Queenstown Writers Festival announces 2025 program

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 Singh, Steve Braunias, Toby Morris, Tina Makereti, Nikki Macdonald, Laurence Fearnley, Jillian Sullivan, Glenn Turner and Duncan Sarkies.

The festival will open with a gala celebrating ‘Moments of Truth’, hosted by Emma Lange with writers Steve Braunias, Liam McIlvanney, Mike McRoberts, Chanelle Moriah, Rachel Paris, Josie Shapiro and Monty Soutar, and it will close with ‘The Life of Brian (Turner)’, a panel celebrating the ‘many-faceted life’ of the poet and environmentalist.

Panels over the course of the festival include authors Helen Scheuerer and Nalini Singh on the ‘relentless rise of romantasy’; reviewers Steve Braunias, Diana Wichtel, Sumi Hahn and Sonya Wilson speaking on criticism; Peter Carey in conversation with Tina Makereti; and Laurence Fearnley on the role the natural world has in their fiction.

Other events include writing and illustration workshops, as well as performances from local singer-songwriters.

Festival chair Tanya Surrey said, ‘Our last festival was the biggest in the festival’s history and showed that there is a thirst for the storytelling showcased in our festival events. People love hearing and reading great tales.

‘Queenstown has been named New Zealand’s second most creative city (after Wellington) three years in a row and events like ours are growing and enhancing the local arts scene.’

The full program is available on the QWF website.

Category: Festivals Local news