T&Cs

1. Application of these terms and conditions

The sale of tickets for an Event and attendance at an Event are subject to these Terms and Conditions of Sale and any additional terms and conditions notified at the time of ticket sale. Such terms apply to both the original purchaser/ticketholder and any subsequent ticketholder, and you agree to those terms by acquiring an Event ticket and/or seeking to attend an Event. By purchasing a ticket on behalf of someone else, you undertake to inform them of those terms.

Definitions:

'Sydney Writers’ Festival, the 'Company', 'we', 'our' and 'us' means Sydney Writers’ Festival.

'You' means the person seeking to purchase or acquire a ticket to an Event, the person holding a ticket to an Event and the person seeking to attend an Event.

'Event' means a show or performance arranged or presented by us or for which we sell tickets.

'LPA Code' means the Live Performance Australia Ticketing Code of Practice (Consumer Code and Industry Code) in effect at the time of ticket sale.

'Authorised ticket seller' means us or a person authorised by us to supply tickets to an Event.

These Terms and Conditions of Sale also apply to tickets issued by other authorised ticket sellers (if any). If an Event is presented by another company or held at another person's venue, tickets and attendance may also be subject to the other presenter/venue's terms and conditions.

These venues include, but are not limited to:

Sydney Town Hall
Riverside Theatre Parramatta
The Concourse, Chatswood
City Recital Hall
Pavilion Performing Arts Centre, Sutherland
Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, Penrith 
State Library of New South Wales
Sydney Opera House
NIDA

We are a member of Live Performance Australia. We issue tickets to Events and liaise with consumers in accordance with the LPA Code.  

2. Ticket prices and delivery

Prices listed on this site are displayed in Australian dollars.

Concession prices are available for children under the age of 16, full-time students, Health Care Card holders, Seniors Card holders and Pensioner Concession Card holders. Please have your eligible card with you at the venue.

Any children aged 2 and under, who do not require a seat, can attend the event at no cost.

A transaction fee will apply to your ticket purchase. You will be notified of all applicable fees prior to purchase. The transaction fee is $7.00 per order. This fee is applied whether the order is via our website or over the phone. This fee is not applied if you purchase a ticket in person at the Box Office at the Venue. Family and YA events do not incur a booking fee if booked in an order only containing Family or YA events.

You may request to collect tickets from the Festival Box Offices, located onsite at Carriageworks, City Recital Hall and Sydney Town Hall when placing your order. If this is not requested, you will receive your tickets via email in the lead up to the festival.

Tickets will be emailed to you in the week leading up to the event if it is a standalone event, or in the week before the Festival in May.

3. Admission to events

You must hold a valid ticket to attend an Event. We may refuse admission or remove any ticketholder from the venue in accordance with the LPA Code, including (but not limited to) where:

(a) you cannot produce a valid ticket for the Event;

(b) you produce a ticket that has been handled or dealt with in a way that is contrary to these Terms and Conditions of Sale or any additional terms and conditions notified at the time of ticket sale;

(c) you cannot produce proof of your concession entitlement where a concession ticket has been purchased;

(d) you have in your possession and/or refuse to surrender any prohibited object to event or venue staff;

(e) you refuse to be subject to a visual search of your possessions;

(f) you behave in a manner which causes or may cause property damage or that threatens or may threaten the safety of participants, authors, other consumers or any other persons, including as a result of intoxication;

(g) you behave in a manner that unreasonably interferes with other consumers’ enjoyment of the Event;

(h) you otherwise breach these Terms and Conditions of Sale or any additional terms and conditions notified at the time of ticket sale, or fail to follow the reasonable directions of the venue manager’s staff;

(i) you refuse to remain in the area or seat designated on your Ticket;

(j) you or any attendee in your group refuses to comply with venue safety requirements.

Latecomers will not be given access to the Event venue unless there is a suitable/convenient break in the Event. Seating may be relocated as a result of late entry.

