This year I arrived somewhat earlier than last year for the Festival of the Unexplained, not just because I was talking on the Saturday, but because I wanted to be a part of the whole weekend. Kicking it all off with an early morning drive to Worcester. A drive that took me past parts of Coventry where I used to live and past where I used to work at IBM Warwick. Certainly a trip down memory lane for me.

Arriving in good time and after negotiating the car parking, I was greeted warmly by Karen Fray and quickly found myself joining the event VIPs as they were receiving their brief for the day’s events. Then, following a history of the local area read by Katherine, we gathered our stuff and headed out to check out some of Worcester’s historic locations and obviously hear about some of their more paranormal stories.

We stopped at places like the Guildhall and Worcester Cathedral along the way, both of which we had time inside, which was really good. We then headed back along Friar Street, stopping to hear the haunting legends of The Cardinal’s Hat pub before moving down the street to Tudor House Museum and various timber-framed Tudor-style buildings. Many of which had a story to tell.

We then headed back towards the Whitehouse Hotel, where the event was being held and we were staying, stopping off at a hidden gem along the way. Often on my travels I find some strange places, some odd places and some very interesting places. The Cocky Anchor is a micropub in the heart of Worcester, opposite The Crown. The two pubs contrast with each other in more ways than just being across the street from each other. Whilst The Crown is huge and never-ending, The Cocky Anchor is small and over several levels, with a secret garden and many levels. Karen had spoken to the pub and when we arrived, a lovely young lady gave us an excellent and passionate tour of the building, all the way to the top where you can find a domed-roof room and an outside roof deck. The place clearly has a long and interesting tale to tell, woven through time.

As we left The Cocky Anchor and headed back towards the hotel, Beth Darlington-Bailey (Access Paranormal) and I decided that it was too nice a pub to not have a drink in. So, I grabbed a pint of Cocky Lager and we headed to the second floor to take in the historic surroundings.

We were not that long, though, as we rushed back to join the rest of the VIPs for the afternoon talk by Chris McKinnell. This was similar to the talk delivered by McKinnell at Colchester Museum in October, but certainly not the same talk by any means. Again, I found McKinnell’s take on his grandparents’ work refreshing, providing a new, updated view of the cases of Ed and Lorraine Warren. What is also important to recognise is that McKinnell was not simply providing a rewrite of the Warren cases, as he himself had actually been involved in many of those better-known cases. Whilst he clearly loved his grandparents and respected the work they did, it was from a time when less was known about the paranormal, which obviously has become something that challenges McKinnell these days.

Still an engaging talk which I really enjoyed, and I look forward to reading McKinnell’s book to learn more.

After dinner, the VIPs gathered back in the room where we heard McKinnell’s talk, ready to join the team for an exclusive investigation of the Worcester Whitehouse Hotel.

We were split into three groups and would set off to investigate three different areas of the hotel. This would be the Severn Suite, Room 105 and the Chedworth Suite, and would take us up to around 23:45. Then we could catch up in the hotel bar area before bed.

Our group was led by Gary Fields, beginning in the Severn Suite first. We quickly realised that our group was going to take a more spiritualist medium approach, with Gary helping us to see things that perhaps usually we would not. Whilst I was not overly happy about this approach, I was also certainly open to giving it a go and as such threw myself into the process.

To be fair, over the three locations around the hotel our team did pick up on a few things, but currently we have not been able to validate any of that information. Hopefully, something may come out about the hotel over the next few weeks.

The investigation itself was good fun and actually, although the approach used by our group was a little different from what I would use, it was fascinating to really experience a kind of mediumship session. Don’t get me wrong, I questioned everything that I got and had to wonder if it was simply random thoughts I was having. Such is always the way when you’re dealing with a situation you’re not used to or confident about.

The hotel itself has a rich history which I may return to in a future post, as I found it quite interesting. Sometimes the rich history of a location can provide the basis for an excellent ghost story.

After the investigation, many of us gathered in the hotel bar to catch up properly, not just about the investigation, but what many of us had been up to since the last Festival of the Unexplained. It was quickly becoming evident that this was a good group of people. No egos trying to be in the spotlight, just a nice group of people all with a passion for the paranormal.

As often occurs during these events, a few of us remained talking until the early hours. I am completely convinced that many could simply continue conversations about the paranormal from Friday morning right through to Sunday night if they did not have a need to sleep, eat or move. However, Saturday morning was fast approaching and sleep was going to be required if we were to fully benefit from the talks and marketplace.

Saturday morning came quickly and whilst many of us enjoyed the first coffee of the day and a lovely breakfast, Andy Guy (Scire) was already unloading his car and beginning to set up his table of ghost-hunting gadgets in the marketplace. He was quickly followed by many others and the space began to fill. A few authors, including myself and Chris McKinnell, could be found selling books alongside the Haunted Artefacts Museum, some strange dolls, crystals and much more. However, it was not just the items sold that would be exchanged in the marketplace. Many people made new friends and discussed various aspects of the paranormal.

Every now and then Russ Bevan would pass through, rounding up people to join the audience for the next talk. Something that, as one of the day’s speakers, I was actually very grateful for, to be honest. All too often the focus is so much on keeping to the schedule that some event organisers will push you to start on time when barely anyone is present. Obviously, at huge conventions this makes sense when there is no give in the schedule, but if there is a little drift, sometimes that can provide a better number that listen to you. This was certainly the case at Festival of the Unexplained this year. Whilst the day’s speaker schedule may have drifted slightly, the room for the talks was pretty much to capacity each time.

