Announcing Byron Writers Festival 2023!
Byron Writers Festival 2023 will take place this August 11 — 13 at our newly confirmed venue, the beautiful Bangalow Showgrounds.
Bangalow Showgrounds is a picturesque heritage site nestled in the heart of Bangalow, a charming village just a stone’s throw from Byron Bay and home to a vibrant and creative community. The festival will also be making use of several indoor venues within the precinct, including the Moller Pavilion and the iconic Bangalow A&I Hall. We are very much looking forward to bringing the site to life and creating a playground of literary delights for audiences, so stay tuned as we share more details over the coming months.
We are grateful to Elements for generously hosting the festival for so long and will treasure the many wonderful memories we all share. As with all good things, an end has now eventuated and the Elements site is destined to a new owner and a new future.
We can’t wait to bring authors and audiences together again at our new site on Bundjalung land in Bangalow this August for what will surely be a truly special event.
We look forward to seeing you there.
2023 Key Dates and Ticketing Info
29 March — 5 April
Extra Early Bird 3-Day Passes
Lowest price 3-Day passes (one week only)
No guests will be announced at this time
$225 Members / $265 General
14 — 21 June
Early Bird 3-Day Passes
Available one week only
First guests announced
$235 Members / $275 General
22 June
Sunday Locals tickets
Limited release, conditions apply
$90
27 June
Member access to full program and 24 hour priority booking window
28 June
Full program announced
All tickets on sale
3-Day Pass $255 members / $295 general
1-Day Pass, $110 members / $135 general
11 — 13 August
Festival Weekend!
Join as a member and save
Join today for discounts on Festival tickets. Other festival member benefits include a special preview of the Full Program online and a 24 hour priority booking window. You can read the full list of annual member benefits and sign up via our Members Page.
Got a question?
For further information about the 2023 Festival and how it will run, please refer to our FAQs page.
Stay in the loop
We encourage you to remain signed up to our e-newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for important Festival updates and announcements.
Travel and parking
The new festival site is located at Bangalow Showgrounds (approx 15min drive of Byron Bay).
On-site car parking will be adjacent to the festival and within easy walking distance of where the action takes place.
A frequent shuttle service will run between Byron Bay CBD, Elements of Byron, and the festival site. The shuttle bus will drop passengers off close to the festival entrance gates.
Donate to Byron Writers Festival
As a not-for-profit organisation run with a small team of staff and volunteers, donations of any size go a long way in enriching the creative culture of our community and contributing to the success of future Festivals. Donations over $2 are tax deductible. Thank you!
First guests announced and Early Bird tickets on sale
Announcing… Trent Dalton, Indira Naidoo, Ben Quilty, Evelyn Araluen, Jessie Cole, Yves Rees.
We are thrilled to share a taste of what’s in store for Byron Writers Festival 2022. Join us this 26—28 August for a three-day festival of ideas, conversation and storytelling in one of the world’s most beautiful coastal locations.
International bestseller Trent Dalton, award-winning contemporary artist Ben Quilty and one of Australia’s most popular broadcasters, author Indira Naidoo are just some of the leading lights heading to Byron Shire to inspire audiences. We will also welcome 2022 Stella Prize winning poet Evelyn Araluen, acclaimed Northern Rivers author Jessie Cole and award winning author and historian Yves Rees.
Read on to discover more about these guests and their books. Mark 13 July in your calendar for the full program announcement and all tickets on sale.
Early Bird 3-Day Passes on sale for one week only
Book your Early Bird 3-Day Passes now and save! Available from 9am Wednesday 15 June until midnight Tuesday 21 June.
Full price tickets, including 1-Day Passes, go on sale when the program is announced on 13 July.
Early Bird 3-Day Passes start at $235 for members — a saving of $64 on full price 3-Day Passes (or three days for just over the price of two!)