4. Venue requirements

The use of recording equipment is prohibited.

You must allow adequate time for collection of tickets on arrival at the venue and provide adequate proof of ticket purchase, if requested. We do not accept responsibility for any delays that may be encountered at the Box Office prior to an Event.

To help ensure the safety and security of Events, your person, bags and personal belongings may be subject to a visual search.

If at the time of the Event, either you or any other attendees of your group are feeling unwell with COVID-19 symptoms, you agree not to attend the Event. 

Umbrellas, prams, backpacks, larger bags and other items that may be hazardous or restrict the movement of visitors may not be permitted into the venue or may be required to be cloaked, depending on the nature of the Event.

You are responsible for your personal possessions such as bags, mobile phones and other items you carry with you. It is your responsibility to collect any cloaked items after the performance.

5. Changes

Event details may change sometimes with little or no notice. For example, writers or other participants may be added, withdrawn or substituted.

We may vary seating arrangements. Seat number and location provided at time of purchase is subject to change. If we need to allocate a different seat to you for operational reasons, including a change of venue, we will use reasonable endeavours to ensure it is in a location of comparable value to the seat number on your ticket.

At times, during the course of selling tickets to an Event, we may release additional seats (for example, when final stage dimensions are known or in response to demand) or additional dates for presentation of the Event. Such alterations do not affect the Terms and Conditions applying to tickets purchased before the release of additional seats or dates and do not entitle you to claim a refund for tickets purchased prior to the release of additional seats or dates.

6. Resale restrictions

Sydney Writers’ Festivals and its associated venues are the only authorised ticket sellers for Events. If you purchase tickets from an unauthorised seller, you risk that these tickets are fake, invalid or have previously been cancelled and that you may be refused admission to the relevant Event. We strongly recommend you only purchase tickets from an authorised ticket seller. You can contact our Box Office to confirm if a ticket seller is authorised. 

7. Refunds and exchanges

At the Sydney Writers’ Festival we strive to provide excellent customer service and ensure a positive experience for all our patrons. To that end, we have established the following Ticket Refund Policy to address ticket-related matters. Please carefully review the terms outlined below:

(a) General refund policy:

• Tickets are non-refundable except in cases where an event is cancelled or rescheduled, or there is a major change to the event.
• Refunds will only be issued to the original purchaser of the ticket.

(b) Event cancellation:

• In the unlikely event of a cancellation, patrons will be notified promptly, and a full refund will be processed automatically.
• Refunds will be less any booking fees or charges unless required as per the LPA Code or Australian Consumer Law.
• If possible, we may offer the option to transfer the ticket value to a rescheduled date or apply it as credit for future events.

(c) Event rescheduling:

• If an event is rescheduled, ticketholders will be informed about the new date and time.
• Patrons unable to attend the rescheduled event may request a refund. Refund requests must be submitted prior to the date of the rescheduled event.

(d) Event postponement:

• In case of event postponement without a confirmed rescheduled date, tickets will remain valid for the new date.
• Patrons unable to attend the rescheduled event once announced may request a refund prior to the date of the rescheduled event.

(e) Event disruption:

• In the case of an event disruption causing an event to end early, ticketholders will be refunded if less than two-thirds of the event has passed. If two-thirds of the event has taken place, no refunds will be provided

(f) Refund request process:

• Refund requests must be submitted by emailing [email protected] or calling on 02 9256 4200.
• Provide the order number, the name of the event, and the reason for the refund request.
• Refund requests will be processed within three (3) business days.
• Where refunds are granted, they will be made to the card or account from which the original purchase was made. Refunds will be less any booking fees or charges unless we are otherwise required to refund these in accordance with the LPA Code or Australian Consumer Law.

(g) Refund exceptions:

• No refunds will be issued for lost, stolen, damaged, or destroyed tickets.
• Refunds will not be provided for dissatisfaction with the event, artist performance, or any other subjective reasons.
• Refund requests must be submitted prior to the event commencing.

