The Kerala Literature Festival (KLF) will return for its ninth edition from 22 to 25 January 2026, once again taking over the iconic Kozhikode beachfront, the city celebrated as India’s first UNESCO City of Literature. Over the years, the festival has grown into Asia’s largest and the world’s most attended literary festival, drawing lakhs of readers and hundreds of thinkers from across the globe.

KLF 2026 aims to build on this legacy with a programme that is wider, deeper, and more diverse. Over four days, the festival will host 400+ speakers, 250 sessions, seven parallel tracks, and participants from 15 countries. Days will be packed with conversations, and evenings will bring musical performances and cultural showcases on the open shores of Kozhikode.

The speaker list brings together a rare mix of global thinkers, from Nobel Laureates and Booker Prize winners to scientists, historians, filmmakers, and artists. Among the confirmed names are Abdulrazak Gurnah, Olga Tokarczuk, Abhijit Banerjee, Olympian Ben Johnson, corporate leader Indra Nooyi, artist Cheyenne Olivier, writer Gabriela Ybarra, economist Arvind Subramanian, linguist Peggy Mohan, columnist Shobhaa De, author-diplomat Amish Tripathi, actor-singer Piyush Mishra, curator Helen Molesworth, activist Banu Mushtaq, and journalist Deepa Bhasthi.

“KLF has become a meeting ground where literature lives alongside cinema, science, art, and social ideas. Every edition widens the conversation,” said Ravi Deecee, Chief Facilitator, Kerala Literature Festival.

A major highlight for 2026 is the participation of Germany as the Guest Nation. The presence is being led by the Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan, the German Consulate in Bangalore, and Goethe-Zentrum Trivandrum. Their programme will include a dedicated pavilion, a writing residency in Vagamon for German authors, and a creative writing workshop for young Malayalam writers.

“Germany shares a long cultural relationship with Kerala. At KLF 2026, we look forward to presenting our literature, arts, and creative cultures,” said Dr. Michael Heinst, Director, Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Bangalore.

The German pavilion will showcase contemporary literary and artistic expressions, while a large-scale light installation on Kozhikode Beach will symbolise the spirit of cross-cultural collaboration. Through talks, performances, and exhibitions, the Guest Nation will engage the festival audience in discussions on translation, art, creative industries, and shared cultural conversations.

KLF’s evenings are expected to be as vibrant as its daytime sessions, featuring fusion concerts, theatre performances, traditional art showcases, and cultural nights that highlight Kerala’s artistic identity. The beachfront setting, as always, will give the festival its signature warmth and openness.

“KLF stands for accessibility and openness. It connects ideas across languages and cultures, and keeps Kerala firmly on the global cultural map,” added Ravi Deecee.

With anticipation building, Kozhikode is preparing once again to welcome writers, artists, readers, and dreamers from around the world.