A dozen events showcasing stories in their many forms will unfold across ten days, illuminating the Warrnambool winter with inspiration, reflection, and connection.
As it enters its second half-decade, Warrnambool Storytelling Festival is ready for a twist on the narrative. With a fresh new format and a style-up to match, WSF 2026 will deliver a rich mix of programming carefully curated to amplify a variety of voices within our regional community, and bring world-class storytellers to our city.
Our Program
We are excited to release the 2026 program outline.
Autumn Warm Up
Warrnambool, May
The Prologue
Vida, Fri 3 July
Get Lit
Lighthouse Theatre, Sat 4 July | BOOK NOW
Story Songs
Flagstaff Hill Theatre , Sun 5 July
Writes of Passage | BOOK NOW
Tilly Divine, Mon 6 July
Gather Together | BOOK NOW
Mozart Hall, Tue 7 July
Telling Time
The Flying Horse, Wed 8 July
Artist’s Portrait
The Cally, Thu 9 July
Life Lines
Tilly Divine, Fri 10 July
Story Kids
Warrnambool Library, Sat 11 July
Write On
Mozart Hall, Sat 11 July
The Epilogue
Vida, Sun 12 July
Ten days of sumptuous storytelling
Browse Events
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Writes of Passage
#youngwriters #authortalks #writingworkshop #ya
Warrnambool Storytelling Festival switches the POV to YA with Writes of Passage, giving young readers and writers the chance to listen to, chat with, and learn from an acclaimed YA author in a fun, informative and interactive session.
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Get Lit
#authortalks #inconversation #literaryfest #booksigning
Warrnambool Storytelling Festival brings world-class storytellers to the stage with Get Lit, an illuminating and inspiring event sure to spark wonder, ignite thought and kindle connection.
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Life Lines
#lifeexperiences #paneldiscussion #openmic
Listen, laugh, cry and connect, as you share in the spirit of storytelling and community with Life Lines.
After enjoying a welcome drink and supper, listen as a series of raconteurs open their hearts and lives to the audience on matters that have evoked suffering, joy and every human experience in between. There is magic created in personal storytelling such as this; very air will be vibrating with kinship and cognizance.
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The Prologue
#launch #livemusic #liveentertainment
The city's Storytelling Festival launches itself into the Warrnambool winter with an event to delight and enchant. Guests are welcomed with bespoke cocktails to kick off a convivial, mixer-style social evening, filled with live local music and an array of entertaining treats.
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Story Songs
#livemusic #performingarts #sundaysession
Discover the meaning behind the music, as instrumentalists, singers and songwriters share not just the live performance of their work itself, but the heart that beats within it, in a captivating concert where show and tell converge.
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Gather Together
#communitygroups #paneldiscussions #localinterest
On a winter’s night, gather in the cosy glow of Mozart Hall for an evening that honours how gardens grow and how we grow with them. We invite you into the world of Warrnambool Community Garden through stories of soil, seasons, and the people who’ve weathered it all.
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Write On
#writinggroup #writingtips #getpublished #paneldiscussion
Writers, take note. Warrnambool Storytelling Festival presents Write On, an entertaining and informative evening featuring a panel of guest speakers, each providing a different perspective and sharing individual experiences on a writing topic of interest.
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Artist's Portrait
#artistprofile #artisttalk #artworkshop
Glimpse the artist behind the art, with a talented creative in conversation about their methods, inspirations and challenges, and the philosophies and experiences that inform their work.
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The Epilogue
#community #sundaysession #crafting
As the Warrnambool Storytelling Festival winds down for another year, it's time to kick back and partake in a relaxed Sunday session for grownups - that isn't taking itself too seriously.
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Autumn Warm Up
#autumnactivation #prefestival #community
Before winter settles upon the city, an autumnal activation takes place - a little something special to brighten days and heighten anticipation for the festivities to come. Look out for Warrnambool Storytelling Festival's annual Autumn Warm Up.
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Telling Time
#localhistory #paneldiscussion #localinterest
Take a look back at our city's modern history, with stories and memorabilia from key moments of the past that have shaped our cultural landscape.
