Festivals
Learn more about our past and upcoming festivals.
For content from past festivals, visit Blak Stories Hub.
2026
EVERY:WHEN
Mark your calanders! Blak & Bright Writers Festival returns Thursday 3 - Sunday 6 September 2026! Keep your eyes peeled for changes to our 2026 Program page… We’ll be announcing a program bigger, Blak-er and nothing like we’ve ever done before.
2024
Blak Futures Now
Our 2024 program celebrated the multifaceted expressions of First Nations writers with a program ranging from songs to essays, oral stories to epic novels, and plays to poetry. Spanning 5 days, with over 30 events and 100 First Nations artists of diverse backgrounds and genres, this was our biggest festival yet! Thanks to all who attended.
2022
Blak Words Live
The festival featured some of the country’s most exciting Blak storytellers, covering varied genres, with an emphasis on activism and reconciliation. It was bold and expressive, with new events and old favourites. Blak & Bright celebrated the diverse expressions of First Nations writers, emphasising that we believe that Blak stories are for everyone.
2019
Read A Blak Book Lately?
A vibrant and thriving literary sector is essential for fostering cultural identity and pride. That's why our program was designed to broaden and enrich everyone’s understanding of First Nations creativity. The second edition of Blak & Bright was even more special as it coincided with the UNESCO International Year of Indigenous Languages, making it the perfect time to celebrate and elevate First Nations voices.
2016
Our First Festival
Ah, our humble beginnings - in 2016, Blak icon Jane Harrison led our very first festival! We took over the Wheeler Centre for four days of panels, performances, workshops and more. The festival featured more than 60 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander novelists, oral storytellers, poets, songwriters, playwrights and comedians, from Victoria and many other states and territories.
