14–16 August, 2026, Byron Bay
Sanctuary
Byron Writers Festival is Australia’s favourite regional meeting place of storytelling and ideas. This year, Byron Writers Festival returns to Byron Bay on the land and waterways of the Bundjalung nation. With a new precinct in the heart of town, the 2026 festival is both a reinvention and homecoming – an offer of sanctuary in a tumultuous world.
On this page you will find news and articles highlighting what’s on at this year’s Byron Writers Festival and the official festival program booklet.
For more information, the program and tickets visit byronwritersfestival.com.
Day 3 wraps 30th year of Byron Writers Festival
The final day of my 2026 Byron Writers Festival went from John Howard's pernicious effect on Australia to poetry in the dark; from being funny about serious things to first time writers made good, and finally to the story of a wrongful conviction for murder.
Myths, mining and the manosphere under the microscope at BWF
Saturday's program at the 2026 Byron Writers Festival covered a lot of ground, from politics to favourite novels, from myths to the manosphere.
Tears, anger and joy at 2026 Byron Writers Fest
There was a lot less mud and a lot more walking at this year's glorious celebration of words, the Byron Writers Festival, which took place in a series of venues around Byron Bay over the last three days.
The Byron Writers Festival is open
Celebrating its 30th year, the Byron Writers Festival opened last night for the first time in the heart of Byron Bay.
Shane Howard on mining for gold in Musicland
Byron Writers Festival spoke with poet, musician, writer, singer, producer, and former Goanna frontman, Shane Howard. Speaking to Shane is like mining for gold. If by mining you mean reclining on a lilo in a pool with a cocktail, and the person doing the hard graft is handing you nugget after nugget of the good stuff.
Free events across the Byron Writers Festival
A rich program of free events runs across Byron Writers Festival’s 30th anniversary weekend from 14 to 16 August.
Putting the planet centre stage
As Byron Writers Festival marks its 30th year this August, some of the country’s sharpest minds turn to the defining question of our time: the future of the planet.
A fungi love story captured in time-lapse
Award-winning filmmaker, directors and photography team, Catherine Marciniak and Stephen Axford have combined their expertise in art, science, and storytelling through their film Follow the Rain and are co-authors of a new book, Planet Fungi: A Photographer’s Foray.
Antoinette Lattouf on courage, cultural barriers, and women who win
Award-winning journalist Antoinette Lattouf’s case against the ABC became central to debates on free speech, employee rights, institutional accountability, and the consequences of challenging media power.
Get published – workshops and sessions at this year’s Writers Festival
For writers with a manuscript in the drawer or a story taking shape, the 2026 Byron Writers Festival offers a rare and practical window into the world of professional publishing.
Big ideas for a changing world at Writers Festival
If the state of the world has you searching for answers, Byron Writers Festival’s 30th anniversary program delivers three days of urgent conversation on the forces shaping our future, from artificial intelligence to the housing crisis.
Deadly stories: powerful First Nations voices at Byron Writers Festival 2026
This year’s festival celebrates some of the most vital and impactful storytelling in Australian literature, with a dedicated program of First Nations writers whose work spans historical fiction, picture books and Indigenous knowledge and whose voices are reshaping how this country understands itself.
Evelyn Araluen on coming home to Country
Byron Writers Festival interviews prize-winning poet Evelyn Araluen who will present her new poetry collection, 'The Rot', at the 2026 Byron Writers Festival.
First Nations voices at the opening and heart of writers festival
Byron Writers Festival opens on Bundjalung Country on August 14 with a Calling to Country led by local Arakwal Bundjalung custodian, Delta Kay, and this year will feature the inaugural Rhoda Roberts Oration, honouring the late, beloved Rhoda Roberts AO.
Women to the front: the female voices shaping the 2026 Byron...
The 2026 Byron Writers Festival program puts women front and centre. Journalists, novelists, and an award-winning columnist bring an extraordinary breadth of stories to Bundjalung Country this August.
Osher’s next act: transforming recovery into a toolkit
Byron Writers Festival talks with best-selling author Osher Günsberg whose new book, So What? Now What? is a mental health toolkit and a compelling follow-up to his critically-acclaimed 2018 memoir, Back, After The Break.
Take sanctuary at this year’s Byron Writers Festival
Thirty years and a stellar lineup is coming your way with this year’s Byron Writers Festival,14–16 August.
Award-winning writers coming to BWF
The Byron Writers Festival has announced a number of prize-winning authors who will be appearing among 150 international and Australian writers at this year's festival, representing a wide range of genres.
Fresh ink: new releases making their festival debut
This year’s Byron Writers Festival is a first-look destination, with several of Australia’s most anticipated new books arriving at the festival before the ink has barely dried.
The ghosts of generations – Siang Lu at Byron Writers Festival...
The Byron Writers Festival talks to author Siang Lu about his book, Ghost Cities, which won the Miles Franklin Award in 2025.
Byron Writers Festival reveals 30th anniversary program
As August draws near and authors gear up for a big weekend in Byron Bay, Byron Writers Festival has revealed its complete program for its 30th anniversary edition
Writers fest celebrates local authors
An extraordinary amount of literary talent calls the Northern Rivers home, and in its 30th year the Byron Writers Festival is celebrating with an incredible local lineup, joining Trent Dalton, Geetanjali Shree, Evelyn Araluen, Steve Toltz, Melissa Lucashenko and others.
Byron Writers Festival celebrates 30 years!
Byron Writers Festival is set to take over Byron Bay from Friday 14 – Sunday 16 August. This morning it has unveiled the first collection of authors for its 2026 program, alongside a limited release of three-day passes, marking the beginning of a milestone 30th anniversary.
Byron Writers Festival: symbol of our vibrant, unique culture
Who knows how many terrific ideas have wafted and dissolved after long literary lunches? This one didn’t – a shared idea took root, and after a lot of hard work the Northern Rivers Writers Centre, based in Lismore, was born and its first Byron Writers Festival took place in 1997.
Byron Writers Festival moves home
After last year’s Byron Writers Festival was washed out, it was time to put the thinking caps on and work out a new plan – in this climate-impacted world how do you put a festival on that minimises the risk of it happening again?
