Escape! director Claire Mabey said the festival had been "created with big ideas and brilliant people".
"It's a really great line-up. We're looking forward to the diversity of the festival as a whole. Personally, I'm really excited about Nicky Pellegrino. Also, I'm really excited about Dame Anne Salmond. She's a really important person in New Zealand history."
She said there had already been inquiries about the festival from Aucklanders.
"We know that people come to Tauranga for the weekend and are looking forward to what we have to offer."
The Human Library is an exciting addition to this year's line-up.
The event, hosted by the Wright Family Foundation, will see people become "books" available for "loan".
The goal was to start discussion, to challenge stereotypes, see how the other half lives or bond over your similarities.
Each "book" in the free event will be available from 10am to 2pm at Baycourt on June 4 and 5 to allow people to have one-on-one conversations, to check out the faces behind the stories and get to know them.