“The World's No. 1
Literary Festival”
Harper’s Bazaar
GLF 2025 is delighted to welcome much-loved previous participants and attendees, as well as new authors and creatives from around the globe, to our corner of Sri Lanka, from 6th – 9th February.
Since its launch in 2007, The Galle Literary Festival has become one of the most anticipated arts-focused events in South Asia, hosting a wide variety of talks, workshops and exhibitions in a wonderfully intimate setting.
The Festival champions the work of writers and poets, as well as giving space to painters, photographers as part of the Art Trail. A new addition, Gourmet Galle’s series of events showcases top chefs and flavoursome Sri Lankan cuisine. Lively literary lunches and dinners, hosted by fascinating speakers in characterful houses, hotels and restaurants, have long been a Festival highlight.
Held largely within the walls of the centuries-old Galle Fort, the Festival has a strong sense of community at its heart. A UNESCO World Heritage Site on Sri Lanka’s southern coast, the Fort was first built by the Portuguese and later extended by the Dutch and British. Now home to one of the island’s most diverse communities, Galle Fort’s cobbled streets, hotels and terracotta-roofed houses generously invite local and international visitors to gather for a long weekend intended to inspire, educate and entertain.