Ticketing Terms and Conditions of Sale

1. APPLICATION OF THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS

The sale of tickets for an Event and attendance at an Event are subject to these Terms and Conditions of Sale and any additional terms and conditions notified at the time of ticket sale. Such terms apply to both the original purchaser / ticket holder and any subsequent ticket holder, and you agree to those terms by acquiring an Event ticket and/or seeking to attend an Event. By purchasing a ticket on behalf of someone else, you undertake to inform them of those terms.

Definitions:

'Sydney Writer’s Festival, the 'Company', 'we', 'our' and 'us' means Sydney Writer’s Festival.

'You' means the person seeking to purchase or acquire a ticket to an Event, the person holding a ticket to an Event and the person seeking to attend an Event.

'Event' means a show or performance arranged or presented by us or for which we sell tickets.

'LPA Code' means the Live Performance Australia Ticketing Code of Practice (Consumer Code and Industry Code) in effect at the time of ticket sale.

'Authorised ticket seller' means us or a person authorised by us to supply tickets to an Event.

These Terms and Conditions of Sale also apply to tickets issued by other authorised ticket sellers (if any). If an Event is presented by another company or held at another person's venue, tickets and attendance may also be subject to the other presenter / venue's terms and conditions.

These venues include, but are not limited to:

Sydney Town Hall
Riverside Theatre Parramatta
The Concourse, Chatswood
City Recital Hall
Pavilion Performing Arts Centre, Sutherland
Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, Penrith 

We are a member of Live Performance Australia. We issue tickets to Events and liaise with consumers in accordance with the LPA Code. 

2. FESTIVAL INFORMATION

The 2024 Sydney Writer’s Festival will be held from the 20-26 May 2024, with some commercial events and Primary and Secondary school events falling outside of the official Festival dates.

3. COVID-19 SAFETY PLANS SAFE PRACTICES

Sydney Writer’s Festival is a COVID-safe company. We follow the advice of the New South Wales Health. For current COVID-19 Policies and Advice, please go to https://www.health.nsw.gov.au

4. TICKET PRICES, DELIVERY AND LIMITS

Prices listed on this site are displayed in Australian dollars.

Concession prices are available for children under the age of 16, full-time students, Health Care Card holders and Pensioner Concession Card holders. Please have your eligible card with you at the venue.

A transaction fee will apply to your ticket purchase. You will be notified of all applicable fees prior to purchase. For 2024 the transaction fee is $7.00 per order. This fee is applied whether the order is via our website, or over the phone.

You may request to collect tickets from the Festival Box Office, located onsite at Carriageworks, when placing your order. If this is not requested, you will receive your tickets via email in the lead up to the festival.

5. ADMISSION TO EVENTS

You must hold a valid ticket to attend an Event. We may refuse admission or remove any ticket holder from the venue in accordance with the LPA Code, including (but not limited to) where:

(a) you cannot produce a valid ticket for the Event;

(b) you produce a ticket that has been handled or dealt with in a way that is contrary to these Terms and Conditions of Sale or any additional terms and conditions notified at the time of ticket sale;

(c) you cannot produce proof of your concession entitlement where a concession ticket has been purchased;

(d) you have in your possession and/or refuse to surrender to the venue manager’s staff any prohibited object or article;

(e) you refuse to be subject to a visual search of your possessions;

(f) you behave in a manner which causes or may cause property damage or that threatens or may threaten the safety of participants, authors, other consumers or any other persons, including as a result of intoxication;

(g) you behave in a manner that unreasonably interferes with other consumers’ enjoyment of the Event;

(h) you otherwise breach these Terms and Conditions of Sale or any additional terms and conditions notified at the time of ticket sale, or fail to follow the reasonable directions of the venue manager’s staff;

(i) you refuse to remain in the area or seat designated on your Ticket;

(k) you or any attendee in your group refuses to comply with venue safety requirements.

Latecomers will not be given access to the Event venue unless there is a suitable/convenient break in the Event. Seating may be relocated as a result of late entry.

6. VENUE REQUIREMENTS

The use of recording equipment is prohibited.

You must allow adequate time for collection of tickets on arrival at the venue and provide adequate proof of ticket purchase, if requested. We do not accept responsibility for any delays that may be encountered at the Box Office prior to an Event.

To help ensure the safety and security of Events, your person, bags and personal belongings may be subject to a visual search.

If at the time of the Event, either you or any other attendees of your group are feeling unwell with COVID-19 symptoms or are subject to a self-quarantine or self-isolation period, you agree not to attend the Event. 

Umbrellas, prams, backpacks, larger bags and other items that may be hazardous or restrict the movement of visitors may not be permitted into the venue or may be required to be cloaked, depending on the nature of the Event.

You are responsible for your personal possessions such as bags, mobile phones and other items you carry with you. It is your responsibility to collect any cloaked items after the performance.

