The wait is over for all the fans of UAE and across the globe, as one of the biggest events in Dubai is back with its 17th edition, and that’s the Emirates Literature Festival. It’s also known as Emirates LitFest and is finally happening in January 2025. This event is known for its books and writing, so it’s bound to attract both international and local authors, poets, journalists, and readers from all over the world for discussions, book signings, workshops, and panels.
Additionally, the Dubai Literature Festival has played an important role in promoting reading and increasing literacy interest among the population of the UAE. However, the festival encourages both writers and readers of all ages to share their stories and connect better with the audience by featuring Arabic and international literature. Believe it or not, the Emirates Airline Festival is one of the great events in Dubai for anyone interested in literature and the arts!
In this blog post, we are going to discuss previous highlights of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. In addition, we’ll explore 2025’s spotlights, dates, venue, Authors and more about the DLF ’25.
Emirates Literature Festival: When and Where?
If you’re someone who considers themselves a bibliophile, avid reader, bookworm, or even bibliomaniac, then Emirates Litfest is the place for you. It’s going to take place in Dubai, InterContinental Hotel Festival City. The dates are Wednesday, 29 January, to Monday, 3 February 2025.
Date: 29th January to 3 February 2025
Where: InterContinental Dubai Festival City
Besides, there are some other special events happening in Dubai, UAE. These include Desert Stanzas, Arabic Poetry, and Oud Night and they are taking place at Caravanserai in Exit 29, Jebel Ali, and the Theatre of Digital Art. So, get yourself free for a weekend and become a part of the Emirate literature festival.
History of Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature
The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature was first launched in 2009. Nowadays, it is an annual event held in Dubai, UAE, under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and hosted by the Emirates Literature Foundation.
The aim of Dubai LitFest is to bring authors, readers, and book enthusiasts from different countries all over the world. Not just this, the Emirates Literature Fest has won multiple awards in the last few years, including “Best Festival” and “Best Arts & Culture Event.”
If we talk about the rise of such a festival, then you’ll be amazed to read this. The Dubai Literature Festival just began with only 65 authors in 2009, but according to data, it has now expanded to more than 180 authors in the last two years, and that too from around the world!
Undoubtedly, the Dubai Litfest got “LIT” and has grown considerably in size and scope over the past years. As it’s 2025, now the DLF includes various components like:
- Author sessions and book signings
- Writing workshops
- Children’s programming
- Poetry performances
- Literary competitions
- Educational programs for schools
What’s Waiting For You At Emirates Literature Festival (Emirates LitFest 2025)?
Get yourself ready for the Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature because it’s coming back with more literary experiences. Whether you’re interested in reading books, writing or attending a workshop, here you can engage yourself with renowned authors and be a part of all the unique performances while participating in educational workshops, discussions, and fun with others.
The Famous Authors Featuring in Emirates Festival of Literature 2025
Similar to the previous year, the Emirates Literature Festival grabs the attention of best-selling authors from different countries. This year has also got top speakers lined up for the biggest event.
We’ll start with top names and one of them is Abraham Verghese. He is a well-known author of Cutting for Stone and The Tennis Partner. His recent books were on the bestseller list for almost 37 weeks. In the Emirates Festival of Literature, he’ll be performing twice. His session is scheduled for January 31, and you can join him again on Feb 2 with researcher Pip Williams.
Next on the lineup is one of the best award-winning journalists, Hala Gorani. At the Dubai Literature Festival 2025, she’s going to discuss her book, which is about the complexities of identity, race, and belonging. Hala’s session will be taking place on 2nd Feb. Apart from this, she’ll be joining a live panel discussion on media and the Middle East on the same day only.
Other famous names include Jeff Kinney, who’s an author and illustrator of the wildly popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. His session will be dedicated to children on January 21 and February. Children who are above the age of 6 years can freely participate in his session
When we list down the speakers and performers for the Emirate Festival for Literature, we haven’t even begun to cover half of them. For that reason, we’ve mentioned a table for you consisting of all the major speakers, authors, and performers.
