Now in its fourth year, the Sorrento Writers Festival (SWF) has quickly become one of Australia’s most vibrant and significant literary events. From 23 to 26 April 2026, we welcomed one of the country’s biggest line-ups of authors, journalists, playwrights, screenwriters and poets to the beautiful Mornington Peninsula beachside towns of Sorrento and Portsea.

We’re proud to stay true to the values that have shaped the Festival from the start. SWF continues to celebrate the role of books, storytelling, big ideas and good conversation in our lives, and in a challenging time for the Australian arts community, we’re glad to be backing writers and ideas.

This year’s four-day program was Victoria’s biggest literary event, with 175 events across 10 venues, featuring 230 writers, playwrights, poets, journalists, academics, researchers, performers, artists and community leaders. More than 23,000 tickets were sold, and around 6000 visitors joined us in Sorrento. Our bookselling partner, Avenue Bookstore, sold almost 4800 books along the way.

The fifth Sorrento Writers Festival will run from 28 April to 2 May 2027.