The Adelaide Festival board has taken the drastic step of cancelling the 2026 edition of its prestigious Writers' Week, following a wave of resignations and a mass author boycott. The crisis was triggered by the board's controversial decision to disinvite prominent Palestinian-Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah from the event.
Board U-Turn and Mass Resignations
In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, the beleaguered board announced the cancellation of the event, which was scheduled to begin in late February. The statement also confirmed that almost all remaining board members would resign. The sole exception is the Adelaide City Council representative, whose term is set to expire in February.
This announcement came just five days after the board first revealed it had intervened to remove Abdel-Fattah from the festival programme. At the time, the board cited "cultural sensitivities" in the wake of the attack on the Jewish community in Bondi as its reason.
A Decision That "Created More Division"
The board's latest statement struck a markedly apologetic tone, acknowledging the severe fallout from its initial action. "As a Board we took this action out of respect for a community experiencing the pain from a devastating event. Instead, this decision has created more division and for that we express our sincere apologies," it read.
The statement extended a specific apology to Dr. Randa Abdel-Fattah, focusing on "how the decision was represented." It insisted the move was "not about identity or dissent" but rather a response to a shifting national discourse on freedom of expression after what it described as Australia's worst terror attack.
Domino Effect of a Literary Boycott
The board's decision to exclude Abdel-Fattah provoked an immediate and powerful backlash within the literary community. In protest, more than 180 authors and scheduled speakers withdrew from the 2026 Writers' Week programme, rendering the event unviable.
The board conceded this reality in its statement: "Many authors have since announced they will no longer appear at Adelaide Writers’ Week 2026 and it is the Adelaide Festival’s position that the event can no longer go ahead as scheduled for this year. This is a deeply regrettable outcome."
The director of Adelaide Writers' Week, Louise Adler, resigned earlier on Tuesday, stating she "cannot be party to silencing writers." Her departure preceded the board's own mass exodus and the official cancellation.
Looking forward, the board stated that a new board would now focus on ensuring the main Adelaide Festival proceeds, aiming to safeguard the state's cultural legacy and protect festival staff. The cancellation of Writers' Week marks a significant moment in Australian cultural discourse, highlighting intense debates over censorship, solidarity, and the limits of artistic freedom.
