Sydney Writers' Festival 2026 returns to Walsh Bay and Town Hall with 300 events

The Sydney Writers' Festival will run from Sunday 3 May to Monday 11 May 2026, presenting more than 300 events across Walsh Bay, the Sydney Town Hall, Carriageworks and a network of suburban libraries. The festival, now in its 28th year, brings together Australian and international authors, journalists, poets, screenwriters and thinkers for conversations, readings and workshops that span fiction, non-fiction, politics, science and the arts.

The festival's artistic director, Michael Williams, has said the 2026 program will focus on stories that challenge prevailing narratives, with particular attention to First Nations writing, climate fiction and the politics of memory. The program includes sessions with the Man Booker Prize-winning author Richard Flanagan, the South African novelist Zukiswa Wanner, the Australian journalist Leigh Sales and the Indigenous writer Melissa Lucashenko, whose novel Edenglassie won the 2024 Miles Franklin Award.

Venues and locations

The main festival hub is the Walsh Bay Wharves, a cluster of converted warehouses on the western side of the Harbour Bridge approach. The wharves provide indoor and outdoor spaces that can accommodate large audiences for headline conversations and smaller groups for workshops and readings. The main auditorium seats 500, and the smaller spaces hold between 50 and 200 people. The Walsh Bay precinct is accessible by foot from Circular Quay, by the ferry to Wynyard Wharf and by the light rail to the Wynyard stop.

The Sydney Town Hall hosts a series of large-format events in the Centennial Hall, including the festival's opening address and its closing debate. The Town Hall is accessible from the Town Hall train station and is a short walk from the CBD's main pedestrian thoroughfares. Carriageworks at Eveleigh presents a program of experimental writing, performance and interdisciplinary events, with a focus on emerging writers and artists from Western Sydney and regional New South Wales.

The suburban library program

One of the festival's most distinctive features is its program of events in public libraries across the greater Sydney region. The suburban library events are free or low-cost, and they bring festival authors to communities that would not normally have access to a large literary event. The 2026 program includes events at libraries in Parramatta, Liverpool, Blacktown, Penrith, Campbelltown, Wollongong and Newcastle, with specific sessions tailored to local interests and demographics.

The suburban library program is funded by the NSW State Library and the City of Sydney, and it is designed to reach readers who are excluded from the ticketed events in the CBD. Many of the library events are held outside standard working hours, making them accessible to people who cannot attend during the day. The events are also open to school groups, and the festival works with the NSW Department of Education to arrange student sessions with visiting authors.

Tickets and subscriptions

Sydney Festival uses a subscription model for its ticketing, with day passes and full-festival passes available at prices that range from $35 for a single event to $280 for a full festival pass. The day pass provides access to three events on a chosen date, and it is the most popular ticket type for visitors who want to sample a range of sessions. The full festival pass provides unlimited entry to all events except for workshops and masterclasses, which require separate booking.

Subscribers can join the festival's membership program for priority access to tickets and exclusive events, including private receptions with visiting authors. Membership is priced at $80 for individuals and $130 for couples, and it provides a discount on all ticketed events as well as access to the festival's members-only booking window, which opens two weeks before general release. The festival's website publishes the full program and ticketing information at sydneywritersfestival.org.au.

The NSW State Library's support for the suburban library program is detailed at sl.nsw.gov.au. Destination NSW's guide to Sydney cultural events is at destinationnsw.com.au.

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