Jaipur Literature Festival
Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) is one of the world’s biggest annual literary events, held in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. It began in 2006, founded by writers Namita Gokhale and William Dalrymple, and runs for about five days in January or February. Each year it attracts around 500 participants and roughly 300,000 attendees from India and around the world.
The festival started at the Diggi Palace, a historic hotel in central Jaipur, with sessions in the Hall of Audience and the palace gardens. From 2022, JLF has been held at Hotel Clarks Amer in Jaipur, and by 2025 the move to this venue became permanent to accommodate its growing scale. It is organized by Teamwork Arts together with the Jaipur Virasat Foundation and is known for its open, inclusive spirit.
What to expect at JLF: a wide program of panel discussions, book launches, poetry readings, debates, music, and performances. Topics cover literature, art, poetry, film, religion, politics, environment, history, and culture. The festival welcomes readers of all ages and backgrounds and has become a gathering place for writers, scholars, artists, musicians, and thinkers.
Over the years, JLF has hosted many famous authors, including Salman Rushdie, Ian McEwan, J. M. Coetzee, Orhan Pamuk, and Shashi Tharoor, among others. The event has expanded beyond Diggi Palace, with sessions and activities taking place at multiple venues in Jaipur and occasionally in other cities and countries as satellite programs.
In some years, the festival has faced controversy, such as security concerns surrounding high-profile speakers. Despite challenges, JLF has continued to grow, offering hundreds of sessions and events each year, and even adapting to virtual formats when needed.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 20:45 (CET).