Every year we stage over 140 public events, gathering together 160 of the world’s best writers and thinkers with over 24,000 festival goers and up to 6,000 young people to celebrate the world of books and ideas.

For the past 16 years the Festival has enriched the culture of our city and established itself as a major Australasian festival, characterised not only by the calibre of our guest authors but also by the enthusiasm and engagement of our audience and the warmth and welcome provided by Auckland as our setting.

The Festival brings the very best local and international writers of contemporary fiction and non-fiction, scientists, economists, poets, journalists and public intellectuals together with audiences to explore ideas, share stories and experience brilliant conversations. We celebrate curiosity and a sense of intellectual adventure and our programme is driven by the desire to spark ideas, to get us talking and to give us a time and place to engage with the world.

Visit our People page for a list of Staff and Trustees.

To find out more about past Festivals visit our Archive.