List of Australian Writers Festivals 2024

Find the list of Australian Writers Festivals for 2025 here

 

2024 List of Australian Writers Festivals

OMG – I love writers festivals! So, what Writers Festivals are on in Australia in 2024?

Scroll on down for a giant list of Australian writers festivals ( NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, NT, TAS, ACT, SA) bringing authors, readers, book lovers, the writing community and the publishing industry together.

Hey, and I understand sometimes there aren’t writers festivals near us, or we can’t get there due to caring duties or health or financial reasons – so there are alternatives too! Your local library often has author visits – that’s like a mini writers festival! You can also collaborate with a local business such as a cafe to run a monthly or seasonal storytellers night. And some festivals offer online passes, or your library or local council might screen them (e.g. Sydney Writers Festival sessions are often available this way in regional areas).

You can also think about taking a holiday AROUND a writers festival – planning a visit to an area around the dates of a readers and writers festival and enjoy the best of both worlds. It may even be tax deductible if you treat your writing like a business rather than a hobby.

In addition to the listings below, here are some posts I’ve written that may be of interest/help you with your writers festival adventures too:

• What are the benefits for writers who attend writers’ festivals?
• Writer and authors: how to make the most of your experience at writers/readers/literary festivals
• How to be invited to speak or present a workshop at a writers festival

If you have a writers and/or readers festival to add to this list, please send me the details.

NB: Some details may change so please stay up to date on each festival’s website for the latest.

Writers’ Festivals in NSW, 2024

• Addi Road Writers Festival, Marrickville, Sydney Inner West
• Bad Sydney Crime Writers Festival, State Library of NSW, Sydney, NSW, 11-14 Sept, 2024
• Banjo Patterson Australian Poetry Festival, Orange, NSW, 17-25 Feb 2024
• Bellingen Readers and Writers Festival, Bellingen, NSW, 7-9 June, 2024
• Book Fair Australia, Sydney Olympic Park Homebush, 2-3 November 2024
• Blue Mountains Writers Festival, Blue Mountains, NSW, October 2024
• Byron Writers Festival, Bangalow, NSW, 9-11 August, 2024
• Dubbo Writers Festival run by Outback Writers’ Centre, Dubbo, NSW,  6-8 Sept, 2024
• EnQueer Sydney Queer Writers Festival, Sydney, 4-5 October, 2024
• Football Writers’ Festival, Walsh Bay, Sydney, July 2024
• Headland Writers Festival, Tathra, NSW, October, 2024
• IF Maitland Indie Writers Festival & ArtFest,, October 2024
• Kyogle Writers Festival, Kyogle, NSW, June 2024
• Manly Writers Festival, Manly, NSW, 14-16 March, 2024
• National Young Writers’ Festival, September-October 2024
• Newcastle Book Boyfriend Expo, 20 – 21 April, 2024
• Newcastle Writers Festival, NSW, Newcastle NSW, 5 – 7 April, 2024
• Northern Beaches Readers Festival, NBRF, NSW, 27-29 Sept, 2024
• Oracles of the Bush, Tenterfield, NSW, 4-7 April, 2024
• Romance Writers of Australia Conference, RWA
• Rose Scott Women’s Writers Festival, The Women’s Club, Sydney, Sept 2024
• Scone Literary Festival, Scone, NSW, March 2024
• StoryFest, Milton, Mollymook, Ulladulla (NSW), NB: bi-annual so not until 19-25 June 2025
• StoryWeek, October 2024
• Sydney Jewish Writers Festival, Bondi, NSW, August 2024
• Sydney Authors Inked – Local Authors Book Festival, Concord, NSW, 20 April 2024
• Sydney Muslim Writers Festival, Auburn, NSW, 24 February 2024
• Sydney Writers Festival, Sydney, NSW, 20-26 May, 2024
• True Story Festival, South Coast Writers Festival
• Words on the Waves Writers Festival, Central Coast, NSW, May 29-June 3 2024
• Write around the Murray (NSW and VIC), Sept 11-15, 2024
• Write Here! Writers’ Festival, Lake Macquarie NSW, May 2024
• Writers at the Woolshed, Wagga Wagga, NSW, 20-21 April, 2024
• Writers Unleashed, Sutherland Shire Writers’ Festival, Sutherland, NSW, Sept 2024
• Writing NSW Speculative Fiction Festival in Callan Park, June 2024
• Write Out West: Western Sydney Libraries and Literature Festival,  Penrith/Camden/Fairfield/Hawkesbury, Nov 27 and Dec 5, 2024