(h) Ticket exchange:

• In lieu of refunds, we may offer ticket exchanges for another event hosted by Sydney Writers’ Festival, subject to availability and certain conditions.
• We may also offer the option to apply the value of your tickets as credit for future events.
• Ticket exchange requests must be submitted before the commencement of the event you want your tickets removed from.

(i) Policy amendments:

• Sydney Writers’ Festival reserves the right to amend this policy at any time. Changes will be effective immediately upon posting on our website.

Contact Information:

If you have any questions or concerns about our Ticket Refund Policy, please contact us at [email protected] or 02 9256 4200.

8. Safe Events Clause

Sydney Writers’ Festival is committed to hosting events that are enjoyable and safe for all. This includes ensuring that they are free from harassment, discrimination and bullying. Harassment, bullying, threatening behaviour, and violence will not be tolerated and if it occurs we reserve the right to revoke, without notice or refund, tickets, passes, credentials, or access to Sydney Writers' Festival events and venues.  We take these types of incidents very seriously. If you witness, or have experienced, any forms of harassment, discrimination or bullying at a Sydney Writers’ Festival event, we invite you to report the incident to [email protected] and we will investigate. Reporting to Sydney Writers’ Festival does not replace reporting to local police if you think that the situation warrants that. Thank you for helping us to ensure our events are safe for our guests and our staff.

9. Lost tickets

It is your responsibility to keep your tickets safe. We may refund or replace lost, stolen or missing tickets at our sole discretion and fees may apply. 

10. Liability

Our liability to you in relation to tickets is limited to the obligations specified in these Terms and Conditions of Sale and our obligations under applicable laws (including the Australian Consumer Law) and the LPA Code.

The Australian Consumer Law provides certain statutory guarantees for consumers which cannot be excluded, for example that services will be provided with due care and skill. Nothing in these Terms and Conditions of Sale seeks to modify or exclude those guarantees.

Ticketholders enter Event venues at their own risk. To the maximum extent permitted by law (including the Australian Consumer Law), we will not be liable for any loss, damage, expense or injury to the extent arising from your wilful, reckless or negligent acts or omissions, any pre-existing medical condition, your breach of these Terms and Conditions, the cancellation of your tickets due to your breach of these Terms and Conditions, or your reliance on reviews and opinions about Events and Participants.

You agree to compensate us for any damage, loss, liability or injury we may suffer as a result of your wilful, reckless or negligent acts or omissions at an Event venue.

11. Photographs, recordings and privacy

We reserve the right to record, photograph, broadcast and/or broadcast any Event and by attending the Festival you consent to us doing so. You consent to the use of any image or recording taken of you, and anyone for whom you are responsible, while on the premises, in whole or part to the public in any place and in all media. We are not obliged to provide or reproduce to you any such image or recording.

Refer to our Privacy Policy for information about how we handle your personal information.

Venues we utilise have closed circuit television (CCTV).

12. No waiver

Without limitation, we reserve the right to enforce these Terms and Conditions of Sale if:

(a) you have purchased a ticket to an Event in contravention of these Terms and Conditions of Sale; or

(b) we have not enforced our rights under these Terms and Conditions of Sale on a prior occasion.

13. Amendments

We may amend these Terms and Conditions of Sale by updating them on our website. Any variations become effective upon their first publication on our website and apply to ticket purchases made after that time.

We may also amend these Terms and Conditions of Sale as they apply to tickets which have already been sold, if those amendments are made to ensure that these Terms and Conditions of Sale reflect changes or developments in applicable laws or regulations, and any changes to the LPA Code. We will provide you with reasonable notice of such amendments. 

You should review these Terms and Conditions of Sale before seeking to purchase tickets for Events and before attending Events.

14. Feedback

We value your feedback, both positive and negative. You can provide your comments by emailing us at [email protected].

---

Last updated July 2024