It’s time to get ready for Byron Writers Festival 2025! Now just days away, this year’s festival promises a vibrant program where high-profile storytellers and new voices will contemplate a life well lived, with literature and art at its centre.

Once again, the Byron Writers Festival returns to its new home at the Bangalow Showground — the perfect setting to gather with fellow book lovers and hear from talented writers as they share their stories and ideas.

Over the years, Byron Writers Festival has grown from a local community event run by a small team of staff and a large group of more than 160 volunteers to winning Key Festival status in 2020 from the NSW Government. Today the event also runs student writing competitions and residential mentorships, both of which have contributed to its well-earned reputation as Australia’s favourite regional literary festival.

Festival Artistic Director Jessica Alice invites you to come along to this year’s event and enjoy an incredible program of separately ticketed workshops and events featuring guests from the 2025 program. Featuring more than 100 sessions over three packed days, the festival will take place between Friday 8 August and Sunday 10 August 2025.

This year’s event will feature high-profile writers, such as Helen Garner, Michelle de Kretser, Hannah Kent, Markus Zusak, and more. You’ll also hear from some of Australia’s top writers and thinkers, alongside journalists, environmentalists, poets, politicians, comedians and more.

A free shuttle bus service will ferry you back and forth between the festival site via the Byron Bay bus interchange on Butler Street and the Cavanbah Centre on Ewingsdale Road. Alternatively, if car-pooling isn’t an option, limited onsite pre-pay parking is available at the cost of $10, opening at 7.30 am daily. If you’re using the shuttle bus service, you can park your car for free at the Cavanbah Centre. Check out the timetable here.

Tickets are on sale now. Buy a 1 or 3-day pass to access the sessions listed in the main festival program on your chosen days. Alternatively, you can buy a Sunday Kids Program ticket or purchase ticketed feature events and workshops separately. There’s also a youth pass available for the under 25s at a reduced price.

You’ll find copies of this year’s festival program in cafes and bookshops across the Northern Rivers and the Gold Coast. Choose from an exciting selection of lectures, workshops, events, and panel discussions. Plus, you can check out the selection of artisan market stalls at the festival site. Foodies won’t be disappointed either, with a range of vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options on offer and coffee, nutritious snacks, and delicious breakfasts available.

Last but not least, don’t forget to drop into The Book Room’s pop-up store before you leave the festival site so you can buy the books written by the festival authors that have inspired you.

>> Download a digital version of the festival program here and book your tickets today!

See you there!

Ed