Galle Literary Festival
Littérature · Galle, Sri Lanka
The festival
Founded by hotelier Geoffrey Dobbs and becoming the most popular literary rendezvous in South Asia, the Galle Literary Festival transforms for four days the Dutch fort of Galle, classified at UNESCO, into an open-air salon: meetings of authors, debates, readings and workshops in colonial courts, old trading houses and gardens of the fort, facing the Indian Ocean.
Sri Lankan writers, diaspora voices and international authors attract thousands of readers (more than 8,000 in 2025, about 100 events), alongside the children's festival, the Art Trail (Art Trail) and the gourmet Gourmet Galle section.
After a return in 2024, the 2026 edition, announced from January 22 to 25, was postponed by the organizers, who want to rethink the economic model of the festival to ensure its sustainability; memberships are extended until 2027 and small literary events are planned in 2026.
Good to know
Postponement of the 2026 edition announced by the organisation (structural and financial difficulties since the return of 2024); do not communicate January 2026 as a held edition. Targeted return in 2027 without published dates.