The runaway success of Books on the Bay, Simon’s Town’s inaugural literary festival, is gearing up for an encore in 2024!

Save the dates: 22-24 March 2024, with events being planned in venues throughout the town.

Confirmed writers include Ivan Vladislavic, Darryl Bristow-Bovey, Mphuthumi Ntabeni, Margie Orford, Craig Higginson, Justin Fox, Finuala Dowling, Ashwin Desai, C.A. Davids, Antony Osler, Annemarie van Niekerk, Imraan Coovadia and many more.

Festival details

22 to 24 March 2024

Friday–Sunday 22 to 24 March 2024: Main festival programme.

Full programme coming soon

Festival map

Everything you need to know about the venues and getting here, created by MapMyWay.

Coming soon

2024 Participants

Confirmed writers include Ivan Vladislavic, Darryl Bristow-Bovey, Mphuthumi Ntabeni, Margie Orford, Craig Higginson, Justin Fox, Finuala Dowling, Ashwin Desai, C.A. Davids, Antony Osler, Annemarie van Niekerk, Imraan Coovadia and many more.

Books on the Bay is a community-supported non-profit festival – with your help, we can continue to bring inspiring experiences and programs to the far south. Your contribution will ensure that future generations of book lovers get the opportunity to explore literature in all its forms!

Latest News

The incredible success of Books on the Bay is gearing up for an encore in 2024!

The runaway success of Books on the Bay, Simon's Town's inaugural literary festival, will be repeated in 2024. Save the dates: 22-24 March, with events being planned in venues throughout the town. Confirmed writers include Ivan Vladislavic, Darryl Bristow-Bovey,...

People’s Stories & Books: A story from the inaugural Simon’s Town Literary Festival by Nancy Richards

Renowned broadcaster Nancy Richards has created a podcast episode about Books on the Bay for her series People's Stories & Books. Over two days, in the seaside town awash with heritage of all sorts, scores of well-known and would-be writers, readers and...

Programme change: ‘Adventures in Life Writing’ replaces ‘Character in Biography’

Dear Books on the Bay attendees, Very sadly, Mark Gevisser has had to withdraw from the festival following the passing away of his mother. Our sincere condolences to Mark and his family. The session on ‘Character in Biography’ involving Mark and Elleke Boehmer, in...

Festival Sponsors

Books on the Bay is gearing up for an encore in 2024. Save the dates: 22-24 March 2024.