A Weekend of Murder, Mystery & Mayhem at the Agatha Christie Festival

The annual Agatha Christie Festival kicked off in Torquay in brilliant sunshine.  This year is the 120th anniversary of the birth of the world’s favourite crime and mystery author, so what magnificent weather to celebrate this event.

Our room at the Torquay Imperial Hotel wasn’t ready so we headed down to Torquay’s waterfront where all the activities seem to be.

We called into the Tourist office and the exit from the gift shop led us to Princess Gardens where this bust of Christie is installed.

A traditional English fete was in progress – what good fortune for us from the photography perspective.  Stall holders dressed in 1920s/1930s costumes manned stalls selling arts and crafts, Christie books, foodstuff, etc.  Some of the visitors came dressed for the part as well.

Looking around to see what’s going on at the various stalls, I spotted Hercule Poirot.  Initially I thought that he was one of the fete visitors who came as a Poirot look-alike, and a very good one at it, but a photographer nearby suggests to me that he was probably the official Poirot for the Festival.  Poirot kindly offered to pose for photos by Agatha Christie’s bust before he strolled off to show his famous moustached face to the rest of the fete stalls holders and visitors.

All around the harbour there was live entertainment, with jazz, choirs and brass bands, etc.

But, for me, I’ve met  Hercule Poirot on my first day in Torquay so that’s my mission accomplished for the day.