The game is afoot! Fans of the mystery and thriller genre can don their deerstalker caps and join Hamptons Whodunit for an exciting weekend in April when the second annual mystery and crime festival takes place in East Hampton Village.
This year’s event will kick off on April 11 and run through April 14, as thousands of true crime fanatics, beloved podcasters, and forensic experts take over the beloved East End village for a weekend of master classes, panels, social events, graveyard tours, and immersive escape rooms.
Founded in 2023 to create exciting and affordable off-season programming for the East Hampton community, the festival gathers celebrated mystery and thriller authors and true crime experts who participate in panels and social events with audience members. It also offers simulated crime scenes to learn forensic skills, tours that describe the region’s more mysterious history, and immersive escape rooms that require problem-solving.
The year’s event will kick off with a cocktail party at the Maidstone Club on Thursday, April 11, from 6 to 8 PM.
Bill McCuddy and I interviewed Hamptons Whodunit cofounder Jackie Dunphy on “AirHamptons with Bridget & Bill,” which airs all month on LTV.
When asked about some of the events that excite her the most, Dunphy said, “On top of the panels, we are having a wine and crime night. So you become a rookie detective to try to solve a true cold case with the detectives and crime specialist.”
Plus, she continued, “We’re also having a crime scene challenge at the Sea Spray Cottages, which no one has been able to get into because the billionaires rent them every summer.”
Besides being a richie-rich enclave, the Sea Spray Cottages qualifies for Hamptons Whodunit for another reason. “There was a stabbing there. The place burnt down. We don’t know why. I mean, it’s got a lot of history behind it and forensics were using that as the scene. There’s going to be a grave site dig. We’re going to have DNA. You really are a detective. You become a detective.”
This year’s notable participants include 10 international New York Times best-selling authors, including Brad Thor, Ashley Flowers (host of the “Crime Junkie” podcast), Ruth Ware, Casey Sherman, and Dave Wedge; former New York City death investigator Barbara Butcher (featured in Netflix’s “Homicide”); president of Mystery Writers of America and author, Alafair Burke; and #MeToo movement leader and attorney Kristen Gibbons Feden. Hugh King will lead graveyard tours, and there will be some discussion about East Hampton’s colonial-age witch, Goody Garlick.
Last year, only about 150 participants were expected — 650 showed up. This year, Dunphy said, they are expecting even more participants. “It’s for the village,” said Dunphy. “Our mission statement is education and for the village. This drives people in the off-season. The hotels are giving everybody a cut rate price to stay. The restaurants are giving deals and the Hedges Inn is going to be our hub for this. It’s just been so much fun,” she said, smiling. “I think we’re having more fun than the people that come!”
Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite.
