Theatre productions, film showings, conferences, even a tea dance; these are just some of the events that form part of a special Agatha Christie week in Tenerife starting on 5th June 2009.

You may think it strange that a place like Tenerife would host such a large scale celebration that includes 24 seperate events over a 9 day period, but the island was much loved by Christie who came to visit in 1927. It is widely accepted that she stayed at Sitio Litre, a grand private residence owned by a family called Smith, that now opens its gardens to the public. Other sources claim she stayed in the Gran Hotel Taoro in Puerto de la Cruz. Some of her writing was done on Tenerife including part of the short story collection "The Mysterious Mr Quinn" and there are also recognisable descriptions of some locations on Tenerife in other stories. She spent a week on the island before travelling to Gran Canaria to spend a further week. The island was obviously dear to her heart as she returned several times for holidays on later occasions.

Agatha Christie's only grandson, Matthew Pritchard, is planning to attend the festival again this year and will host a conference when some previously unpublished recordings ( The Lost Tapes ) will be presented. The festival will also include an exhibition of memorabilia and a classic car show.