Byron Writers Festival '25
Passion & Purpose
Byron Writers Festival is Australia’s favourite regional meeting place of storytelling and ideas.
This year’s program invites contemplation of a life well lived, with literature and art at its centre. It celebrates the act of creation, of writing and art making, community building, and the good, hard work of progress.
You are invited to join us in the Northern Rivers and gather with writers from around the world - from Australia, Canada, India, and the United Kingdom - for three days of joyous and powerful storytelling, poetry, conversation and performance.
Let these bright stars take you deeper into passion and purpose, and be immersed in the art of living.
From 8—10 August on beautiful Bundjalung Country in the hinterland town of Bangalow, 15 minutes from Byron Bay, the festival also offers writing workshops, an engaging Kids Program, and events across the Northern Rivers region.
The festival experience is designed for discovery and delight. There are six venues to explore - the Hakea, Acacia, Melaleuca and Lilly Pilly marquees, a smaller conversational tent, The Coolamon, and the A&I Hall. Your festival pass includes access to all festival sessions.
Enjoy food stalls, coffee carts and bars, browse our artisan markets, sculpture walk and festival book shop. Meet your favourite writers and have your books signed after festival sessions.
1 Market St, Bangalow NSW 2479
Writers
Festival Events & Workshops
Join us for a special series of separately ticketed events and workshops featuring guests from the Byron Writers Festival '25 program.
Sink your teeth into your craft and learn from the best with one of our Festival Workshops.
Inspire the writers of the future at Byron Writers Festival's beloved Kids Program on Sunday 10 August.
Key Information
Byron Writers Festival is held on Bundjalung Country at Bangalow Showground, 15 mins from Byron Bay.
Eat & Drink
A delicious range of food and drink will beavailable from local food stalls with vegan,vegetarian and gluten-free options.Satisfy your caffeine cravings at one of ourcoffee carts and BYO or borrow a reusablecoffee cup.
Our festival bar at the A&I Hall will be open from 4pm on Friday and Saturday and during our Feature Events.
Shop
Browse our bespoke onsite marketplace of local artisans and take home a memento. Visit The Book Room, our festival bookshop, to grab your favourite festival titles and have them signed by authors after each session.
Cape Calm Lounge
A moment of stillness in the festival—Cape Calm Lounge is your space to pause, reflect and reconnect between festival sessions. Presented by The Tasmanian Walking Company
Sculptures
Our beautiful sculpture walk is curated by local sculptor Suvira McDonald. Most pieces are available for sale, please see Suvira at the Sculpture Tent to make enquiries.
Byron Writers Festival 2025 will take place from 8—10 August at Bangalow Showground on Bundjalung Country. Our Schools Days and workshops will be held during festival week.
Bangalow Showground is located on Bundjalung Country in the charming village of Bangalow in the heart of the Byron Shire. The festival site is 15 minutes drive from Byron Bay township.
Byron Writers Festival is a 3-day celebration of storytelling, literature and big ideas covering everything from fiction, memoir, the environment, politics and social issues.
We have a purpose-built festival site at the beautiful Bangalow Showground, with six main venues filled with conversations, panels, readings, lectures and performances running concurrently. Most sessions are 45 min – 1 hour in length, and you can sit and listen for an entire session or wander between venues as the fancy takes you.
Enjoy coffee, food and market stalls and our festival bookshop run by The Book Room Collective. Most authors will be in the book signing area after their sessions for you to meet and grab an autograph.
On Sunday morning, the Lilly Pilly and Coolamon tents host our beloved Kids Program, or make a night of it on Friday and Saturday evenings in the A&I Hall with our Feature events, bar and food available.
Satellite events around the Northern Rivers region are hosted by community partners, some of them free.
Writers can explore and deepen their craft and learn from the best with one of our Festival Workshops.
The full festival program will be released on 11 June 2025. The program will include all festival sessions, feature & satellite events and workshops. Printed programs will be in the 11 June edition of the Byron Shire Echo and at libraries, bookshops, galleries and cafe locations around the Northern Rivers.
Full descriptions of sessions and authors will be listed on our website.
All sessions in the main festival program require a festival pass to access. Remember to buy your car pass in advance.
- 3-day Pass — with a 3-day pass, you can enjoy over 100 sessions spanning Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Wander between all programmed venues and enjoy the natural surrounds, food and market stalls, browse the book shop, meet your favourite authors at book signings and explore our curated sculpture walk
- 1-day Pass — If you prefer a shorter visit, we offer 1-day passes which allow you full festival access to attend all sessions on your nominated day (available from full program release)
- Kids Program — Experience our special Kids Program on Sunday morning with the whole family, fostering a love of literature for future generations (available from full program release)
- Feature & Satellite Events — Join us for a series of separately ticketed events featuring guests from the Byron Writers Festival 2025 program (available from full program release)
- Festival Workshops — Hone your craft and learn from the best with one of our Byron Writers Festival 2025 Workshops (available from full program release)
A program of separately ticketed feature events, workshops and satellite events – some of them free – runs prior to and throughout the main festival weekend. Ticket prices vary and details are released when the full program is announced.
All tickets are non-refundable but fully tranferable, if you can no longer attend, send a friend.
Tickets are non-refundable but fully transferable. If you can no longer attend, send a friend! Full terms and conditions can be found here
Parking onsite at Bangalow Showground is available. You will need to purchase a $10 parking pass along with your festival ticket. To purchase parking separately, click 'Skip to more tickets' from the festival tickets page. The car park opens at 7:30am each day. We encourage carpooling!
There is dedicated disabled parking onsite, our parking volunteers will direct you to the nearest available space. Please note that due to demand, these are strictly limited to those with Australian Disability Parking Permits, which need to be clearly displayed. A festival parking pass is required and may be purchased with your festival pass.
We have specific seating areas dedicated to accessiblity within every venue, ask a friendly volunteer usher for assistance.
Selected sessions from the main program will be Auslan interpreted. Head to our festival program page and check the Info Booth onsite at the festival. See our accessibility page for more information.
Yes, we love our volunteers, they are the heart and soul of our festival. Applications generally open in May each year and are now closed for the 2025 festival.
For more information on how to get involved, see our volunteer page. Make sure to sign up to our mailing list and socials to stay in the know.
Festival Partners
Thanks to all our partners and supporters. Byron Writers Festival would not be possible without your passion and generosity.
Join us from 8—10 August at Bangalow Showground on Bundjalung Country
Stay in the know with the latest updates on Byron Writers Festival, year-round events, workshops, competitions and news.
