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Festivals >

Upcoming events

May

ALIA National Conference
(11–14 May)
Auckland Writers Festival Waituhi o Tāmaki
(12–17 May)
Festival director speed dating event 
(13 May)
Sydney Writers' Festival
(17 May–24 March)
National Simultaneous Storytime
(27 May)
Words on the Waves Writers Festival
(27 May–1 June)
Island Readers & Writers Festival
(29 May–1 June)

June

Australian Booksellers Association Conference
(13–15 June)

July

International Publishers Congress 
(5–9 July)
Mildura Writers Festival
(16–19 July)
BookUp 
(22–23 July)
Apollo Bay WORDfest
(24–26 July)

August

Byron Writers Festival 
(14–16 August)
Aotearoa NZ Children’s Book Week
(15–21 August)
Children’s Book Week
(22–28 August)

September

Blak & Bright
(3–6 September)
Whitsundays Writers Festival
(13 September)

October

Frankfurt Book Fair 
(7–11 October)
Brisbane Writers Festival 
(8–11 October)

Events

Festivals

Conferences

View upcoming and past events

 

Blak & Bright moves to September

An image of the Blak & Bright logo. Tuesday, 28 October 2025
The 2026 Blak & Bright First Nations Literary Festival will run from 3 to 6 September 2026, organisers have announced. This marks a shift in the timing of the biennial...

History Unbound festival launches program

History Unbound logo Thursday, 23 October 2025
The Historical Novel Society Australasia have announced the full program for the History Unbound festival, which will take place from 1 to 2 November in Parramatta. The event marks a...

Jewish Poetry Project exhibition announced

Jewish Poetry Project banner Wednesday, 1 October 2025
The Sydney Jewish Writers Festival has announced the Jewish Poetry Project, a month-long outdoor exhibition of Jewish poetry. Curated on the theme ‘The Door Is Always Open’, the exhibition is...

KUPU Māori Writers Festival releases full program

Thursday, 18 September 2025
The KUPU Māori Writers Festival has released its full program, running 17–18 October in Rotorua. Among those headlining the event are Poia Rewi, Tim Finn, Hana Tapiata, Donovan Farnham, Mike McRoberts,...

Readings’ A Day in Carlton program announced

A day in Carlton logo Thursday, 18 September 2025
Readings has announced the full 2025 program for ‘A Day in Carlton’, which will run 13–15 November in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton. The festival will open with author Trent...

Words at Pearls program announced

Wednesday, 17 September 2025
Words on the Waves has announced Words at Pearls, a one-day literary festival running Saturday 15 November at Pearl Beach, NSW. Under the theme ‘Wandering Wild’, the program features four...

Sunshine Coast Fiction Festival 2025 program released

Sunshine Coast Fiction Festival logo Tuesday, 16 September 2025
The Sunshine Coast Fiction Festival has announced its 2025 program, running 7–9 November in Bokarina. Among Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand authors headlining the event are TL Swan, Candice Fox,...

Queenscliffe Literary Festival 2025 program announced

Monday, 15 September 2025
Queenscliffe Literary Festival (QLF) has announced its 2025 program. Under the theme ‘Rising Tides’, the festival will run 17–26 October 2025 on the lands of the Wadawurrung people. Among local...

Queenstown Writers Festival announces 2025 program

Tuesday, 9 September 2025
The Queenstown Writers Festival (QWF) has announced its 2025 program, running 30 October to 3 November 2025 in Queenstown, Aotearoa New Zealand. Local guests headlining this year’s festival include Nalini...

NYWF announces 2025 program

Thursday, 4 September 2025
The National Young Writers’ Festival (NYWF) has announced its 2025 program, running 2–5 October on the land of the Awabakal and Worimi peoples in Newcastle, NSW. To open the festival...

Canberra Writers Festival 2025 program announced

Thursday, 4 September 2025
The program for this year’s Canberra Writers Festival (CWF), running 22–26 October 2025, has been announced. International guests include Griffin Dunne, Eric Puchner, Cheng Lei, Sophie Gilbert and Omar El...