Enjoy a scrumptious supper and listen to a panel of special guest speakers as they share their own remembrances and tales passed down, refreshing old memories and revealing new insights into times gone by.
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Story Kids
#storytime #kidsactivities #schoolholidays
Warrnambool Storytelling Festival invites families to Story Kids, a joyful celebration of creativity and imagination designed especially for young readers and writers.
This free event offers the opportunity for children aged 0-12 to explore stories through a variety of fun and educational workshops and activities, including Auslan-interpreted storytime and guest author sessions.
Our Authors
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Hannah Kent
Hannah Kent's first novel, the multi award winning international bestseller, Burial Rites, was translated into over 30 languages and is being adapted for film.
Her second novel, The Good People was translated into 10 languages, nominated for numerous awards and is also being adapted for film. Devotion, her third novel, published in 2021, won Booktopia's Favourite Australian Book, and was shortlisted for multiple industry awards.
Her original feature film, Run Rabbit Run, was directed by Daina Reid and starred Sarah Snook.
Hannah is also the co-founder of Kill Your Darlings, and has written for The New York Times, The Saturday Paper, The Guardian, the Age, the Sydney Morning Herald, Meanjin, Qantas Magazine and LitHub.
She lives and works on Peramangk and Kaurna country.
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Chris Flynn
Born in Belfast, Chris Flynn now lives in a small town in regional Victoria. He is the author of Mammoth, The Glass Kingdom and A Tiger in Eden, the story collection Here Be Leviathans, and three books for children in association with Museums Victoria, Horridus and the Hidden Valley, Horridus and the Night Forest and The Quest for Kool.
His work has appeared in Spinning Around: The Kylie Playlist, Griffith Review, Kill Your Darlings, Monster Children, McSweeney's, The Paris Review, Meanjin, The Guardian, The Age, The Australian, The Big Issue, Australian Book Review and many other publications.
Chris's books have been shortlisted for and won prizes such as the Indie Book Award, Commonwealth Book Prize, Russell Prize for Humour, Queensland Premier's Literary Award and Aurealis Award. His mum and dad were foster parents. He grew up with more than 100 brothers and sisters, all aged under nine.
Orpheus Nine is his latest book.
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Santilla Chingaipe
Santilla Chingaipe is a Zambian-born filmmaker, historian and author, whose work explores settler colonialism, slavery, and contemporary migration in Australia.
Chingaipe’s first book of non-fiction Black Convicts was shortlisted for The Stella Prize and long-listed for the prestigious Cundill History Prize, and the critically acclaimed and award-winning documentary inspired by the book, Our African Roots, is streaming on SBS On Demand. Our African Roots marked the first-time on Australian television that an African-Australian host interrogated the nation’s colonial history.
The recipient of several awards, she was recognised at the United Nations as one of the most influential people of African descent in the world in 2019. She delivered the annual E.W Cole lecture in 2023 on ‘Who Gets to Write History?’, and her work has been published internationally by The New York Times, The Guardian, The BBC, and elsewhere.
She is based in Melbourne.
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Samantha Byres
Samantha Byres is a writer from Whanganui, Aotearoa. She attended the International Institute of Modern Letters in Wellington and her work appears in various New Zealand and Australian journals. Her debut novel Dead Ends was released by UQP in 2025 and she is currently working on a collection of short fiction. Sam lives in Naarm/Melbourne with her girlfriend and dog.
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Keshe Chow
Keshe Chow (she/her) is a Sunday Times bestselling author of fantasy, romance, and speculative fiction. Her debut novel won the 2022 Victorian Premier's Literature Awards Prize for an Unpublished Manuscript and was shortlisted in the 2025 ABIA awards. She lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband, two kids, one cat, and way too many house plants.
Connect with us
Stay up-to-date with upcoming storytelling events and get notified when tickets are released by joining our mailing list.
Our Supporters
Warrnambool Storytelling Festival would like to thank the following organisations for their ongoing support
Warrnambool Storytelling Festival acknowledges the Peek Whurrong and Kirrae Whurrung Peoples of the Maar Nation. We pay respect to their Elders, past and present, and acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples' spirit, imagination and rich history of storytelling as First Peoples.
