At a glance
Sorrento Writers Festival takes over the Continental Sorrento and venues around the village each autumn, drawing the literary calendar's biggest names to a heritage limestone hotel one street back from the bay. In a few short years it has become one of Australia's largest writers' festivals — and the only one anchored in a coastal village.
What it is
A multi-day literary festival anchored at the heritage Continental Sorrento (Hotel Continental, built 1875 from Sorrento limestone), with sessions running across the hotel, the local cinema, and supporting venues within walking distance through the village. The program covers fiction, non-fiction, poetry, politics, and ideas — ticketed individual sessions rather than a single-pass model. Authors mingle in the village's restaurants and along the foreshore between events.
Founded in 2023 by journalist and former bookshop owner Corrie Perkin, the festival has grown quickly: the 2025 edition drew around 6,000 visitors and the 2026 program scheduled more than 160 events across the long weekend. It is now widely cited as the second-largest writers' festival in Australia.
Who it's for
Literary visitors and serious readers willing to plan a weekend around author sessions. Regular Sorrento returners who want a structured reason to be there in shoulder season. Pairs naturally with a Sorrento dining weekend — book the front-beach hotels and the better restaurants well in advance, since the festival is the dominant demand on the village over those four days. Less suited to first-time Peninsula visitors hoping to see the broader region; the program is concentrated in Sorrento and rewards staying in the village.
Where it sits in the Peninsula calendar
Anchors the Peninsula's autumn shoulder. Falls late April, typically across the Anzac Day long weekend, when Sorrento has shed the summer crowd but the village is still warm and walkable. The festival window is one of the strongest in the year for Sorrento accommodation and dining — both rooms and tables disappear weeks ahead. Pairs well with cellar-door visits up at Red Hill or Main Ridge in the in-between hours, and with the front-beach walks the village does so well.
Getting there
Sorrento is about 105 km from Melbourne — roughly 90 minutes via the Mornington Peninsula Freeway and Nepean Highway. The village is walkable, so once parked you can usually leave the car for the weekend. Central Sorrento parking is limited and at a premium during the festival; aim for the back-beach side streets and walk in. From the Bellarine, the Searoad Ferry from Queenscliff lands you at the Sorrento pier within walking distance of the festival hub — the most pleasant arrival.
Visit the official site → Confirm current-year dates, tickets and program at the official source.