Full program announced for Ubud 2025

Monday, 1 September 2025
Ubud Writers & Readers Festival (UWRF) has announced the full line-up for its 2025 festival program, themed ‘Aham Brahmasmi: I Am The Universe’, which will run 30 October to 2 November...

Papercuts Comics Festival announces program

Papercuts Comics Festival 2025 Wednesday, 20 August 2025
Papercuts Comics Festival has announced its 2025 program, running 12–14 September in Adelaide. Artists appearing include Alice Lam, Chad Molyneux, Evie ‘YEEVZ’ Hilliar, Molly Hunt, Nicola Scott and Robin Tatlow-Lord....

Brisbane Writers Festival releases 2025 program

Brisbane Writers Festival 2025 logo Friday, 15 August 2025
Brisbane Writers Festival (BWF) has launched the full program for its 2025 festival, to be held at the new venue of Brisbane Powerhouse 9–12 October. The program includes over 100 events and features...

Write Around the Murray 2025 program

Thursday, 14 August 2025
The Write Around the Murray (WAM) festival, running 10–14 September in Albury City, has announced its 2025 program. Among the headliners attending the event are journalist, social commentator and writer...

Byron Writers Festival showground events cancelled

Monday, 11 August 2025
Organisers of Byron Writers Festival (BWF) cancelled the Bangalow Showground events for the second and third days of the 2025 festival program, because of rain and safety issues. In an...

Emerging Writers Festival 2025 program launched 

Emerging Writers Festival Logo Monday, 11 August 2025
The Emerging Writers Festival (EWF) has launched its 2025 program alongside a new logo. The festival, which will run 11–18 September, will hold 70 events with over 200 artists in...

Newcastle Writers Festival announces spring festival 

Newcastle Writers Festival logo Thursday, 7 August 2025
Newcastle Writers Festival (NWF) has announced a special spring program, which will run 20 September to 25 October 2025. The spring program reflects the organisation’s commitment to creating year-round opportunities...

Island Readers and Writers Festival announced

Tuesday, 5 August 2025
The inaugural Island Readers and Writers Festival will be held in Nipaluna / Hobart on 29 May–1 June 2026. Produced by literary organisation and magazine Island, the festival is accepting...

Port Fairy Literary Weekend announces program

Port Fairy Literary Weekend Monday, 4 August 2025
Port Fairy Literary Weekend, which runs 12–14 September, has announced its full program. Headliners include Helen Garner, Jock Serong, Emily Maguire, Sharmini Kumar and Jayne Tuttle. The festival will open...

Stella Day Out announces Melbourne program

Stella Day out Monday, 4 August 2025
Literary organisation Stella has announced the program for its Stella Day Out Melbourne event, set to take place on 18 August at the Queen Victoria Women's Centre. Three sessions have...

BAD Sydney Crime Writers Festival program announced

Monday, 4 August 2025
BAD Sydney Crime Writers Festival, running 11–13 September, has launched its 2025 program. Among the headliners are Michael Robotham, Candice Fox, Jane Caro and Gary Jubelin. The program will feature...

We Read Auckland announces full program

We Read Auckland logo Tuesday, 29 July 2025
We Read Auckland | Ka Pānui Tātou i Tāmaki Makaurau has announced its full program, which will run 1–31 August. The month-long reading and writing festival offers free events with...

Somerset Storyfest announces 2025 regional program

Somerset Storyfest logo Wednesday, 23 July 2025
Youth literary festival Somerset Storyfest has announced its regional touring program for 1–16 September 2025, traveling beyond its base on the Gold Coast, Queensland, to the towns of St George,...

Mudgee Readers’ Festival announces 2025 program

Mudgee Readers' Festival Wednesday, 23 July 2025
Mudgee Readers’ Festival (MRF) has announced its full 2025 program, set to run 15–17 August. Over 25 writers will appear over three days, including Chris Hammer, Victoria Purnam, Sara M...