Hot and cold drinks are allowed in the venue during each Event. Glass, however, is prohibited. Food is not allowed in Track 8,12 and Bays 17 and 20 at the 2023 Festival. Food and drinks are permitted in Bays 22-24.

7. CHANGES

Event details may change sometimes with little or no notice. For example, writers or other participants may be added, withdrawn or substituted.

We may vary seating arrangements. Despite any seat number on your ticket, we do not guarantee you any seat. If we need to allocate a different seat to you for operational reasons, including a change of venue, we will use reasonable endeavours to ensure it is in a location of comparable value to the seat number on your ticket.

At times, during the course of selling tickets to an Event, we may release additional seats (for example, when final stage dimensions are known or in response to demand) or additional dates for presentation of the Event. Such alterations do not affect the Terms and Conditions applying to tickets purchased before the release of additional seats or dates and do not entitle you to claim a refund for tickets purchased prior to the release of additional seats or dates.

8. RESALE RESTRICTIONS

We are the only authorised ticket seller for Events, unless otherwise specified on our website for specific Events. If you purchase tickets from an unauthorised seller, you risk that these tickets are fake, invalid or have previously been cancelled and that you may be refused admission to the relevant Event. We strongly recommend you only purchase tickets from an authorised ticket seller. You can contact our Box Office to confirm if a ticket seller is authorised. 

9. REFUNDS AND EXCHANGES

Tickets cannot be refunded or exchanged after purchase except as outlined in these Terms and Conditions of Sale, the LPA Code or otherwise as required by the Australian Consumer Law and applicable state consumer laws. 

The original purchaser of a ticket is entitled to a refund if the relevant Event is cancelled or rescheduled before the Event, or is significantly relocated, or if we are unable to provide you with the Event in question.

Any refund payable for a ticket will be made to the original purchaser of that ticket. Refunds will not be issued for tickets purchased from a reseller or an unauthorised seller. If you are not the original purchaser because you bought your ticket from a reseller, there is no guarantee that any refund provided to the original purchaser will be passed on to you.

Unless required by law (including the Australian Consumer Law), we will not be liable for auxiliary expenses incurred by you in connection with your attendance or non-attendance at an Event, including if the Event is cancelled, rescheduled or relocated. Auxiliary expenses include, but are not limited to, the cost of travel, car-parking, child-care and accommodation. You should carefully consider the refund and cancellation policies of travel, accommodation and other goods or service providers when making arrangements associated with attendance at an Event.

10. LOST TICKETS

It is your responsibility to keep your tickets safe. We may refund or replace lost, stolen or missing tickets at our sole discretion and fees may apply. 

11. LIABILITY

Our liability to you in relation to tickets is limited to the obligations specified in these Terms and Conditions of Sale and our obligations under applicable laws (including the Australian Consumer Law) and the LPA Code.

The Australian Consumer Law provides certain statutory guarantees for consumers which cannot be excluded, for example that services will be provided with due care and skill. Nothing in these Terms and Conditions of Sale seeks to modify or exclude those guarantees.

Ticket holders enter Event venues at their own risk. To the maximum extent permitted by law (including the Australian Consumer Law), we will not be liable for any loss, damage, expense or injury to the extent arising from your wilful, reckless or negligent acts or omissions, any pre-existing medical condition, your breach of these Terms and Conditions, the cancellation of your tickets due to your breach of these Terms and Conditions, or your reliance on reviews and opinions about Events and Participants.

You agree to compensate us for any damage, loss, liability or injury we may suffer as a result of your wilful, reckless or negligent acts or omissions at an Event venue.

12. PHOTOGRAPHS, RECORDINGS AND PRIVACY

We use closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras at our venues.

We reserve the right to record, photograph, broadcast and/or broadcast any Event and you consent to us doing so. You consent to the editing, reproducing and communicating by us, or permitted by us, of any image or recording taken of you, and anyone for whom you are responsible, while on the premises, in whole or part to the public in any place and in all media. We are not obliged to provide or reproduce to you any such image or recording.

Refer to our Privacy Policy for information about how we handle your personal information.

13. NO WAIVER

Without limitation, we reserve the right to enforce these Terms and Conditions of Sale if:

(a) you have purchased a ticket to an Event in contravention of these Terms and Conditions of Sale; or

(b) we have not enforced our rights under these Terms and Conditions of Sale on a prior occasion.

14. AMENDMENTS

We may amend these Terms and Conditions of Sale by updating them on our website. Any variations become effective upon their first publication on our website and apply to ticket purchases made after that time.

We may also amend these Terms and Conditions of Sale as they apply to tickets which have already been sold, if those amendments are made to ensure that these Terms and Conditions of Sale reflect changes or developments in applicable laws or regulations, and any changes to the LPA Code. We will provide you with reasonable notice of such amendments. 

You should review these Terms and Conditions of Sale before seeking to purchase tickets for Events and before attending Events.

15. FEEDBACK

We value your feedback, both positive and negative. You can provide your comments by emailing us at info@swf.org.au.

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Last updated 13 November 2023.