George Town Literary Festival 2026

George Town Literary Festival 2026 — 27-29 November 2026

Cities are often treated as points on a map — defined by borders, skylines, and statistics. Yet they are also crossings: of languages and faiths, of labour and longing, of memory and possibility. A cosmopolis is not simply a large city or a polished global hub, but a lived condition where difference is ordinary and histories overlap.

Through literature, translation, history, and foodways, George Town Literary Festival 2026, with the theme Cosmopolises, asks how shared worlds are nonetheless made — with coexistence understood as a daily practice: unfinished, fragile, and profoundly human.

Explore the 2026 festival programme here. 

The free Festival Pass here allows entry to all general sessions.*

*Selected workshops are ticketed separately.

About GTLF:

The George Town Literary Festival (GTLF) is Malaysia’s leading international literary festival, held annually in the UNESCO World Heritage city of George Town, Penang. Founded in 2011, the festival is now organised by Penang Institute, a cultural and policy research organisation based in the heart of the city.

Over the years, GTLF has become one of Southeast Asia’s most respected platforms for literary exchange and the exploration of ideas. Its carefully curated programme of panel discussions, readings, lectures, workshops, and performances brings together writers, poets, and thinkers from around the world. Past speakers include International Booker Prize winner Jokha Alharthi, Man Booker Prize-shortlisted novelist Tan Twan Eng, and Malaysian National Laureate Muhammad Haji Salleh—reflecting the festival’s commitment to literary excellence and meaningful conversation.

In 2018, GTLF became the first literary festival in Southeast Asia to receive the Literary Festival Award at the London Book Fair International Excellence Awards, in recognition of its curatorial boldness and global reach.

Rooted in Penang’s multilingual and multicultural heritage, GTLF continues to offer a space where literature matters—where writers and readers meet in pursuit of imagination, dialogue, and shared understanding.

For more info visit www.georgetownlitfest.com