Emirates Airline Festival of Literature

“At the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, we bring people of all ages and backgrounds together with authors from across the world to promote education, debate and above all else, love of reading and writing.”

Isobel Abulhoul OBE

CEO and Trustee of the Emirates Literature Foundation and Director of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature

The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature is the Arab World’s largest celebration of the written and spoken word.

Launched in 2009 with 65 authors, the Festival has grown continually and, in 2018, hosted over 180 authors from 50 countries to entertain and educate 41,000 visitors.

The Festival places home-grown talent centre-stage and offers local fans the chance to interact with world famous authors, attend literary debates and workshops and participate in competitions. The Festival’s education outreach programme gives students the chance to meet their literary heroes.

The 2019 Festival will be held from 1-9 March, 2019 at the InterContinental, Dubai Festival City under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and in partnership with Emirates Airline and the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated authority for culture, arts, and heritage.

The Festival is organised by the Emirates Literature Foundation, which was established by Royal Decree in 2013.