FAQs

The next Sydney Writers' Festival will be held 17–24 May 2026. Some events may fall outside these dates and are advertised on individual event listings. Sign up to our enews to be the first to know when tickets go on sale.

There is limited on-street parking around Carriageworks, so we recommend arriving via public transport. A limited number of disabled access car spaces are available for sticker holders via Carriageworks Drive and Wilson Street. These are used on a first come, first served basis and are unable to be reserved. 

Carriageworks is located at 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh. This is a 10-minute walk from Redfern Station, City Road bus stops and Macdonaldtown Station or a 20-minute walk from Waterloo Station. Catching public transport is strongly recommended as residential parking in the area is strictly limited. For more information on transport, visit transportnsw.info.

Our Festival shuttle bus operates from Thursday 21 to Sunday 24 May and travels between Carriageworks and Redfern Station. Buses set off from the Festival Bus Stop (Stand A) on Gibbons Street in Redfern, adjacent to Redfern Train Station. Please refer to our maps to see the locations of the Festival Bus Stops. Buses depart approximately every 25 minutes from 9.00am, with final services departing from Carriageworks 15 minutes after the final session of the day.

Bicycle parking is available at Carriageworks. Street parking is limited in Eveleigh. Casual public parking is available at Shepherd Street Carpark in the evenings and on the weekend. The carpark is approximately a 10-minute walk from Carriageworks.

Please aim to arrive 30 minutes before the event start time to ensure you give yourself plenty of time to locate the venue and find your seat.

Yes, you can get your book signed after most Festival events. Book signings take place in Bay 21 at Carriageworks or in the foyer of Sydney Town Hall and the State Library of NSW. 

Our printed program is available to pick up at libraries and bookstores across Sydney. We can send a copy of brochure to you. Please book your postage by Friday 6 March.

Access information is listed on each event page. You can speak to our customer service team by emailing [email protected] or calling (02) 9256 4200.

Companion Card holders qualify for a complimentary ticket for their companion.

If you are attending as or with a current Companion Card holder, please contact our customer service team for more information on how to book.

During your visit: At Carriageworks, we have a Quiet Room in Bay 22–24 available for attendees, this is clearly signed and marked on the venue map.

Our staff are available to help at any time, please approach them for assistance if required.

You can find all relevant information on accessibility of our events, and what options we have available here.

Yes, we offer wheelchair, Auslan interpreter viewing and open-captioned seats. These are charged at a concession rate in all Carriageworks venues. At other venues, the wheelchair and Auslan interpreter viewing seats are charged at the cost of the lowest non-restricted view concession rate.  To book a wheelchair or open-captioned seat please contact [email protected].

If you would like to request Auslan interpretation at a Sydney Writers' Festival event, please email [email protected] or call (02) 9256 4200 with your details and the requested event and we will work to accommodate all events. A minimum notice period of three weeks is required to arrange this service. Where requests are received after this timeframe, we will endeavour to accommodate where possible. All newly booked Auslan interpreted sessions will be listed on the Sydney Writers’ Festival website.

Concession tickets are available to all children aged 16 and under and valid concession card holders, including full-time students, Health Care Card holders, Seniors Card holders and Pensioners Concession Card holders. You may be required to show proof of eligibility when entering the venue. Please make sure you have your concession card with you when you arrive.

Children aged two and under are eligible for free entry if they do not require a seat and can sit on a parent or guardian's lap. They do not receive a physical ticket. Those aged above two will need to book a ticket at concession price.  

GA/General Admission means that there is no allocated seating in the event. You can go in and sit where you please to get the view of the event that you desire, if that seat has not already been taken. At the 2026 Festival, all paid events are allocated seating. Many free events are GA/General Admission.  

If you are looking to purchase additional tickets next to your current tickets, please call the box office on (02) 9256 4200 and we will discuss with you what is possible to get the best outcome for you and your friends.  

The Festival is made up of free and ticketed events. Please check the information provided on our website or in our brochure to determine whether a booking is required.

Please find the ticketing terms and conditions here.

Tickets are available to book online up to 15 minutes before an event commences. After this you can purchase a ticket at our Carriageworks or Venue Specific Box Office. 

Carriageworks Box Office (card only)
Tuesday 19 May, 4pm to last event
Wednesday 20 May, 12pm to last event
Thursday 21–Sunday 24 May, 8am to last event

Box offices at other venues
Available only on days of events, one hour prior to event start times.

Yes, we have a booking fee of $7.50.  This fee applies whether the order is via our website or over the phone. You will be notified of all applicable fees prior to purchase.  

Exceptions to this are: 

• Tickets purchased in person at the Box Office at the venue.  

• Family and YA events do not incur a booking fee if booked in an order only containing Family or YA events.   

All Print at Home (PAH) and Mobile Tickets purchased prior to 11 May 2026 will be sent out in the week leading up to the Festival. If you do not receive your Ticket 48 hours before your first event, please email [email protected] or call the box office on 02 9256 4200 to get your ticket(s) arranged immediately. Tickets purchased from 11 May 2026 onwards will be sent immediately. 

If you believe you are entitled to a refund, please email [email protected] or phone the box office on (02) 9256 4200 and we will discuss your request with you. Please refer to our full refund policy in our Terms and Conditions for more information on what can and cannot be refunded. 

If you are unable to attend the Festival and want to cancel your tickets, please contact us on [email protected] or (02) 9256 4200 and we will discuss your options with you.

Thanks for your interest! Visit our Volunteer page for the latest information. 

Invitations are issued at the discretion of the Artistic Director.

Each year, Sydney Writers' Festival receives hundreds of unsolicited submissions from authors wishing to speak at the Festival or putting forward ideas for the program. We are not able to respond to the submissions or return materials sent for consideration.

While publishers attend Sydney Writers' Festival, the Festival is not the appropriate avenue to present your book to publishers. We recommend you approach publishers through the usual channels, either by submitting your manuscript directly or by engaging a literary agent.

If you need advice on getting your book published, please visit the websites of the Australian Society of Authors or Australian Publishers Association.

No. For privacy reasons, we are unable to pass on contact details for authors and we cannot pass on messages. The best way to contact authors is through their publisher or agents.

You are welcome to recommend an author for consideration. Please email your suggestions to [email protected]. Due to the volume of suggestions, we are unable to respond to each one.

You can find the Privacy Policy here. 

Many events are recorded each year for our podcast program, but at this time there has been no decision made on which events will be published on the website. The best thing to do is to keep an eye on our e-newsletter and follow Sydney Writers’ Festival on your podcast app.

Podcasts will be released throughout the year and there is a large library of past podcasts available on our channel.

Yes, Sydney Writers’ Festivals offers a range of free events. In 2025, over 30% of our events were free. The majority of these are in Bays 22–24 at Carriageworks or in our In Your Neighbourhood program. 

Sydney Writers’ Festival will be livestreaming some events from our 2026 Program. You can find a list of livestreamed events here. These events will be streamed live and will not be available for access after the event has finished.

The livestream is accessible via a $35 day pass and is available for Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday events. Livestream bookings do not incur a booking fee. 

Once the Festival is over, some events are released as podcasts on the Sydney Writers’ Festival channel, available across all podcast platforms. Please subscribe to our e-news or check the website to receive more information.  

For any general inquiries or feedback, please contact Sydney Writers’ Festival by emailing [email protected].

If you want to discuss your tickets with someone, please email [email protected] or call the box office on 02 9256 4200. We will aim to find a resolution.  

Please email [email protected] or call the box office on (02) 9256 4200 with your order number and details of the double charge so that we can investigate this for you.  

Yes! A full list of food vendors will be released soon.