The Adelaide Festival board has cancelled the 2026 Adelaide Writers' Week after more than 180 writers withdrew from the event. The decision follows the board's rescinding of an invitation for Palestinian Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah to speak, which sparked widespread controversy.
All remaining board members have resigned, and the board issued an apology to Abdel-Fattah for how the decision was represented. In a statement, the board said it regretted the distress caused and reiterated that the cancellation was not about identity or dissent but about shifts in national discourse after Australia's worst terror attack.
Abdel-Fattah rejected the apology on Instagram, stating that the board's regret extended only to the messaging, not the decision itself. Louise Adler, director of Writers' Week, resigned earlier on Tuesday, citing an inability to be party to silencing writers.
The South Australian government has appointed a new festival board led by former chair Judy Potter. The new board will focus on delivering the 2026 Adelaide Festival, though Writers' Week will not be included. Arts Minister Andrea Michaels expressed gratitude for the new board members and emphasized the need to run a successful festival.