List of Speakers, Authors, & Major Performers in Emirates Fest
| Abdel Illah Benarafa | Badr Jafar | Harshita Gupta |
| Abdulatif Yousef | Charan Ranganath | Hawra Al-nadawi |
| Abdulaziz Mohamad Ali | Chigozie Obioma | Helen Czerski |
| Abdulrazak Gurnah | Clare Mackintosh | Helen Farmer |
| Abraham Verghese | Danabelle Gutierrez | Hessa Abdulla |
| Adel Khozam | Daniel Handler aka Lemony Snicket | Hessa Almehairi |
| Adrianne Kalfopoulou | Darryl Gadzekpo | Huda Alkhamis-Kanoo |
| Afra Atiq | Des Fitzgerald | Ibrahim Alhashmi |
| Ahmed AlSadek | Ebtisam Al-Beiti | Jack Meggitt-Phillips |
| Aissa Nassiri | Ella Phillips | Jeff Kinney |
| Alex | Elle McNicoll | Jessamy Hibberd |
| Alex Broun | Emily Dunlay | Joe Roman |
| Alex Latimer | Emma Dabiri | Juli Min |
| Alexander McNabb | Fadi Ghandour | Kelly Clancy |
| Alexandra Levick | Fadi Kattan | Khairani Barokka |
| Ali AlShaali | Faisal J. Abbas | Khalid Albudoor |
| Ali Bin Tamim | Faiza S Khan | Laaleen Sukhera |
| Alison Steadman | Farah Younes | Lamya Alsaiqal |
| Allison K Williams | Farida El Gueretly | Luigi Bonomi |
| Amal Al Sahlawi | Faris Bseiso | Magic Phil |
| Amal Ismail | Fatima Almazrouei | Maha Abouelenein |
| Ammar Shams | Fatma AlKhatib | Maitha Al Khayat |
| Anil Ananthaswamy | George Wallace | Majed Alahdal |
| Anthony Sattin | Graeme Wilson | Mamdouh Hamada |
| Aroma | Hala Gorani | Marwa Al Aqroubi |
| Asmaa Al Remeithi | Haneen Al Sayegh | Maryam AlHashmi |
| Asmaa Azaizeh | Hanno Sauer | Mateo Askaripour |
| Aysha Alshamsi | Harriet Griffey | May Chebaklo |
Emirates Festival of Literature 2025: A Detail Look at Programmes
Dubai Literature Festival has five major categories and each category has its own sub-division of events. Those who are interested in the event can choose their categories and select their favorite event. By visiting the event’s website, attendees can have a clear view of all the speaker’s and performers’ pages and they can further look out for their favorite poet/author’s session. Here we’ve mentioned the five event categories that are going to be held at the Emirates Literature Festival 2025. Also, we’ll be highlighting some interesting facts about it.
The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature is Where Conversations Happen
One of the major subparts of the Emirates Literature Festival is conversations. It is known for featuring thoughts, ideas, and stories that can be further taken to a discussion level with authors, according to expertise on the ongoing topic. Here are some of the top authors and famous Emirati speakers with their conversations, dates, and pricing.
