Spend Thursday at the Festival for $55

One of the hardest parts of attending the Festival is narrowing down the events to attend. With so many to choose from, the program can be overwhelming so we've prepared some example itineraries to help you make the most of your time and budget.

This week, how to spend Thursday at the Festival for $55.

Whether you've got a whole day or only an evening to spare, if you like reading the news or the newest rom-com, there is something for you at the Festival.

11am | Toby Walsh on the Six Ideas You Need to Understand AI

Jump straight into the day with Festival favourite Toby Walsh and his expert subject: artificial intelligence. In this Curiosity Lecture, Toby breaks down the six key ideas from his new book The Shortest History of AI that everyone should know.

1.30pm | Adam Bayes on Mind-Altering Mental Health

After you've had a short break to grab lunch at one of the food venues at Carriageworks and perused the Gleebooks pop-up on site, you can head back to the Curiosity Stage to hear from clinical academic psychologist Adam Bayes. Adam is working at the cutting-edge of mental health research including trialing new treatments like psilocybin.

3pm | Cli-fi: Fiction's New Frontier

Novelists James Bradley, Jane Caro and Inga Simpson are putting the climate at the forefront of their new books to ask how our literature can change our relationship with the environment.

5pm | Your Next Favourite Book

Michael Williams knows his way around the book industry and he's here to share his insights. Robbie Arnott, Lech Blaine, Sarah Firth and Yumna Kassab all have new books out that are worth popping straight on your TBR pile. 

7pm | Crafting the Perfect Crime

To round out your full day of reading and thinking, cozy up with these crime connoisseurs Christian White and Chris Whitaker as they uncover the secrets to their bestselling thrillers.

What a day! You've got a mix of technology and science, new and favourite writers and plenty to talk about with your fellow readers! For a total price of $55 you can see five events, 11 different writers and soak up all the Festival atmosphere at Carriageworks.

But this is really only a selection of the events available each day of the Festival so there are plenty more to consider, including dozens of free events. If you wanted to add more ticketed events to this itinerary, you could take advantage of our multipack discount and save on tickets to four or more events.