Here’s the lineup for the 2021 Byron Writers Festival, including Christian Hull and Richard Flanagan

The lineup for the 2021 Byron Writers Festival has been announced and it’s stacked with talent, including comedian Christian Hull.

It’s the 25th anniversary of the festival and they seem intent on making it a big one. More than 150 celebrated writers and thinkers will appear across the busy weekend.

There will be 115 panels and conversations taking place across six stages, with writers, commentators, environmentalists, poets, politicians, and artists who shape stories of hope, courage, and change.

Man Booker Prize winner Richard Flanagan (The Narrow Road to the Deep North), and one of Australia’s greatest living authors Kate Grenville (The Secret River), are both taking part, as well as many more.

Alongside the writers and poets will be comedians keeping things light. Christian Hull will take to the stage for two events, ‘Introverts: When Two’s a Crowd’ and the wonderfully named ‘My Life is a Joke’. The sharp Aussie satire website The Betoota Advocate will also take part, as will Judith Lucy and Kitty Flanagan.

There will be a diverse selection of writer workshops to allow visitors to immerse themselves further in the festival. And don’t worry if you can’t make it to the festival that weekend: there will be several satellite events throughout the Northern Rivers, many of which will be free.

Kids don’t have to be bored either, with the ‘Kids Big Day Out’ transforming the Greenstone Partners marquee into a giant immersive storytelling arena featuring authors and illustrators giving insight into what inspired their writing. There will also be free drop-in workshops for aspiring young authors and illustrators alike.

The festival will be delivered under approved COVID-19 Safety Plans following guidelines set by the NSW Department of Health. Only 1-Day passes will be sold to allow efficient tracking of how many people are on site each day to adhere to the Health Department guidelines. This doesn’t mean you can’t buy multiple 1-Day passes however.

The Byron Writers Festival takes place from Friday August 6th to Sunday August 8th at Elements of Byron. For the full programme and ticket information, head over to their official website.

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Check out footage from the 2018 Byron Writers Festival:

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