Newcastle Writers Festival

First held in 2013, the annual Newcastle Writers Festival has grown bigger yearly. It now draws writers of all ages from far and wide to participate in various writing-themed activities and events.

The Festival provides a priceless opportunity to hear tips and inside stories from successful authors through presentations, panel discussions, literary lunches, and breakfasts.

Whether you’re here to learn more about a favourite author, discover an exciting new voice, or enjoy the collective buzz of people who love books, you are part of this vibrant community.

Award-winning writer Markus Zusak, much-loved cookbook author and Masterchef winner Julie Goodwin, and satirist John Safran are among 155 writers participating in the 2025 Newcastle Writers Festival, which will be held from April 4 to 6.

Other guest writers include Anita Heiss, who will be returning to the festival for the second time after featuring in the inaugural program in 2013. Anita will speak about her powerful new novel Dirrayawadha: Rise Up, which explores resistance and resilience during the frontier wars.

Award-winning investigative journalist Peter Greste will be appearing at the festival for the first time. He will speak about his book The Correspondent, which exposes the fight for truth in today’s conflicts, with new insights on Ukraine and Gaza.

Journalist and media proprietor Eric Beecher, award-winning writer Geraldine Brooks, Western Sydney poet Omar Sakr, and human rights lawyer Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts will also participate in the festival.

Julie Goodwin will appear at events in Newcastle and Cessnock and speak about her best-selling memoir, Your Time Starts Now.

Melbourne comedian and journalist John Safran will make his festival debut with his recent book, Squat, a freewheeling account of the week he spent squatting in Kanye West’s abandoned Californian mansion.

Unfortunately, best-selling author Hannah Ferguson can no longer attend the festival.

The program features workshops, book launches, readings, panel discussions, one-on-one interviews, a dinner, a literary trivia event, and a special program at the University of Newcastle’s Wollotuka Institute.

Several awards are also presented at the Festival. You can also attend numerous book launches by established authors. Best of all, many of the free sessions will provide you with thought-provoking ideas that you can use in your writing.

NWF is now one of the largest regional literary festivals in Australia. The festival extends beyond the annual event and not includes the $5000 Fresh Ink Emerging Writer Prize for regional NSW residents and the unique Story Hunter program, which trains local writers to lead intensive creative writing workshops in primary schools throughout the region.

The inaugural Newcastle Writers Festival was held in 2013 and was a resounding success. More than 70 writers participated in 38 sessions.

In 2014, the festival added a primary school program in collaboration with Newcastle Library. Thanks to support from the Catfish Foundation and Cessnock City Council, more than 12,000 students have attended festival events in Newcastle and Cessnock since then.

Festival events are spread across major venues in Newcastle, like City Hall, the Museum, the University, the Civic Theatre, and popular local eateries. Most venues are close to each other, and parking availability and fees in the city centre are pretty reasonable. You can also walk, cycle, or catch public transport. Various accommodation options are also available to make your Newcastle stay enjoyable.

There is so much happening during the festival that it’s difficult to mention them all here. Please check out the official event program for a full list of events, dates, times, locations, and ticket prices.

Tickets

There are two main ticketing providers for this festival. Ticket links are available in the individual event information on the festival website. Most events are ticketed via Trybooking at trybooking.com/eventlist/nwf.

Events held in City of Newcastle venues—Newcastle City Hall and the Civic Playhouse—can be booked via civictheatrenewcastle.com.au/NWF25.

Some free events require registration to manage the size of the audience. These links are available via Trybooking.

All other free events are offered on a ‘first in, first served’ basis, and we recommend arriving at least 15 minutes before the start time. If the venue capacity is reached and you can’t be admitted, please respect the directions of the volunteers on duty.

Getting There

Newcastle is about a 2-hour and 15-minute drive north of the Sydney CBD. It also has its own airport if you need to get there quickly or if you’re travelling from further away. Newcastle is also well-serviced by public transport, so you can catch a bus or train there if necessary.

The festival is easily accessible from the Newcastle Interchange by light rail and bus. We strongly encourage you to leave your car at home as on-street parking will be difficult to find.

It is a busy weekend in Newcastle, and arterial roads will be congested. Please give yourself plenty of time to travel before the start of your session – more so if you intend to buy tickets at the box office.

Please note that the Newcastle Running Festival road closures on the morning of 6 April will affect Honeysuckle, Newcastle Foreshore, and Memorial Drive.