Adelaide Writers' Week boycott

The 2026 edition of Adelaide Writers' Week (AWW), an annual event in Australia held under the auspices of the wider Adelaide Festival (AF) but organised by a separate committee, was affected by a mass boycott of writers which precipitated its complete cancellation. The writers boycotted the event, due to be held from 28 February to 5 March 2026, after the Adelaide Festival board announced on 8 January that they had cancelled the scheduled appearance of Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah, saying that it would "not be culturally sensitive" to do so following the 2025 Bondi Beach shooting.

By 13 January, around 180 participants had withdrawn from Writers' Week. All members of the Adelaide Festival board except one had also resigned following the backlash. Louise Adler, director of Adelaide Writers' Week, who had disagreed with the board, also announced her resignation on 13 January, saying that she could not be party to silencing writers. On the same day, the entire event was cancelled. Four members of a new board were announced, to be led by former AF chair Judy Potter. On 15 January, the Adelaide Festival issued an apology to Abdel-Fattah and invited her to speak at Adelaide Writers' Week 2027.

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