Words shape our worlds.

We announce our October program to VWF members first in late August, and the first of our Incite events in early January. Special Events are announced when finalized, usually at least four weeks prior to the date of the event.

The Festival will consist primarily of in-person events taking place on Granville Island in Vancouver. This year, a Digital Festival will follow in December.

Most events are approximately 90 minutes unless otherwise noted. Sometimes solo events with one author are shorter, and events with an intermission are often slightly longer. Youth events are usually under one hour. Events take many forms: readings, panel discussions, performances or interviews. All events are directed at the book-reading public.

The focus of the VWF is on connecting writers with readers through interviews, performances, panel discussions and readings. Aspiring writers may wish to check out the Federation of BC Writers or look at many workshops offered by other organizations across the Lower Mainland.

You can purchase tickets on this website by visiting the event page you are interested in. View all upcoming events here.

If you need assistance booking tickets, please call Showpass customer service toll-free at 1 (844) 307-7469.

The ticket prices posted will include GST and a nominal processing fee. The ticket amount you see listed is the final amount you will pay.

Most authors will be available to sign books after their event.

You can purchase Festival books from our official bookseller, Book Warehouse (a division of Black Bond Books), which also operates a Festival Bookstore on Granville Island during the Festival.

Children are welcome at our events. Our Youth events have suggested age ranges between grades K-12. Please note there may be content only suitable for adults at other events. We ask our audience to use their own discretion if bringing children.

Our events are suitable for a wide range of ages, and older children will often enjoy events for adults, depending on the nature of conversation or reading. In addition to our events for adults, we also offer events for children as part of the Festival in October. The age/grade level for school groups for our daytime educational events will be indicated in the Festival Program Guide and online.

Please read our Inclusivity policy in the About section.

Our in-person, Festival events are ticketed and are not free.

Pay What You Can pricing is available for most digital events (except for Book Club events, which include a copy of the book).

The Incite reading series is free, as are numerous additional events throughout the year. We are a registered not for profit and rely on ticket sales in addition to generous donations.

We offer discounted tickets to students, and free tickets to social service or community organizations that are impeded by the cost of the events. Email boxoffice@writersfest.bc.ca for information.

The annual Festival happens in the third week of October. We also host a range of Special Events throughout the year, and a free reading series, Incite, in partnership with the Vancouver Public Library.

Our Incite reading series runs twice monthly from January to June at the VPL Central Library. These events are free to the public. We also host Special Events throughout the year featuring acclaimed authors with newly released titles. The best way to hear about upcoming events is to subscribe to our free weekly e-newsletter, Books & Ideas, which includes information about upcoming events and links to interesting literary reviews and ideas.

Yes, our charitable registration number is 12260 5678 RR0001. If you make a cash donation to the Vancouver Writers Fest, we can issue a tax receipt. As our $40 membership comes with benefits such as discounts on tickets and at participating bookstores, that portion of your gift is not deductible.

Please see our Membership page for more details.

Any open job postings will be made available in the Get Involved section. Thank you for your interest in working with us.

Positions vary from year to year, with a wide variety of jobs that can be done during Festival week. For further information, please contact our friendly Volunteer Department at volunteer@writersfest.bc.ca.

Yes! You can be an audience member, a Member of the Festival (discounts on Festival event tickets and earlybird ticket buying privileges), or a Volunteer. Our events are for readers—whether you are also a writer or not.

Each year, approximately 110 writers are selected to appear in events at the October Festival. The Artistic Director accepts pitches from established publishing houses throughout the year. There is no application process as appearance is by invitation only. For unpublished and emerging writers, there are occasionally “open mic” events held during Festival week by partner organizations; please see the Festival program guide.

There are several criteria when it comes to writer selection. The Artistic Director tries to balance genres; regions of Canada; U.S. and International authors; established and emerging voices; large and small publishing houses; and books that fit themes within the Guest Curator’s vision. Our Youth Programming makes up approximately one third of our selected authors with a wide-representation of children’s titles. Most writers appear at the Vancouver Writers Fest to promote a new book published within the last year.

Yes, we offer honorariums to all authors who appear at the Festival or at one of our events.