Blue
Mountains
Writers’
Festival
82 speakers
51 events
14 workshops
3 days
1 unmatched location
Friday 31 OCT — Sunday 02 Nov
Nature
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Ageing
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Power
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Protest
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Kinship
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Memory
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Community
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Oceans
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Ghosts
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Dreams
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Nature • Ageing • Power • Protest • Kinship • Memory • Community • Oceans • Ghosts • Dreams •
Inspiring awe and wonder, the Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival immerses readers and writers in an intimate festival of ideas and creativity.
Over three vibrant days, the program showcases Australia’s sharpest minds and most expansive thinkers, offering challenging, playful and exhilarating opportunities for connection.
Our 2025 theme – a path to wonder – invites audiences to engage with literature with an open mind and sense of possibility. To wonder is to approach the world with curiosity, to question without agenda, to allow for beauty, space and reflection, or to explore new ways of thinking and being in the world.
Festival Headliners
Christos Tsiolkas
Hannah Kent
Stan Grant
Kate Grenville
Maxine Beneba Clarke
Craig Silvey
Ali Cobby Eckermann
Bryan Brown
Drusilla Modjeska
Daniel Browning
Charlotte McConaghy
Craig Reucassel
Sofie Laguna
Osher Günsberg
Jennifer Wong
and more…
Workshop pass & workshop tickets on sale: 12 August
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Day passes and special events on sale: 19 August
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Full program release: 26 August
•
Single Tickets on Sale: 9 September
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Workshop pass & workshop tickets on sale: 12 August • Day passes and special events on sale: 19 August • Full program release: 26 August • Single Tickets on Sale: 9 September •
Early-bird weekend passes on sale now
platinum pass
FRIDAY - SUNDAY
gold pass
FRIDAY - SUNDAY
silver pass
SATURDAY - SUNDAY
Platinum and gold passes include a ticket to OUR INAUGURAL opening gala
opening gala
Join four of Australia’s greatest minds as they consider their personal paths to wonder.
Set in the art-deco surroundings of The Carrington Hotel and hosted by Festival Director Maeve Marsden, the evening features bestselling authors Hannah Kent, Daniel Browning, Maxine Beneba Clarke and James Bradley.
Our special guests will inspire you with stories, ideas and discoveries, with each reading followed by a breathtaking musical interpretation by opera singer and cabaret icon Ali McGregor.
Special Event: Friday 31 October, 6:00-7:30pm
Platinum passes include tickets to two megalong valley special events
megalong valley Special Events
Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival is thrilled to present an exclusive series of events in the stunning Megalong Valley, in The Old Stables at Lot 101.
Just 25 minutes from Katoomba down a beautiful winding road, the Megalong Valley is a rural paradise known for spectacular scenery, towering eucalypts and temperate rainforest, as well as sustainable tourism, fine food and wine.
supported by Megalong Valley Tea Rooms and Lot 101
the bookshelf live with abc radio national
Join Kate Evans from ABC Radio National's The Bookshelf, with award-winning authors Debra Oswald, Garry Disher and Steve MinOn, as they discuss the books that fire them up, the latest releases they’ve loved, and their hot tips for anyone who just wishes they had more time to read.
Special Event: Friday 31 october, 11:00am-12:00pm
Christos Tsiolkas in conversation with Kate Evans
One of our most beloved writers, Christos Tsiolkas is the author of eight novels. His work published in over 20 languages, and many of his novels and stories adapted for the stage and screen. Warm, witty and endlessly curious, don’t miss this exclusive opportunity to listen to Christos discuss his extensive career, with ABC Radio National’s Kate Evans.
Special Event: Friday 31 october, 2:00-3:00pm
Platinum and GOLD PASSes INCLUDE a ticket to ONE SCENIC WORLD EVENT
Scenic World Special Events
Writers in the Sky
Suspended far above the stunning Jamison Valley in the Scenic World Skyway, enjoy intimate conversations with some of Australia’s most adventurous and creative thinkers. Unique to the Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival, Writers in the Sky offers lucky readers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to connect with their favourite authors in a truly thrilling way. Ticket includes a drink on arrival and canapés.
The Scenic World Skyway is wheelchair accessible.
Special Event: Saturday 1 November, 5:45pm; 6:30pm and 7:15pm
Read the Rainforest
Begin your exhilarating journey on the Scenic World Cableway before descending through eucalypts and ferns to the Rainforest Room, an open gazebo nestled among lush ferns and towering turpentines. Join writers Inga Simpson, Jessica White and Jane Rawson in conversation with Brain on Nature’s Sarah Allely, as they discuss the many ways they connect with the environment.
The Rainforest Room is not wheelchair accessible.
Special Event: Sunday 2 November, 7:30am to 9:30am
Platinum and gold passes include a ticket to better off said
better off said
Eulogies for the Living and Dead
Celebrating words, stories, and human experiences, Better Off Said is an evening of words it’s time to air; thoughts and reflections for the living and dead. At one time or another, we all find there was something we wish we’d shouted aloud, someone out there in the world waiting to hear an important message, a piece of history we feel our voice could have improved. Better Off Said offers the opportunity to leave no verbal stone unturned. To find closure. To sing truth from the rooftops before it’s too late.
Six guests will speak to the phrase, "the words I wish I’d said", and a special guest will deliver a Living Eulogy, to someone or some thing still of this Earth, to celebrate the best in our lives while we're here to hear it. Hosted by Marieke Hardy and Emilie Zoey Baker, with Osher Günsberg, Vijay Khurana, Cadance Bell, Bebe Oliver, Virginia Trioli and more to be announced.
Special Event: Saturday 1 November, 7:30-9:00pm
kids’ program
Katoomba Library plays host to an exceptional collection of children’s authors on Saturday 1 November, ready to inspire, amuse and captivate young and old (but mostly young). With interactive workshops, storytelling, poetry, craft activities and plenty of fun, our FREE Kids Program features Craig Silvey, Maxine Beneba Clarke, Sofie Laguna, Charmaine Ledden-Lewis, Tasma Walton, Bill Hope, Emilie Zoey Baker and more!