Meet the Writers
Evelyn Araluen
Born and raised on Dharug country, Evelyn Araluen is a descendant of the Bundjalung Nation and is an exciting, vibrant young voice in Australian writing. Her debut collection of poetry and prose Dropbear was awarded the 2022 Stella Prize, the first time a collection of poetry has won this coveted prize celebrating female authors. Dropbear confronts the tropes and iconography of an unreconciled nation with biting satire and lyrical fury.
Jessie Cole
Northern Rivers author Jessie Cole is the author of four books. Tim Winton described her memoir Staying as ‘A wounded, lovely, luminous book about grief, trauma and the strange healing potential of words’. Cole’s latest book Desire is an unabashed, thrilling exploration of the very nature of desire, a story about vulnerability and strength, loss and regeneration. A memoir of the body, Desire is a visceral book in which feeling and longing are laid bare.
Trent Dalton
One of Australia’s most loved authors Trent Dalton gained international recognition with his bestselling, semi-autobiographical novel Boy Swallows Universe followed by All Our Shimmering Skies, a novel that journeys deep into the heart of Australia. For his latest book Love Stories, Dalton spent weeks on a Brisbane street corner with an old Olivetti typewriter and asked people to tell him a love story. The result is a warm, wise, poignant, funny and moving book about love in all its guises, told by Australians from all walks of life.
Indira Naidoo
During her thirty-year award-winning journalistic career, Indira Naidoo has hosted and reported for some of the country’s most distinguished news and current affair programs. A passionate advocate for environmental and food sustainability issues, she is author of the bestselling The Edible Balcony and The Edible City. Her latest book A Space Between the Stars, written after the death of her sister, is a beautiful tribute to love, loss and the magical power of nature to heal.
Ben Quilty
Ben Quilty is one of Australia’s most famous living artists. From the dangerous coming of age rituals of young Australian men, to the complex social history of his country, he is constantly critiquing notions of identity, patriotism and belonging. A celebrated war artist, his latest series of work and the accompanying book Free Fall, revisits the iconic images taken by photojournalist (and cousin) Andrew Quilty of the 2005 Cronulla riots and explores the modern phenomenon of Ultimate Fighting Championships.
Yves Rees
Dr Yves Rees is an award-winning writer and historian, a Lecturer in History at La Trobe University, co-host of Archive Fever podcast and presenter of a regular history segment on ABC Radio Melbourne. Their memoir All About Yves tells their moving journey of re-becoming, at the same time laying bare the messiness of bodies, gender and identity. It shares the challenges and joys of being transgender in Australia today, and reveals how trans experiences like Yves’ can teach all of us about what it means to be human.
2022 Key Dates and Ticketing Info
- 15 — 22 June: First guests announced, Early Bird 3-Day Passes available for one week only, $235 members, $275 general
- 30 June: Sunday Locals’ tickets on sale (limited release, conditions apply), $90
- 12 July: Full program and 24 hour priority booking window available for members
- 13 July: Full program announced and all Festival, Workshop and Satellite Event tickets on sale: 3-Day Pass $255 members / $299 general; 1-Day Pass, $110 members / $135 general
- 26 — 28 August: Festival Weekend
Notes and conditions
- All tickets are available to purchase online, over the phone via (02) 6685 5115 or in person at our offices in Byron Bay.
- All tickets are subject to booking fees.
- For full terms and conditions, click here.
Stay Covid Safe
Byron Writers Festival is committed to the wellbeing of all Festival attendees, participants and staff. We will be keeping updated with Covid safety restrictions and will continue to strictly follow the guidelines as set out by the NSW Department of Health.
Join as a member and save
Join today for discounts on Festival tickets. Other festival member benefits include a special preview of the Full Program online and a 24 hour priority booking window. You can read the full list of annual member benefits and sign up via our Members Page.
Got a question?
For further information about the 2022 Festival and how it will run, please refer to our FAQs page.
Stay in the loop
We encourage you to remain signed up to our e-newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for important Festival updates and announcements.
