There’s been considerable churn and debate about the state of reading in India this year, especially on certain English dailies’ opinion pages and Bookstagram accounts. We’re in lit fest season now, and it’s as full-fledged as ever. Over the coming months, the country’s well-versed literary calendar offers plenty of reasons to return to the page, taking you from Khasi folklore and Urdu mushairas in the Northeast to beachfront conversations on politics and philosophy in Kerala. Across the country, these festivals bring books and ideas out of classrooms, libraries and private reading corners, and into the open, where they can be argued over and celebrated.
They also offer a chance to encounter unfamiliar voices, rediscover regional literature and make room for stories that rarely receive mainstream attention.
Whether you’re a voracious reader, an occasional bookshop browser or someone looking for a reason to fall in love with reading again, here are the eight best literary festivals across India that are happening between November 2026 and March 2027.
Shillong Literary Festival
The festival brings together storytelling from across the Northeast, folklore, poetry readings, and unplugged acoustic sessions as the breeze passes your cheek under a pine canopy. A good excuse to make a weekend of a trip to a hill station, too. Kiran Desai discusses her latest novel, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunnywhile Booker Prize-winning author Damon Galgut joins Janice Pariat for a conversation on his life in writing. There are also sessions on Khasi matrilineal traditions, the revival of literary magazines in the digital age and the relationship between storytelling and ecological conservation.
Where: Ward’s Lake, Shillong, Meghalaya
Dates: November 12-14, 2026
Website: shillonglitfest.com (₹100 per day, with tix available at the venue counter)
Dehradun Literature Festival (DDLF)
As insanely popular as Dehradun is, with the larger area immortalised, of course, by Ruskin Bond, this festival deserves a little more attention. You can attend author discussions, poetry panels, theatre performances, and outdoor workshops centered on environment, heritage, and youth literature – all set against valleys. This year’s programme features filmmaker Imtiaz Ali and Vishal Bhardwaj, among others, with discussions spanning literature, cinema, music, environmental sustainability and contemporary culture,
Where: Doon International School, Dehradun, Uttarakhand
Dates: November 27-29, 2026
Website: dehradunliteraturefestival.com (Free registration online on District)
Koshala Literature Festival
This one focuses on Hindi, Urdu, and regional Indian literature through live Mushairas, Kavi Sammelantranslation studies, and storytelling with a focus on history. Fittingly, it’s hosted in a museum. Its fifth edition is themed ‘Rediscovering Humanity Through Rediscovering Heritage’. It includes heritage walks, culinary explorations, local art experiences, Sufi evenings, dance, music and poetry. Its six content themes cover everything from contemporary writing, vernacular languages and digital storytelling to feminism, diaspora identities and underrepresented voices. Fittingly, it’s hosted at the Lucknow Museum of Heritage and Art, in the historic Hussainabad precinct.
Where: Lucknow Museum of Heritage and Art (LMHA), Hussainabad, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
Dates: November 27-30, 2026
Website: koshalaliteraturefestival.com (Tickets on BookMyShow from ₹100 onwards)
Bangalore Literature Festival (BLF)
Aside from the panel sessions and interactive Q&As, you’ve got a dedicated LitMart section where aspiring authors can pitch to publishers. Ten shortlisted finalists will get to pitch their manuscripts to a jury, receive feedback and make publishing connections. The festival also brings together local, national and international writers, celebrating Bengaluru’s literary diversity, all along with book stalls scattered across open lawns.
Where: Freedom Park, Bengaluru, Karnataka
Dates: December 11-13, 2026
Website: bangaloreliteraturefestival.org (Free entry upon online registration)
Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF)
India’s largest literary gathering is turning 20 this year. The festival offers debates with global prize-winning authors, pop-up bookshops, and evening world-music concerts. Its programme brings together some of the biggest names in international and Indian literature, alongside historians, journalists, politicians and thinkers.
Where: Hotel Clarks Amer, Jaipur, Rajasthan
Dates: January 14-18, 2027
Website: jaipurliteraturefestival.org (General registration from ₹200; student registration ₹100 for all five days; Friend of the Festival packages from ₹14,500.)
Kerala Literature Festival (KLF)
The event holds beachfront talks and debates right on the sand covering fiction, poetry, political science, and philosophy. The 2027 edition marks a decade of the festival, with the theme ‘A Polyphonic Decennial’. The programme spans literature, history, politics, science, technology, art and music. Australia is the guest nation this year, bringing its contemporary literary and cultural voices to Kozhikode, from First Nations storytelling traditions to writing shaped by migration and multiculturalism.
Where: Kozhikode Beach, Kozhikode, Kerala
Dates: January 21-24, 2027
Book: keralaliteraturefestival.com (Free delegate registration online; paid delegate passes for freebies from ₹999 and student delegate passes from ₹799.)
Hyderabad Literary Festival (HLF)
The festival combines literature with a remarkably wide range of disciplines, from poetry and science to climate conversations, indigenous and endangered languages, children’s storytelling and moving-image screenings. Its programme also includes Kaavya Dhaara, a dedicated poetry stream, and Meet My Book, an authors’ pitching platform.
Where: Sattva Knowledge City, HITEC City, Hyderabad, Telangana
Dates: January 22–24, 2027
Book: hydlitfest.org (Free entry; register via official site)
Exide Kolkata Literary Meet
A far-ranging series of conversations on literature, history, cinema and contemporary culture, the Kolkata Literary Meet brings books and ideas into the heart of the city. Its previous programme has included discussions with writers such as Jhumpa Lahiri and Banu Mushtaq, alongside sessions on translation, Bengali literature, humour and politics. The festival also runs the Junior Kolkata Literary Meet, making room for younger readers to join the conversation. Its 2026 programme featured an impressive roster, including Banu Mushtaq and Barbara Kingsolver. There were also conversations on Bengali cinema, translation, poetry and the legacy of Mahasweta Devi, alongside musical performances and a Junior Kolkata Literary Meet for younger readers.
Where: Alipore Museum, 16 Camac Street, Kolkata
Dates: January 23–27, 2027
Website: kolkatalitmeet.in (Free entry on a first-come basis)
Source: www.timeout.com
