Sydney Writers Festival

The Sydney Writers Festival is a cultural event catering to writers and readers. It includes a diverse schedule of educational programs, workshops, interactive sessions, and entertainment for all participants.

Writers, bloggers, online publishers, political activists, and journalists are a few of the many who participated in this event.

In 2025, the Festival brings together writers of the everyday and the fantastical, writers of dazzling fiction, magical words, captivating life stories and sweeping accounts of history and ideas.

As always, the Festival presents diverse views and voices to audiences seeking different experiences.

You can decide whether to stick with what you love or go out on a limb and challenge yourself with discovery or discomfort. You can explore the intersections of writing with music, art, politics or philosophy or double down on the pure pleasure of poetry.

Listening to a story or reading a book builds bridges to a community of fellow readers, irrespective of time and place. But when we have the chance to share a conversation with writers and fellow readers, we instantly become part of a living community. Come and join this community and let the Festival take you away.

Previous guests have included George Saunders, Susan Faludi, Paul Beatty, Colson Whitehead, Anne Enright, Alan Cumming, Vince Gilligan, Hannah Kent, Liane Moriarty, John Safran, Richard Flanagan, Helen Garner, Kate Grenville, Alexis Wright, Tom Keneally, Kate McClymont, Omar Musa and Ceridwen Dovey.

The Sydney Writers Festival also offers a range of diverse programs for writers and online publishers. Workshops are conducted during this event to help writers learn valuable skills. For instance, bloggers can learn to write fantasy, and journalists can acquire the writing skills of romance novels. Those working on a special project can also expand their horizons by participating.

The festival also includes some free events. Writers, thinkers, illustrators and performers of all age groups are welcome to participate and celebrate this event in Sydney.

With so many events during the festival, it’s impossible to list them all here. Please check out the official event program for details on the events, dates, times, venues, admission prices, and how to buy tickets.