, she’ll add the Premio Liber for outstanding Spanish-American author to her long list of honors.
Her work has been translated into more than thirty languages, and she holds honorary doctorates from universities in Puerto Rico and Peru. Montero will receive her award on Friday 7th November, followed by a talk with readers at 8.00pm.
A Live Podcast from the Market
The festival opens at noon on Friday 7th November in an unexpected setting: Xàbia’s municipal market. Podcaster Ana Mendoza will record a live special of Crónicas de la Rue Morgue, winner of last year’s IVOX Gold Medal, with criminologist and TV personality Carmen Corazzini as guest. The two will discuss Corazzini’s latest book, Personas Bestias, a chilling look at Spain’s most notorious psychopaths.
True crime fans will have another highlight on Saturday 8th, when Vicente Garrido presents his new book Pasión Por Matar at Restaurante Sotavent, following the festival’s traditional literary vermouth.
Inside the Mind of the Psychopath
The figure of the psychopath is a classic of the genre, explored in both fiction and true crime. Joaquín Camps, winner of the Azorín Prize (2019), tackles this personality type in his latest novel set among the wealthy elite. Corazzini, meanwhile, compiles real cases from Spain’s criminal history in her recent work. Together, they’ll dive deep into what makes these characters – real and imagined – so disturbingly fascinating.
Marta Robles Premieres “Amada Carlota”
Author Marta Robles joins the festival to present her latest novel, Amada Carlota, the newest installment in her detective series starring Tony Roures. Written with the pulse of a thriller and the elegance of literary fiction, Robles’s new book is one of her most powerful yet. She’ll discuss how the genre can serve as a lens to examine social truths hidden beneath the surface.
New Voices in the Spanish Thriller Scene
Two of Spain’s freshest noir voices, Sònia Valiente and Javier Alandes, will talk about the enduring appeal of the thriller and the many ways it can be reinvented. Alandes blends adventure and art-world intrigue in El Rey de Bronce, while Valiente explores themes like memory, geopolitics, climate change, and artificial intelligence in her latest work.
Book Clubs, Battles, and a Mystery to Solve
Beyond its headline events, Xàbia Negra offers a full programme of activities: book clubs in Spanish and Valencian, guided tours, live writing duels, and short film contests. Readers can join discussions of Joaquín Camps’s La oscuridad que habita en mí and Natalia Gisbert’s Després del salt, winner of the Valencia Negra 2025 Prize, at the town library and the Casa del Cable.
The ever-popular literary vermouth returns Saturday morning at Rte, Sotavent, where writers share candid stories rarely heard at formal readings. New this year is a month-long crime-themed scavenger hunt at the library, and a series of school visits introducing students to the world of mystery writing.
The festival’s grand finale on Sunday 9th November, revives the theatrical tour of “La Criminal”, a local legend brought to life through performance. Later, four authors will face off in a writer’s battle, each crafting a story in just four minutes before the audience votes for the winner. The Express Short Film Awards will close the weekend.
A Festival That Blends Fun and Reflection
In total, the programme features 19 events spread across the town, a celebration of culture, storytelling, and community.
The councillor responsible for Culture, Mavi Pérez (Cpj), praised the festival’s multidisciplinary nature and invited locals to take part: “It’s a wonderful opportunity to enjoy literature in all its forms,” she said, noting that the town’s libraries will remain open all weekend.
Festival director Santiago Álvarez added that this edition “continues to explore what makes Xàbia unique, a place where culture and leisure go hand in hand. People come to Xàbia Negra to have a good time, but also to discover and to learn.” He also thanked the local council for its strong support of culture “at a time when it’s more necessary than ever.”