| Author | Conversation Name | Date | Price |
| Rasha Samir, Ali AlShaali and Nabil Suleiman | I Don’t Lie, I Write… | 1 Feb | 50.00 AED |
| Prof. Waciny Laredj and Dr. Mohammed Al Mansi Qindeel | The Everlasting Walk | 1 Feb | 50.00 AED |
| Dr. Mohammed Al Mansi Qindeel. | In the Footsteps of a Storyteller | 2 Feb | 50.00 AED |
| Aissa Nassiri , Sawsane Benarafa, and Saleha Ghabish, | Arabs Through Global Eyes | 2 Feb | 50.00 AED |
| Dr. Abdel Illah Benarafa ,and Dr. Noura Alkarbi | A World of Bridges | 2 Feb | 50.00 AED |
| Khalid Albudoor and Asmaa Azaizeh | Postmodern Prose | 2 Feb | 50.00 AED |
| Haneen Al Sayegh and Rasha Samir | Blame it on Mum | 1 Feb | 50.00 AED |
| Isobel Abulhoul OBE. | Colm McLouglin: A Tribute to A Life Well Spent | 1 Feb | Free |
| Waciny Laredj | A Thousand and One Nights of Stories | 2 Feb | 50.00AED |
Attend Amazing Workshops at the Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature
If you’re someone who wants to learn anything related to literature, the Emirates Airline Festival offers a variety of workshops-based events at Lit Fest. Till now, not everything has been released on the official website, but many renowned authors and members of industries are conducting seven workshops. Attendees can explore skills related to writing, reading, and drawing. Here tickets can vary according to the workshop and the language will be preferably English. Here’s a table with all the top workshops taking place on different days:
| Author | Talk/Workshop Title | Date | Price |
| Dr Ty Wiggins | The New CEO: A Masterclass with Dr Ty Wiggins | 29 January | Free |
| Harriet Griffey | Start Writing Boot Camp | 29 January | 2000.00 AED |
| Luigi Bonomi | The Write Path: Luigi Bonomi | 29 January | 240.00 AED |
| Alexandra Levick | The Write Path: Alexandra Levick | 29 January | 240.00 AED |
| Faiza S Khan | The Write Path: Faiza S Khan | 30 January | 240.00 AED |
| Clare Mackintosh | Workshop: Creating Believable Characters | 31 January | 400.00 AED |
| Steve Mushin | Teen Workshop: How to Ultrawild | 31 January | 150.00 AED |
| Rehan Khan | Workshop: Worldbuilding in Historical Fiction | 1 February | 400.00 AED |
| Asmaa Al Remeithi | Workshop: Drawing Manga | 1 February | 50.00 AED |
| Mateo Askaripour | Demystifying Speculative Fiction | 1 February | 400.00 AED |
| Vashti Hardy | Teen Workshop: Creating Strange New Worlds | 1 February | 150.00 AED |
Discover the Unexpected With Discovery Talks for Free
Another major event category of the Emirates Literature Festival is discovery talks. These are conversations on unique topics where attendees can have insights directly from experts, authors, poets, and speakers. These topics range from problems related to overthinking, gut health, etc. The best part of discovery talks is that they are free to attend; anyone can attend these and share their views and ideas on literature. The table below has all the major discovery talks that will be happening at the Emirates Airline Festival 2025.
| Author | Discovery Talk Title | Date | Price |
| Jessamy Hibberd | On The Problems Of Overthinking | 1 February 2025 | FREE |
| Laaleen Sukhera | On 250 Years Of Jane Austen | 1 February 2025 | FREE |
| Walid Hashim | On The Secrets Behind Crime Novels | 1 February 2025 | FREE |
| Hanno Sauer | On Global Morality | 2 February 2025 | FREE |
| Sandra Mikhail | On Loving Your Gut | 2 February 2025 | FREE |
| Amal Ismail | On Writing Through Trauma | 2 February 2025 | FREE |
Feel the Spotlight on High-Lighted Special Events of the Emirates Literature Festival
As the name suggests, these are the events that can be considered a little special because they offer an amazing and unforgettable experience for the attendees. These events include dinners, poetry nights and valuable discussions. For instance, there are some popular events like “All That Glitters” . In such events, attendees can be part of a murder mystery, and dinner will be included in such events. For you, we’ve added all the special events happening at the Emirates LitFest.
