From the Sydney Writers’ Festival to Melbourne Writers Festival and beyond, Australia is blessed with a wealth of literary events each year. These events showcase local and overseas talent, and give readers a chance to hear from their favourite writers.
Here we’ve rounded up the best events around Australia for 2025.
Best writers festivals around Australia
Byron Writers Festival, NSW
This year the Byron Writers Festival is taking place at the Bangalow Showground, 15 minutes from Byron Bay, over August 8-10. In true Byron Bay fashion, the event includes food stalls, artist markets, bars and also a sculpture walk. You can catch up on last year’s festival talks through the Byron Writers Festival podcast.
Who is appearing?
The Byron Writers Festival has an impressive line-up of 160 artists from around the world. Below is just a sample of the events.
- Beloved Australian writer Di Morrissey (River Song) in conversation with Jane Novak.
- Gina Chick (We Are the Stars), Esther Freud (My Sister and Other Lovers) and Nardi Simpson (The Belburd) chat about matriarchy and womanhood.
- Peter Greste (The Correspondent) and John Vaillant (Fire Weather) discuss the state of play for press freedom.
- Crime writers Chris Hammer (The Seven), Dervla McTiernan (The Unquiet Grave), and Michael Robotham (The White Crow) chat about the booming genre.
- For memoir lovers, Robert Dessaix (Chameleon), Hannah Kent (Always Home, Always Homesick) and Markus Zusak (Three Wild Dogs and the Truth) reflect on the power of sharing personal stories.
- 2024 co–Australian of the Year Richard Scolyer talks about his fight against a diagnosis of incurable brain cancer.
- “Romantasy” in the spotlight with Tigest Girma (Immortal Dark) and Stacey McEwan (A Forbidden Alchemy).
Other guests include: Shankari Chandran (Unfinished Business), Zoë Foster Blake (Things Will Calm Down Soon), Jane Caro (The Mother), Helen Garner (The Season), Melanie Cheng (The Burrow), Joe Aston (The Chairman’s Lounge), Michelle de Kretser (Theory & Practice – which has been shortlisted for the 2025 Stella Prize), Thomas Mayo (Always Was, Always Will Be), Saman Shad (The Sex Lives of Married Women), and Layne Beachley.
Primary and Secondary Schools Days run on August 6-7. Guests include Australian Children’s Laureate Sally Rippin (Billie B Brown series), comedian Peter Helliar, poet Maxine Beneba Clarke (Stuff I’m Not Sorry For), Isobelle Carmody (The Obernewtyn Chronicles), Anita Heiss (Who Am I?), Corey Tutt (Deadly Science series) Sarah Armstrong (Big Magic) and Tony Armstrong.
Bendigo Writers Festival, Vic.
Since 2012, the Bendigo Writers Festival has prided itself on being a “vibrant gathering of readers, writers, and creative thinkers”. This year’s festival runs August 15-17.
The event includes schools days, creative sessions for kids, book club discussions and events for foodies.
Who is appearing?
The Bendigo Writers Festival has a stacked guest list of everyone from authors and poets to chefs, illustrators and editors.
- A special ABC Radio Outside Broadcast will be kicking off the festival, with presenters Fiona Parker and Nic Healey chatting with creatives.
- Authors Kelly Gardiner (Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Detective), Lucy Sussex (Outrageous Fortunes) and Tara Calaby (The Spirit Circle) will be talking about the spirited women throughout history who inspired their novels.
- Kate Mildenhall (The Hummingbird Effect) and poet Nathan Curnow lead a book club discussion of Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s Shadow of the Wind.
- For thriller readers, Kelly Gardiner (Goddess), Fiona Hardy (How to Tackle Your Dreams) and Jock Serong (The Settlement) will be discussing Ian Rankin’s John Rebus series.
- If you have young kids, there are plenty of interactive sessions for them to enjoy where they can create characters and learn about illustration. Hosts for the creative kids sessions include Felice Arena (Pasta!), Matt Stanton (Funny Kid series), and Alice Pung and Sher Rill Ng (the author and illustrator of the Millie Mak books and Be Careful, Xiao Xin).
Other guests include: Katrina Nannestad (The Travelling Bookshop series), Randa Abdel-Fattah (Does My Head Look Big In This?), Shannon Martinez (Vegan Italian Food), Ita Mehrotra (Shaheen Bagh: A Graphic Recollection), publisher Julie Gibbs, Richard Denniss (Econobabble), Satyajit Das (A Banquet of Consequences), Ben Shewry (Uses for Obsession), Paul Daley (Jesustown), Clare Wright (Naku Dharuk The Bark Petitions), Jeanine Leane (Purple Threads), and Robert Dessaix (Chameleon).
Writers festival programs yet to be announced
Brisbane Writers Festival, Qld.
The Brisbane Writers Festival has had an upgrade for 2025. It is relocating to the Brisbane Powerhouse! The 2025 festival is on October 9–12. The program will be released in mid-2025.
Canberra Writers Festival, ACT
Hosted in Australia’s capital city, the Canberra Writers Festival has been running since 2016. It has a perennial theme: Power, Politics, Passion. The 2025 festival is on October 22-26.
Berry Writers Festival, NSW
Hosted in the historic small town of Berry in NSW, the event happens every second year. The next festival will be held in October 2026.
