Canberra Writers Festival sets attendance record for second year running

The tenth festival sold more than 10,300 tickets, and the 2027 festival is listed for 14 to 17 October.

Canberra Writers Festival says its tenth festival broke its attendance record for the second year in a row, with more than 10,300 tickets sold for the main program. Sales for the year have reached 13,000, with more events still to come.

More than 200 authors took part in 110 events, many of which sold out. Audiences came from across the Canberra region and interstate, some from as far away as Tasmania and Western Australia. The top-selling books ranged across fiction, memoir, politics, history and children's titles, led by Pip Williams's The German Ward and Durkhanai Ayubi's She Who Tastes, Knows.

The schools program tripled in size, with primary and secondary school days at the National Library of Australia. CEO Travis Green thanked the ACT Government, Creative Australia and Icon Water, and named new partners including the National Archives of Australia, the National Gallery of Australia, the University of Canberra and AIATSIS.

Events outside the festival continue with Ariarne Titmus on 13 November, Emily St John Mandel on 25 November and Anne Summers on 3 December. The festival website lists 14 to 17 October 2027 for next year's festival.