Writers’ Festivals in VIC, 2024

• A Day in Carlton writers festival by Readings, Carlton, VIC, 15-16 November, 2024
• Australian Fairytale Society Conference , Newport, VIC, 3-4 August, 2024
• Bendigo Writers Festival, Bendigo, VIC, 16-18 August 2024
• Blak & Bright First Nations Literary Festival, 14-17 March 2024
• Brimbank Writers and Readers Festival, Brimbank, VIC, 14-23 March 2024
• Castlemaine State Festival Author Conversations/Dialogues , Castlemaine, VIC, March/April 2024
• Clunes Book Town Festival, Clunes, VIC, 23-24 March 2024
• Dunkeld Writers Festival, Dunkeld, VIC, 22-25 August 2024
• Emerging Writers Festival (Vic) June 2024
• Festival of the Photocopier Zine Fair, North Melbourne, Feb 2024
• Fish Creek Festival of Children’s Stories, Nov 2024
• KidLitVic Meet the Publishers, Melbourne Town Hall
• Mansfield Readers & Writers Festival, Mansfield, VIC, March 2024
• Melbourne Writers Festival, Melbourne VIC, 9-12 May 2024
• Mildura Writers Festival, Mildura, VIC, 18-21 July 2024
• Mountain Writers Festival, Wurundjeri Country, Macedon
• Port Fairy Literary Weekend, Port Fairy, VIC, Sept 6-8 2024
• Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Shakespeare on the River Festival (Vic), April/May 2024
• Sorrento Writers Festival, Mornington Peninsula, VIC, 25-28 April 2024
• Q-Lit Queer Victorian Festival of Words, Fitzroy, Collingwood, Melbourne
• Queenscliffe Literary Festival, Queenscliffe and Point Lonsdale, VIC, May 2024
• Western Port Writes, Mornington Penisula, Somers and surrounds, VIC, Sep 6-8, 2024
• Williamstown Literary Festival – Willy Lit Fest, Hobson’s Bay, VIC June 2024
• Woodend Winter Arts Festival (Vic), June 2024
• Words in Winter, Daylesford, Vic, 23-25 August 2024
• Write around the Murray (NSW and VIC), Sept 2024
• Yarram StoryFest / Gumboot Collective, July 2024

Writers’ Festivals in QLD, 2024

• Brisbane Writers Festival, Brisbane, QLD, 29 May-2 June, 2024
• Cairns Tropical Writers Festival, Cairns, QLD, 8-10 March, 2024
• CapriCon Pop Culture Convention, Rockhampton, QLD, 31 August 2024
• Capricorn Coast Writers Festival, Yeppoon, QLD, June 2024
• CYA Conference, Writers and Illustrators Conference,  Brisbane, July 2024
• GenreCon, Brisbane QLD, 23-25 Feb, 2024
• Logan Writers Festival, Logan, QLD, June 2024
• Outback Writers Festival, Winton, QLD, 18-20 June 2024
• Queensland Poetry Festival,  Brisbane, QLD, April 2024
• Somerset Story Fest, Gold Coast, QLD, 25-27 March 2024
• Sunshine Coast Hinterland Writers Festival, Nambour, QLD, 11-13 October, 2024
• Whitsunday Writers Festival, Airlie Beach, QLD, 6-8 September 2024
• Words Out West Readers and Writers Fest, Western Downs, QLD, 9 March 2024
• Words Speak Louder Youth Writers Festival, Toowoomba, QLD, 28 June 2024
• Writers Group Convention, Brisbane, QLD, 27 October 2024
• Voices on the Coast Writers Festival,  Maroochydore, QLD, Feb 2024

Writers’ Festivals in SA, 2024

• Adelaide Fiction & Friction Indie Book Convention, Adelaide, 12 October, 2024
• Adelaide Writers Week, Adelaide Festival, Adelaide SA, 2-7 March, 2024
• Australian Short Story Festival, Adelaide SA, November, 2024
• Penola Coonawarra Arts Festival, SA, 16-19 May, 2024
• Romance Writers of Australia Conference, 16-18 August 2024

Writers’ Festivals in NT, 2024

• Northern Territory Writers Festival, NT, June 2024

Writers’ Festivals in WA, 2024

• Margaret River Readers & Writers Festival, MRRWF,  WA, 17-19 May, 2024
• Mandurah Readers and Writers Festival, Mandurah, WA, 11-13 Jan, 2024
• Oz Comic-Con (WA) 11-12 May, 2024
• Perth Festival Writers Weekend, Fremantle Arts Centre, Feb 9-March 3 2024
• SwanCon Perth, Science Fiction & Fantasy. Perth, WA, 20-21 April, 2024
• York Festival, York, WA, Sep 2024

Writers’ Festivals in TAS, 2024

• Hobart Writers Festival, Hobart, TAS, TBA
• Hobart Festival of Women Writers, Hobart, TAS
• Tamar Valley Writers Festival, near Launceston, TAS, Oct 11-14, 2024
• Terror Australia Readers and Writers Festival / Tassie Vice,  Huon Valley, TAS, Oct 2024

Writers’ Festivals in ACT, 2024

• Canberra Writers Festival, ACT, Aug 23-27, 2024

Writing and Publishing Industry Conferences, Australia 2024

• IPED (Institute of Professional Editors) Conference
• Small Press Network Conference (SPN)

And for New Zealanders

Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts 23 February – 17 March, 2024