| Special Event Title | Category | Date | Price (AED) |
| Desert Stanzas | Poetry/Performance | 30 January | 425.00 |
| Business Breakfast: Women In Leadership | Business/Technology | 31 January | 150.00 |
| Arabic Poetry And Qanoon Night | Poetry/Performance | 31 January | 120.00 |
| All That Glitters | Crime/Mystery | 31 January | 425.00 |
| Nizar Qabbani: Endless Love | Poetry/Performance | 1 February | 75.00 |
| The Bethlehem Banquet | History/Culture/Religion | 1 February | 425.00 |
| The Big Sing | Children/Families | 2 February | 100.00 |
Get Yourself Ready For LitFest After-Hours Events
Last, but not least, LitFest After Hours are those events that take place after 6 pm in the evening. These events are similar to special events and these include workshops on self-love, acceptance, and discussions based on mythology and relevant genres. But, in these events, attendees have to book their tickets soon because the LitFest category is usually higher in demand. Here are the top LitFest after-hours events taking place in the Emirates Festival of Literature
| Author | Talk Title | Date | Price (AED) |
| Harshita Gupta | Unloved | 29 January | 50.00 |
| Mamdouh Hamada & Ahmed AlGedaie | Tickling The Dark Side | 1 February | 50.00 |
| Kelly Clancy | Playing With Reality | 1 February | 50.00 |
| MJ Aldridge | Murder, We Wrote | 1 February | 50.00 |
| Not specified | Fresh Air, Fresh Lyrics | 1 February | FREE |
| Emma Dabiri | Disobedient Bodies | 1 February | 50.00 |
| Hanno Sauer | The Invention Of Good And Evil | 1 February | 50.00 |
| Daniella Gutierrez | Unqualified But Here For It | 1 February | FREE |
| Ahmed AlGedaie | Fantasy Or History | 29 January | 50.00 |
| Majed Mehde | A Sip Through Time | 29 January | FREE |
| Subhadra Das | Ten Lies That Made The West | 29 January | 50.00 |
How to Get Yourself Registered for the Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature?
If you’re interested in attending the event at InterContinental Hotel Festival City, then event registration can be done by visiting their official website. Event tickets are served on a first-come, first-served basis for some special events. Besides, there are two types of passes available for all the attendees. Single event tickets for the specific sessions and multi-day passes for multiple events. Moreover, every session has a different ticket pricing starting from AED 50 to AED 500. However, if you have trouble with your booking, you can just drop an email and the team will help you with the event ticketing and registration process.
Final Words
The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature 2025 is something that you can’t miss. It’s one of the events that encourages literary interest among people. It’s going to be a six-day event where you can meet 250+ amazing authors from different parts and be a part of your favorite event among 300 sessions. Share stories, ideas, and live conversations to help you connect and captivate while informing and inspiring others. However, it doesn’t matter if you are a seasoned writer, reader, or one who is curious about the literature fest, then you can freely join the event because it has something for everyone.
Be it conversations, workshops, family events, special events, discovery talks, or LitFest after hours, every event category has its own unique charm to inspire, educate, and connect people. So make sure to participate in this extraordinary literary gathering of the UAE. It’s high time to invest yourself in new ideas, challenge some inner perspective, and make your thoughts creative by connecting and engaging with others.
Frequently Asked Question
When and where is the 2025 Emirates Literature Festival happening?
The festival runs from January 29 to February 3, 2025, at the InterContinental Dubai Festival City. Some special events like ‘Desert Stanzas’ and ‘Arabic Poetry Night’ will take place at different venues around Dubai.
How do I get my Emirates Literature Festival tickets?
Simply head to the festival’s official website and browse through the events you’d like to attend. You can choose from individual event tickets or get day passes to make the most of your visit.
Is the festival hosting any competitions?
Absolutely! Whether you’re a writer, poet, or creative soul, you’ll find competitions to showcase your talent. The festival welcomes participants of all ages and experience levels to join various literary contests and challenges.
How can I book my tickets for the 2025 festival?
You can get your tickets by visiting the festival’s official website to book online. If you’re a ‘Foundation Friends’ member, you’ll get a sweet 15% discount on your tickets plus other perks.
I’ve heard this is a big deal in Dubai – is that true?
It sure is! Since starting in 2009, the Emirates Literature Festival has grown to become the Middle East’s largest literary festival. It’s the region’s premier event for book lovers, bringing together authors and readers from around the world.
Do all events happen at the same place?
While most events take place at the InterContinental Dubai Festival City, some special performances and sessions are held at unique venues.
