Writers festivals in British Columbia

In a bit of a topical diversion from my usual posts, today I’m going to talk about all the writers festivals here in British Columbia (BC). One of the best ways to hone your craft is to be inspired by other writers and get constructive feedback on your own writing. Even if you’re already involved in a writing group at, say, your local library, you should consider some professional development with writers, editors, and various publishing industry professionals. Not only are these events good for your craft, they’re also good for your networking and marketing ideas.

15+ writers festivals in BC

*in alphabetical order*

Denman Island Readers & Writers Festival

Website: https://denmanislandwritersfestival.com/

Where? Denman Island

When? July 18-20, 2025

What can I expect? 2024 saw Margaret Atwood herself attend this intimate festival, which takes place yearly on Denman Island. The festival aims to bring diverse voices together to discuss writing craft and storytelling. There are individual sessions given by writers of all types, from investigative journalists to best-selling authors, as well as several workshops offered.

Elephant Mountain Lit Fest

Website: https://www.emlfestival.com/

Where? Nelson

When? October 2-5, 2025

What can I expect? This impressive, though small, literary festival offers workshops, discussions, mentorship, and even a book fair! Their mission is to raise literary voices that bend genres and challenge conventions.

Enderby Lit-Con

Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/enderby-bc-canada/enderby-lit-con/1217310096238813/

Where? Enderby

When? September 13, 2025

What can I expect? A literary event for writers, authors, and artists alike. You’ll be able to shop 50 authors and vendors between panels and readings. You’ll find local talent and a supportive environment for networking at this convention.

Galiano Island Literary Festival

Website: https://www.galianolit.ca/

Where? Oxeye

When? April 30, 2024; TBD 2025

What can I expect? This wonderful, community-driven festival allows attendees to PWYC (pay what you can) to buy tickets. The organization also has writers’ interests at heart in its selection of programming and speakers, and now offers year-round content to make resources more accessible to BC writers.

LiterASIAN

Website: https://literasian.com/

Where? Vancouver

When? June 29, 2025

What can I expect? A festival celebrating Asian culture and writing, particularly that which pushes back at empire. You’ll find author panels, engaging discussions, and a host of new resources to help your writing journey.

JCC Jewish Book Festival

Website: https://jccgv.com/jewish-book-festival/

Where? Vancouver

When? February 22-27, 2025

What can I expect? This festival attracts more than 5,000 people annually to its Jewish-focused programming that spawns all disciplines. Speaker sessions are priced individually as well, so there is flexibility in how much you spend for your professional development.

North Shore Writers Festival

Website: https://northshorewritersfestival.com/

Where? Vancouver

When? April 24-26, 2025

What can I expect? Focused on Canadian literature and often held at a library (could I approve more?), this event also has a trivia night that is a big hit with attendees. Learn about craft and the writing market from well-regarded Canadian writers through panels, discussions, and workshops.

Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts

Website: https://writersfestival.ca/

Where? Sechelt

When? August 14-17, 2025

What can I expect? A growing national pull is starting to set this festival aside for more than being the longest-running writing festival in BC. Aside from session programming that revolves around local artists, the festival also provides workshopping and networking over the course of the event.

Surrey International Writers Fest

Website: https://www.siwc.ca/

Where? Surrey

When? October 24-26, 2025 with master classes on the 22nd and 23rd

What can I expect? This is a large, mainland festival that draws a number of acclaimed writers every year. You’ll find regular sessions and workshops, as well as the lauded Blue Pencil Cafe, pitch sessions, and virtual author showcases. There are lots of ways to network here and improve your craft.

Vancouver Island Children’s Book Festival

Website: https://www.vibookfest.ca/

Where? Nanaimo

When? April 28-May 2, 2025

What can I expect? An audience of elementary school children! It’s wonderful. You can be a presenter and inspire a whole generation of writers and artists (book designers start young too!) or volunteer with organizing the festival and help shape the programming. Connect with your target audience if your a children’s book author at the only festival of this kind in BC.

Victoria Festival of Writers

Website: https://victoriafestivalofauthors.ca/

Where? Victoria

When? October 15-19, 2025

What can I expect? To experience a celebration of writing and reading. This festival offers a lot of author engagement—in fact, it’s known to be a very lively event! Programming is offered in a hybrid model (online and in-person), so there’s no stress about missing sessions.

Whistler Writers Festival

Website: https://whistlerwritersfest.com/

Where? Whistler

When? October 30-Nov 2, 2025

What can I expect? A festival that celebrates diversity, you’ll find a variety of programming and speakers here. There is even a masterclass for new and emerging authors to help them on their journeys. The society behind the festival has a writer-in-residence program as well. This is a great opportunity to experience Whistler while doing some professional development.

Wine Country Writers’ Festival

Website: https://wcwfestival.com/

Where? Penticton

When? September 26+27, 2025

What can I expect? Truly a community-oriented event, the Wine Country Writers’ Festival is filled with socializing and good programming for your growth as a writer. Enjoy author panels, workshops, and more while taking in the beauty of the Okanagan.

Writers Fest BC

Website: https://writersfest.bc.ca/

Where? Vancouver

When? Oct 20-26, 2025

What can I expect? This festival focuses on growing writer craft by connecting authors of exceptional books with each other to inspire and educate. The week-long event has speaker sessions, discourses and workshops, as well as myriad networking opportunities.

Word on the Lake

Website: https://wordonthelakewritersfestival.com/

Where? Salmon Arm

When? May 16-18, 2025

What can I expect? You’ll find skill development workshops, open forums and discussions with presenters, and a ton of laughs mingling between events here. Word on the Lake is an artisanal festival with a mix of styles and mediums for expression that generates an anthology each year, on top of its other offerings.

Word Vancouver

Website: https://www.wordvancouver.ca/

Where? Vancouver

When? September 20, 2025

What can I expect? More than 30 years old, this festival is well-established in the writing circuit—and it lasts for 20 days! It’s the longest festival in BC. The programming here is varied, so you’ll want to put in some thought about the schedule. Workshops, music, social events, readings, and so much more will occupy your time at this festival.

Words on the Water: Campbell River Writers’ Festival

Website: https://www.wordsonthewater.ca/

Where? Campbell River

When? March 7+8, 2025

What can I expect? Offering mediated panels, engaged discussions, and inspiring speakers, Words on the Water aims to stimulate BC’s writing community. Attendees particularly look forward to the Literary Cabaret put on Saturday nights—music, readings, and good food. What’s not to love? Oh, and the scenery is pretty nice too.

If you know of a writers festival that is not listed here, please send me the information about it. I’ll happily add it to the list.

Is it writers festival or writer’s festival or writers’ festival?

Ah, an editorial note. Surprise!

What’s correct, writers festival or writer’s festival or writers’ festival? You’re going to love the answer. It depends! It depends on your preference, and what way you wish to stress the phrase. Is it a group of writers getting together, a festival for writers, a festival by writers, something all of the above? And since it comes down to usage, really, I took a look at Google Ngrams to see which form took precedence.

Writers festival is seeing a strong uptick in recent years, which is no surprise when you consider the wider linguistic trend of “less-is-more” punctuation. For example, CMOS recently changed the rule for a comma before the word “too” (such as used above in this very article). That said, writers’ festival still outshines the other two spellings. As such, I’ll provide one more argument to why writers festival is gaining traction and is perhaps the more correct usage these days: Merriam-Webster’s entry for farmers market. It is the preferred spelling for the event, over farmer’s market and farmers’ market.

Which do you use?