Emirates Airline Festival of Literature

The UAE’s biggest and best literary event is back at the newly renovated InterContinental Dubai Festival City, with the usual cornucopia of writers, creators and thought leaders – a total of around 150 events. That’s slightly fewer than usual, and the festival is a day shorter than last year; there’s still the usual favourites (Desert Stanzas, LitFest After Hours, Discovery Talks, the LitFest Families programme) running alongside the busy schedule of author talks and panels.

Big-name authors this time include Abraham Verghese, Hala Gorani, Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket), Chigozie Obioma, Abdel Illah Benarafa, poet and author Khalid Albudoor, and the celebrated Palestinian chef and cookbook author Fadi Kattan.

“Global conversations around identity and culture have never been more crucial,” said LitFest director Ahlam Bolooki, “and we are honoured to welcome literary icons from across the globe whose works speak to the heart of these issues … Now, more than ever, we need stories that connect us to our shared humanity, and the Emirates LitFest is where those stories happen”.

The full programme is here, including prices. The days usually start at 10am and most sessions should be done by 6pm, though a few don’t start till 7 or 8pm.