Travel and parking
The new festival site is located at North Byron Parklands, 126 Tweed Valley Way, Yelgun (approx 20min drive north of Byron Bay).
On-site car parking will be adjacent to the festival and within easy walking distance of where the action takes place.
A free shuttle service will run between Byron Bay CBD, Elements of Byron, and the festival site. The shuttle bus will drop passengers off close to the festival entrance gates.
Donate to Byron Writers Festival
As a not-for-profit organisation run with a small team of staff and volunteers, donations of any size go a long way in enriching the creative culture of our community and contributing to the success of future Festivals. Donations over $2 are tax deductible. Thank you!
26 – 28 August
Festival 2022 program announced!
Featuring Trent Dalton, Hannah Kent, Bruce Pascoe, Indira Naidoo, Ben Quilty, Masha Gessen, Evelyn Araluen, Steve Toltz, Emily Bitto, A.C. Grayling, Julia Baird, Costa Georgiadis, Aaron Fa’Aoso, Jess Hill, Damon Gameau, Marcia Langton and many more.
Byron Writers Festival 2022 Program is LIVE! Themed ‘Radical Hope’, dive in and discover the writers and thinkers who will inspire and uplift us this 26—28 August at Australia’s favourite regional literary festival.
‘Now is the time for a radical kind of hope, that imagines the world anew, that refuses to be defeated and finds delight and joy in everything this wonderful life and earth have to offer.’ — Zoë Pollock, Artistic Director
At this year’s festival you will hear from social and environmental experts on how we can tackle the challenge that is climate change. You will be uplifted by listening to our most gifted storytellers explaining how they celebrate the human condition and render our experiences so magnificently on the page. You will meet talented emerging and established writers who are challenging the status quo. In hearing and engaging with these ideas you are playing your part in making the world anew.
We look forward to welcoming you.
See Who’s Coming
Festival Program
Festival Passes
A 3-Day Pass gives access to all 99 sessions happening in the main Festival Program on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
—
$299 General
$255 Members & Students
A 1-Day Pass gives access to sessions happening in the main Festival Program for your chosen day – Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
—
$135 General
$110 Members & Students
Kids Big Day Out, Sunday 28 August
$40 for 1 adult + 1 child*
Sunday Family Pass
$175 for 2 adults + 1 child*
*Access restrictions and conditions apply. $20 for each additional child (6 – 12 years), children under 6 free.
Notes and conditions
- All tickets are subject to availability and booking fees.
- Children must be supervised by at least one adult at ALL times.
- Tickets will be exchanged on entry for a wristband that is non-transferable.
- Parking opens at 7:45am. Gates open at 8.30am.
- For full terms and conditions, including Covid-safe flexible ticketing policies and conditions of entry, visit byronwritersfestival.com/terms-conditions
Join as a Member and save!
Join today for discounts on Festival tickets. Other festival member benefits include a special preview of the Full Program online and a 24 hour priority booking window. You can read the full list of annual member benefits and sign up via our Members Page.
Stay Covid Safe
Byron Writers Festival is committed to the wellbeing of all Festival attendees, participants and staff. For updates, please check our Stay Covid Safe page.
Got a question?
For further information about the 2022 Festival and how it will run, please refer to our FAQs page.
Stay in the loop
We encourage you to remain signed up to our e-newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for important Festival updates and announcements.
Travel and parking
The new festival site is located at North Byron Parklands, 126 Tweed Valley Way, Yelgun (approx 20min drive north of Byron Bay). On-site car parking will be adjacent to the festival and within easy walking distance of where the action takes place. A free shuttle service will run between Byron Bay CBD, Elements of Byron, and the festival site. The shuttle bus will drop passengers off close to the festival entrance gates. More information available on our travel page.
Donate to Byron Writers Festival
As a not-for-profit organisation run with a small team of staff and volunteers, donations of any size go a long way in enriching the creative culture of our community and contributing to the success of future Festivals. Donations over $2 are tax deductible. Thank you!
