#festival-cancellation

#festival-cancellation

Organizers canceled the 2026 Adelaide Writers' Week festival on Tuesday, after some 180 international and Australian authors withdrew from the event in protest of the scrapping of an appearance by an Australian-Palestinian author and academic. The event's director Louise Adler, the Jewish daughter of Holocaust survivors, said she was quitting her role on Tuesday, shortly before the festival was called off altogether.

Earlier this year campaign group Protect Brockwell Park launched a legal challenge against Lambeth Council after summer festivals were approved to run in the park without proper planning permission. The High Court ruled in favour of Protect Brockwell Park, finding that events like Mighty Hoopla, Field Day, Cross the Tracks and Wide Awake exceeded the 28-day period allowed for temporary land use. Though the festivals still took place as planned this summer, at the time the Council said it would appeal the ruling.

In a statement shared by the festival on Friday, translated into English via music publication Stereogum, the organisers said that they were no longer "comfortable" having Murphy perform. The organisers wrote that they wanted the festival environment to be one where "everyone can feel safe and belong" and had added Murphy - despite her previous, contentious remarks about trans youth and puberty blockers - as they felt she had "the energy" to match their intentions.

"Unfortunately Future Ruins will not move forward this year. The reality is, due to a number of logistical challenges and complications, we feel we cannot provide the experience that's defined what this event was always intended to be. Rather than compromise, we're choosing to re-think and re-evaluate. Meanwhile, we are sorry for any inconvenience and appreciate all the interest and support. Refunds will be automatically issued and ticket holders will receive an email with more information."