Byron Writers Festival is set to return to Byron Bay from Friday 14 to Sunday 16 August 2026, with today marking the unveiling of the first group of authors confirmed for the program, alongside a limited release of three-day passes. The announcement marks the beginning of the festival’s 30th-anniversary year.
Leading the first wave of programming is one of Australia’s most recognised storytellers, two-time Walkley Award-winning journalist and international bestselling author Trent Dalton, who returns with his new novel Gravity Let Me Go.
He will be joined by New Delhi-based International Booker Prize winner Geetanjali Shree, whose novel Tomb of Sand made history in 2022 as the first work written in Hindi, or any Indian language, to receive the International Booker Prize.
Also confirmed is Goorie and Koori poet Evelyn Araluen, winner of both the Stella Prize and the Victorian Prize for Literature, known for Dropbear and her latest collection The Rot. Miles Franklin Award-winning author Siang Lu, recognised for Ghost Cities, will appear alongside Sydney-born, Booker Prize-shortlisted novelist Steve Toltz, presenting his new work A Rising of The Lights.
The first announcement also highlights a strong local presence, led by Goorie Bundjalung and Miles Franklin Award winner Melissa Lucashenko, who will present Not Quite White in the Head, bringing together her acclaimed essays and journalism in a single published collection for the first time.
Rounding out the initial lineup is actor and writer Zoe Terakes, whose debut book Eros reimagines ancient Greek mythology through a bold queer perspective, and Australian economist, public policy commentator and Executive Director of The Australia Institute, Richard Denniss, with his latest essay More Fool Me: How the Gas Industry Tricked Australia.
Celebrating three decades in 2026, Byron Writers Festival will mark its milestone year with a refreshed format in the heart of Byron Bay. The festival will unfold across a multi-venue precinct throughout the township, transforming the area into a town-wide literary hub designed to bring together writers, readers and thinkers across three days of programming.
Byron Writers Festival Artistic Director and CEO Jessica Alice said the first program release reflects the scale and significance of the anniversary year.
“I’m delighted to share a first look at the brilliant authors who will be with us in Byron Bay to mark this milestone year. From prize-winning novelists and poets to leading thinkers, there will be so much to explore and more ways than ever before to experience our beloved festival.”
This year’s event will offer a highly accessible and immersive experience, with three-day, single-day and feature event passes available. Festivalgoers can expect a packed program of author conversations, book signings, and free community activations across a range of iconic Byron Bay venues.
Tickets are on sale now via Humanitix
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