FAQ

Friday 14 – Sunday 16 August 2026.

In 2026, Byron Writers Festival will be held across multiple venues in the township of Byron Bay.

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The Festival Precinct will feature two distinct festival hubs – one on the foreshore at Bay St and one in the heart of the town on Jonson St.

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The following venues will be hosting 2026 Byron Writers Festival sessions and events: Byron Community Centre (Byron Theatre and Wategos Room), Beach Hotel, Byron Bay Surf Club, Cavanbah Centre, Haven, with more to be announced.

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All venues are accessible and full details will be provided closer to program launch.

The Festival Precinct venues are within walking distance of each other – generally within a five to 15-minutes stroll.

The Festival Precinct is 650m end-to-end – only 250m longer than the previous festival grounds. Venues are clustered together in hubs, connected by the The Book Room on Fletcher Street, with retail and hospitality options along the way.To help attendees plan their festival experience, estimated walk times, along with township transport options – including a parking shuttle – will be published closer to the date.

All sessions will be held in Byron township, with the Cavanbah Centre home to additional feature events.

A festival shuttle between the Cavanbah Centre and key venues within the township – stay tuned for details closer to the festival.

The closest airport to Byron Bay is the Ballina Byron Gateway airport. You can also fly into the Gold Coast airport at Coolangatta.

There will be a festival shuttle between the Cavanbah Centre and key venues within the township allowing our festival attendees to park and ride. 

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Visit Byron Shire Council’s website for local parking options.

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The festival will have minimal impact on the regular flow of traffic and is working with Byron Shire Council to implement a traffic management plan.

The festival day pass will give you access to all official festival venues and sessions during the day. Evening feature events will be ticketed separately.

Early Bird tickets will go on sale in April with the first artist announcement, and all tickets will be available from June with the full program launch.

Not at all. Byron Writers Festival is about ideas and conversation and is for readers, writers and thinkers of all ages and walks of life. Many attend to hear contemporary writers, engage with new ideas, meet other curious-minded people and fall in love with new books.

Byron Writers Festival will return to the heart of Byron Bay in 2026. It will be hosted across multiple local venues in the Festival Precinct and includes exciting free community programming on the iconic Byron foreshore.

Getting to the Byron Writers Festival will include a range of transport options including a regular festival shuttle from the Cavanbah Centre to the precinct, as well as the Byron Solar Train from North Beach Station. Carpooling is encouraged and public transport is encouraged where possible to reduce congestion and environmental footprint.

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More details will be released soon.

The majority of festival events are held indoors. In the event of extreme weather conditions the Festival will follow a wet weather plan. Details will be released closer to the event.

Yes, we love our volunteers, they are the heart and soul of our festival. Applications generally open in May each year.

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.

Using existing venues in the Byron township allows the Festival to be more sustainable, weather-resilient, visible, and connected to local businesses and spaces. It also means patrons can enjoy the festival alongside Byron’s cafés, bookshops, shops and streets.

Thanks for your interest, Byron Writers Festival is curated by our Artistic Director and programming committee, in wide consultation with publishers and industry bodies. Participation is by invitation only. The Programming Committee does not accept unsolicited submissions, and due to the large quantity of messages we receive, we are not always able to reply to individual pitches. The program gives a broad definition to the concept of writing and incorporates many genres.