Also, for the talks I managed to attend, Russ provided a really good introduction which I felt really helped to kick off each talk in exactly the way it needed to. I was especially thankful for my own introduction, which was certainly more detailed than I expected it would be. Some homework had clearly been done.

I am not going to go into details about the talks here, but suffice to say they ranged from haunted artefacts to demonology, to long-term cases like the Royal Oak, to UFOs, to the audio work of Eamon Vann-Harris. There were a couple of late cancellations, which could not be helped by the organisers, but there were also a couple of additions too. That last point right there shows the passion of the team running the event, where they quickly adjusted and filled a spot to bring their guests yet another awesome talk.

As one of the speakers, I have to say it was really nice to have such a nice and engaging audience, with plenty of questions. And as an author, it was lovely to sell a few of my books and share my story of the Royal Oak.

All in all, it was a packed day filled with great talks and a few workshops too, amazing discussions, good questions and some lovely connections. Personally, for me, I managed to meet Eamon Vann-Harris face to face for the first time, which was brilliant because his work in Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP) has always fascinated me. Also, I had a really interesting and in-depth talk with Andy Guy, which may hopefully lead to something in the future, as understanding how and why this strange phenomena affects our environment equally interests me.

The final talk of the day, Eamon’s one, flowed nicely into just enough time to get ready for dinner, which was to be a three-course affair in the same room where the marketplace had been all day. So, during the last talk and whilst guests got changed, the team and hotel converted the room. When we arrived it had five or six beautifully decorated round tables for us all, with a DJ and dance floor ready to go. There was also a lovely area for photos to be taken. All in all, it was a great job and looked lovely. Hats off to the team.

Following a tasty three-course meal, wine and some more chatting, Karen and Russ, with some help from Kath, started the raffle. Now, I am pretty sure this was one of the longest raffles, with a huge selection of prizes to get through. I would not be surprised either if most people in the room went home with a prize. It was fun, though, and helped to raise money for the event’s two charities, which was really what it’s all about.

Once the formalities were completed, the lights came down and on came the music, when various shapes would be cast upon the dance floor. Although I am told that it was likely Malcolm that spent the most time dancing. If you know, you know!

As the evening progressed, I caught up with Beth and my wife over a bottle of red or two. And before we knew it, last orders were offered and bed began to call.

However, for other members of the group, a late-night ghost walk would bring some interesting photos of potential paranormal activity. I also was told that some ventured to a local nightclub to truly take the night through to the small hours. And fair play to them. We all enjoyed our time in our own ways, like any family does.

Sunday morning, I woke up early and took the opportunity to catch up on some reading and start writing this blog post. I left my wife in bed and set up on one of the sofas near to reception. It was interesting to watch the comings and goings of the hotel, even at that time of the morning. Still, it was not long before the restaurant opened for breakfast and I began to see some familiar faces. Many of which were still feeling the night before. They headed straight for the coffee station and nursed the hot mug as if it held magical powers.

Around 9am I returned to my room to wake the wife and begin packing for the journey home. As we had come separately, Jen was heading off earlier to get home, whilst I was to stay to the very end. So, just before 10am I packed up my car, said goodbye to Jen as she began her journey to our home, and checked out of the hotel.

Whilst Sunday was certainly more chilled than Saturday, there were still a few talks to attend and even a workshop. All of which would take us to the final presentation of the day, a review of Friday night’s investigation to see what the teams had found.

There were certainly some common themes and even the odd name that came up for more than one group. I would certainly say that the Worcester Whitehouse Hotel was an interesting place to stay and investigate. As yet it’s not really revealed how haunted it may be, but there are certainly stories worth exploring.

And with that, Karen took her place in front of us remaining guests and closed the Festival of the Unexplained 2026. It had been a brilliant weekend, enjoyed by many and lots of good memories made too. Often in the paranormal field you encounter egos at every turn, but during our time at the Whitehouse Hotel that had not been the case. Everyone genuinely appeared to get on and it could have easily been mistaken for a family event, but a family that actually gets on. I saw some of this last year when I attended, but this year it was there in bucketloads. Community had returned to the paranormal and I was once again excited to be a part of it. I think it’s fair to say that everyone present contributed to that in their own way.

As Karen finished speaking, we said our goodbyes before heading off. Although I think some still had a night left at the hotel. Sometimes it’s in that moment before you leave that you suddenly realise how quickly an event like Festival of the Unexplained has taken to pass by over that one weekend. However, if you also take an extra couple of minutes you also begin to realise how long it’s taken to plan, how much effort has gone into it, the passion of Karen and the team behind it and the simple fact that what they have done is helped a little more to bring this community together. And for that I am hugely thankful. It took me many years to find my people, but without events like this that would be even harder.

Festival of the Unexplained was a brilliant weekend, enjoyed by all that attended, I am sure. Personally, it was great to catch up with friends old and new, but also learn more about the work of others. Whether it was one of the many excellent talks, I attended a workshop or even a random chat in the marketplace that involved poorly drawn diagrams, there was something for anyone to take away. It was also great to see the passion and excitement of those new to the paranormal in contrast to the unfading light of those that have been doing this for decades.

Amazing people, doing awesome things to learn more about the paranormal.