Sponsored: The 15th edition promises the best-ever program of events, talks, workshops and so much more…

Bibliophiles, you’ve likely been counting down for weeks, but we’re now mere days away from the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. Taking place from Wednesday, February 1 to Tuesday, February 6, 2023, the literature festival promises a spectacular line-up for its special 15th-anniversary edition.

Across the week-long event, the festival will feature almost 300 sessions, ensuring there’s something for everyone, from live music and poetry performances to workshops, film screenings, and of course inspiring talks from some of the biggest names in literature.

Spread between two locations – the InterContinental Hotel in Festival City and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library in Jaddaf – sessions start from just Dhs25 with different prices for different events and seating. There are individual event tickets, day passes, and even a limited number of crystal passes, which allow access to all sessions including special events and workshops, as well as, access to the green room.

Here are just a handful of the highlights. 

Old friends

The theme of this year’s Festival is ‘Old Friends.’ On that note, many speakers are welcomed returnees, including Kate Mosse (who was a part of the very first festival), Jeffrey Archer, Ben Miller, Oliver Jeffers, Bolu Babalola, Onjali Q. Rauf, and more.

Learn something new

A number of sessions have been designed to help attendees expand their horizons, whether learning something new or getting inspired. This includes a workout session with one of Hollywood’s biggest fitness consultants, Simon Waterson; a one-on-one career retrospective with a legendary actor, Brian Cox; and a plant-based dinner curated by a Top Chef Arabia judge, Bobby Chinn.

The spotlight shines on regional talent

LitFest has always been a celebration of movers and shakes in the creative industries right here in the region, with many Writing Prize winners going on to great international acclaim. This year, the LitFest Writing Prize has added a new children’s fiction category. This gives budding children’s writers the chance to get feedback from an international literary agent, a key step in their journey towards becoming published authors.

Youth sessions are sure to inspire

Inspiring children to fall in love with the magic of reading, there’s an exciting line-up of authors for families. Comedians and authors David Walliams and Ben Miller join forces for a first-of-its-kind discussion about their books and writing for a young, fun-loving audience. Elsewhere, YouTube sensation Rob Biddulph returns to teach kids and their parents how to draw and embrace their creativity.

For the full line-up check out emirateslitfest.com