Queenstown Writers Festival 2026

The Queenstown Writers Festival returns for 2026 with 32 sessions across four days, from Thursday 5 to Sunday 8 November. Most of the programme runs at Te Atamira, with two sessions at the Queenstown and Frankton libraries. The programme covers author conversations, panel discussions, workshops, poetry, theatre and a children's strand, alongside a Sampler Session of local writers. Visiting writers announced for 2026 include Shehan Karunatilaka, Dame Anne Salmond, Charlotte Grimshaw, Barbara Dreaver, Kiri Allan, Dick Hubbard, Jon Toogood and Chris Finlayson KC. Tickets are on sale. Most sessions are $19, workshops and the opening gala cost more, and a handful of sessions are free, including both children's workshops and two library events. Each session is booked separately. The festival falls on the general election weekend, and the programme includes a session on the result. Full programme, session times and tickets are on the festival's own site. Thursday 5 November opens quietly with a full day workshop and a free evening panel at the Queenstown Library. Friday runs workshops through the day and finishes with the opening gala. Saturday is the busiest, twelve sessions across three rooms, ending with theatre in the evening. Sunday closes with ten sessions, including one on the election result the morning after.