The second annual Manly Writers’ Festival will bring together more than 125 writers, academics, journalists, thinkers, and creators across three days from March 28-30, 2025. The expanded program features over 50 events across multiple Manly and Brookvale venues, showcasing the Northern Beaches’ rich cultural and linguistic diversity.
Photo Credit: Manly Writers’ Festival
Award-winning writer Blanche d’Alpuget will launch her latest novel “The Bunny Club” on opening night at the Manly Spirits Distillery. The festival has secured former UK Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy, Damian Collins OBE, who will present his biography of David Lloyd George and join e-Safety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant for discussions on social media and AI.
Since its inaugural year, the Manly Writers’ Festival has achieved charitable and deductible gift recipient status from the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission and the Australian Taxation Office.
The program covers contemporary topics including social media, AI, cooking, workplace issues, music, sport, mental health, grief, history, politics, foreign policy, true crime, biography, and memoir. A fundraising Literary Trivia Night will support the Northern Beaches Community Cancer Charity, hosted by Murray Shaw from the Nine Network with quizmaster Kate Grant of Mackellar Girls’ High School English Faculty.
The festival’s main venues include the Darley Smith Building on The Corso for Friday and Saturday sessions, shifting to Manly Golf Club on Sunday. Support comes from The TAG Family Foundation, Fair Play Publishing, and the Northern Beaches Council, with Gleebooks as the official book retailer.
Ticket prices range from $22 for standard sessions to $55 for special events, with day passes available. Early access tickets open for Friends of the Festival from January 28, with general sales beginning February 4, 2025.
Published 4-February-2025