Emerging Writers’ Festival, Vic.
This writers’ festival champions new and emerging authors from Australia. The 2025 event will be September 11-18 in Melbourne. As well as the usual talks and events, there are options for professional development and masterclasses for authors.
Did you miss these writers’ festivals?
Sydney Writers’ Festival, NSW
The Sydney Writers’ Festival has been running since 1997 in NSW’s capital city. This year’s theme was In This Together. As Artistic Director Ann Mossop said, “Writing remains one of the most powerful tools to make sense of the world, to spark change and foster understanding.”
The festival ran from May 19–27, but the Sydney Writers’ Festival podcast can be enjoyed year-round.
Which authors appeared?
There were over 40 international guests and more than 100 Australian authors including:
- Samantha Harvey, winner of the 2024 Booker Prize for Orbital.
- Marian Keyes, bestselling author of, among others, Watermelon, Rachel’s Holiday, and My Favourite Mistake.
- Australia’s own Liane Moriarty (Big Little Lies; Nine Perfect Strangers) paired up with English author David Nicholls (One Day) to discuss having their work adapted for TV and film.
- Helen Garner discussed The Season, her first full-length release for several years.
- Stella Prize 2025 shortlisted authors Jumaana Abdu (Translations), Melanie Cheng (The Burrow) and Samah Sabawi (Cactus Pear for My Beloved).
- Annabel Crabb hosted the festival’s annual debate. This year’s topic: True friends stab you in the front.
Other guests included: Charlotte Wood (Stone Yard Devotional), Shankari Chandran (Unfinished Business), Stan Grant (Talking to my Country), Gina Chick (We Are the Stars), Michael Robotham (Storm Child), Anna Funder (Wifedom), Hannah Kent (Burial Rites), Nardi Simpson (Song of the Crocodile), Zoë Foster Blake (Things Will Calm Down Soon), Jane Caro (The Mother), Dylin Hardcastle (A Language of Limbs), and Lynette Noni (Wandering Wild).
Melbourne Writers Festival, Vic.
The Melbourne Writers Festival has been running since 1986, driven by its values of excellence, curiosity, diversity and a future-focused mindset. This year’s theme was “Magical Thinking”, celebrating the “special kind of magic” found in books, said Festival Director Veronica Sullivan.
The festival ran from May 8-11. Select events are available to listen to via The Melbourne Writers Festival podcast.
Which authors appeared?
- Kaliane Bradley, the Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author of The Ministry of Time.
- Japanese author Asako Yuzuki, whose novel Butter went viral.
- Jimmy Barnes, of Cold Chisel fame, talked about his latest book Jimmy Barnes: Highways and Byways.
- Jane Harper (The Dry; Force of Nature) interviewed Marian Keyes about her new book, My Favourite Mistake.
- Australian authors Anita Heiss (Dirrayawadha) and Kate Grenville (Unsettled).
- Stella Prize 2025 shortlisted authors Santilla Chingaipe (Black Convicts), Amy McQuire (Black Witness) and Samah Sabawi (Cactus Pear for My Beloved).
Others including: Jamila Rizvi (The Motherhood), Sarah Wilson, Marcia Langton (Welcome to Country), Hannah Kent (Burial Rites), Colm Tóibín (Brooklyn), C.S. Pacat (Captive Prince), Bebe Oliver (if this is the end), Froomes (Lucinda Price) (All I Ever Wanted Was To Be Hot), and Kate Mildenhall (The Hummingbird Effect).
Margaret River Readers and Writers Festival, WA
Founded in 2009, the Margaret River Readers & Writers Festival is now the largest regional writers event in Western Australia. There is also a Young Readers & Writers Program as well as a podcast, The Readers & Writers Podcast, which is available to listen to year-round.
Which authors appeared?
- Charlotte Wood, whose novel Stone Yard Devotional was shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2024.
- Tasma Walton, actor and author, discussed her novel I Am Nannertgarrook.
- Crime fiction writer Chris Hammer (Scrublands, Silver, The Valley) talked about his career.
- Inga Simpson discussed her latest novel, The Thinning.
- Markus Zusak reflected on 20 years since publishing The Book Thief.
Other authors included: Marian Keyes (My Favourite Mistake), Samantha Harvey (Orbital), Hannah Kent (Burial Rites), Stan Grant (Talking to my Country), Peter Godwin (Exit Wounds), Madeline Te Whiu (The Assassin Thief), and Craig Semple (The Cop Who Fell to Earth).
Adelaide Writers’ Week, SA
This event occurs every year as part of the Adelaide Festival. It’s the largest free literary festival in Australia, with six days of free panel sessions. The talks are also made available via their podcast, Adelaide Writers’ Week. The 2026 event will happen during the Adelaide Festival, Feb 27 – Mar 15.
Newcastle Writers Festival, NSW
The Newcastle Writers Festival was in early April. The inaugural event was held in 2013 and it has since bloomed into one of the largest regional writers festivals in Australia.
Some of the 2025 guests were Markus Zusak (The Book Thief), Julie Goodwin, Peter Greste, Geraldine Brooks (Horse), Omar Sakr (Son of Sin) and Michelle de Kretser (Theory & Practice).
