Adelaide writers’ week 2026 has been cancelled after more than 180 authors and speakers dropped out in protest of the decision to disinvite the Palestinian Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah.

In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, the Adelaide festival board announced the event, which was scheduled to begin at the end of February, would no longer go ahead. The statement also said the remaining members of the board would resign – with the exception of the Adelaide city council representative whose term expires in February.

The decision comes five days after the board announced it had intervened to drop Abdel-Fattah from appearing at the festival, citing “cultural sensitivities” after the attack on the Jewish community in Bondi.

“As a Board we took this action out of respect for a community experiencing the pain from a devastating event. Instead, this decision has created more division and for that we express our sincere apologies,” the board wrote in its statement on Tuesday.

“Many authors have since announced they will no longer appear at Adelaide Writers’ Week 2026 and it is the Adelaide Festival’s position that the event can no longer go ahead as scheduled for this year. This is a deeply regrettable outcome.

“We recognise and deeply regret the distress this decision has caused to our audience, artists and writers, donors, corporate partners, the government and our own staff and people.

“We also apologise to Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah for how the decision was represented and reiterate this is not about identity or dissent but rather a continuing rapid shift in the national discourse around the breadth of freedom of expression in our nation following Australia’s worst terror attack in history.”

The board said that with the cancellation of Adelaide writers’ week, a new board would focus on “ensuring a successful Adelaide Festival proceeds in a way which safeguards the long and rich cultural legacy of our state but also protects the hardworking staff delivering this important event”.

The statement came hours after the Adelaide writers’ week director, Louise Adler, announced her resignation in Guardian Australia.

“I cannot be party to silencing writers, so with a heavy heart I am resigning from my role as the director of the AWW,” she wrote.

More details soon …