The Moat is delighted to partner with Melbourne Writers Festival once again. For 2023, the Festival has chosen the theme I’ve Been Away For A While.

In the words of Festival Director Michaela McGuire, this year’s theme “is an invitation to find our way back to each other, to ourselves, and to the very world we all inhabit. But as who we are now. Perhaps changed, perhaps the same, perhaps still unknowable and unsure. We welcome you to return to Melbourne Writers Festival, to beloved books and writers, to what’s familiar and what’s new.”

As always, we invite you to join us at The Moat before and after your Festival events to drink, dine and debrief.

Make sure you try our official Festival cocktail, 'Memory Fades': 1800 Reposado Tequila, pink grapefruit, lime and rosemary syrup.

During the Melbourne Writers Festival our hours will look a little different:

Thursday 4 May: 12pm - 10pm
Friday 5 May: 12pm - 10pm
Saturday 6 May: 10am - 10pm
Sunday 7 May: 10am - 5pm

Tickets for the Festival are on sale now.