Jaipur Literature Festival 2026 kicks off with its Delhi Preview

December 18, New Delhi: The Jaipur Literature Festival, presented by Vedanta, widely regarded as the “greatest literary show on earth,” will return for its 19th edition from 15th to 19th January 2026 at Hotel Clarks Amer, Jaipur. Ahead of the Festival, Teamwork Arts, the producer’s of the Festival, hosted the Delhi Preview on December 17th 2025 at The Leela Palace, New Delhi, offering a glimpse of the Festival’s expansive programme and reaffirming its place as one of the world’s most influential platforms for ideas, dialogue, and cultural exchange.

The 19th edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival will bring together an extraordinary range of voices from across the world, featuring eminent thinkers, writers, artists, policymakers, and cultural leaders including Abhishek Singh, Ali Eslami, Alice Oswald, Alok Vaid-Menon, Anamika, Andrew Graham Dixon, Anne Applebaum, Anuradha Roy, Arvind Subramaniam, Banu Mushtaq, D. Y. Chandrachud, Edward Luce, Ella Al-Shamahi, Esther Duflo, Fara Dabhoiwala, Fintan O’Toole, Fredrik Logevall, Gaur Gopal Das, Gopal Krishna Gandhi, Janina Ramirez, Javed Akhtar, Jimmy Wales, Kiran Desai, Leo Varadkar, Maharaja Gaj Singh, Marcia Langton, Megha Majumdar, Nicholas Stern, Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, Percival Everett, Rachel Clarke, Richard Flanagan, Richard Horton, Shikhar Dhawan, Stephen Fry, Sudha Murty, Tanya Talaga, Tim Berners-Lee, Tom Freston, Ussama Makdisi, Vir Das, Vishwanathan Anand, William Sieghart, Yoshitoki Ōima, and many others, making it a truly global celebration of ideas, literature, and dialogue.

Inclusivity lies at the heart of the Jaipur Literature Festival’s ethos, reinforcing this commitment through sign language interpretation, ensuring wider accessibility and a truly inclusive experience for all audiences, in collaboration with Nupur Sansthan. Running alongside the Festival, Jaipur BookMark, South Asia’s leading publishing conclave, marks its 13th edition with a focus on Marathi Language, translations, emerging storytelling innovations, and the evolving role of artificial intelligence in publishing, with The Royal Norwegian Embassy as its Country Partner. Jaipur BookMark continues its joint initiative with the British Council: the India – UK Publishing Fellowship, that aims to deepen professional collaboration and expand global exposure for independent publishers. The Tamil Nadu Textbook Bureau, Sage Publications, and The Department of Marathi Language, Government of Maharashtra, join Jaipur BookMark as Session Partners.

Extending the Festival’s cultural canvas, Jaipur Music Stage returns from 15th to 17th January 2026, presenting a dynamic line-up of contemporary musicians and genre-blending performances, and continues to be one of India’s most anticipated live music platforms within a literary festival. The preview also featured Nizami Bandhu—renowned Qawwali singers from the Sikandra Gharana, carrying forward a four-century-old tradition as Darbari singers of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia and Hazrat Amir Khusro.

Speaking about the Festival, William Dalrymple, Co-Founder and Festival Co-Director, said, “The Jaipur Literature Festival has, from its inception, stood at the confluence of literary brilliance, great scholarship, and the most exciting currents of human thought from around the globe; and we have always presented these ingredients with passion, wit and flair. Each year we try to throw open a wider window onto the world, but the 2026 edition may well be our most ambitious yet. We are bringing together some of the finest minds on the planet—Nobel laureates, pioneering scientists and ground-breaking historians, philosophers and novelists, poets and performers, in a spirit of genuine intellectual encounter. We are throwing all these fabulous elements into a Jaipuri crucible where they mix and bubble and ferment. What excites me most is the extraordinary range of dialogues and conversations that will unfold. From reimagined classics and urgent debates on geopolitics and AI, to luminous poetry, bold new fiction and groundbreaking developments in the humanities. Jaipur Literature Festival has always celebrated the many ways in which words shape our understanding of the world in all its diversity, and this year, more than ever, audiences will encounter the kind of breadth, depth, and wonder that has made the festival such a unique global phenomenon, universally acknowledged to be the greatest gathering of writers in the world.”

Namita Gokhale, Co-Founder and Festival Co-Director, added, “The Jaipur Literature Festival is an annual pilgrimage for lovers of literature. We live in a moment of liminal change, and our 2026 edition will explore our world through the lens and perspectives of the arts and the sciences, books and ideas, debate and dialogue,  poetry and fiction, the creative imagination and the dreaming mind.“

Sanjoy K. Roy, Managing Director, Teamwork Arts, said, “The Jaipur Literature Festival has grown into a global platform rooted in openness and exchange. By bringing together voices from different disciplines, geographies, and perspectives, the Festival creates space for conversations that are both timely and timeless.”

Preeta Singh, President, Teamwork Arts, said, “As we celebrate 19 years of the Jaipur Literature Festival, we extend our sincere gratitude to all our partners, especially Vedanta for being our presenting partner, whose continued support and collaboration have been integral to the Festival’s success.

We are pleased to be supported by the Infosys Foundation and the MSF Foundation and have HSBC as the FOF Lounge Partner; HUL Taj Tea as the Official Tea Partner; the Planet Wheeler Foundation as the Session Series Partner; Vedica as the Official Hydration Partner; and Rajasthan Tourism as the Tourism Partner. New partnerships this year include Groww; First India News as the Presenting Partner for the Jaipur Music Stage; Pocket FM; Prestige Group; The Observer; and Shrewsbury International School. Our media partners: Business Standard; Dainik Bhaskar; Sakal; iNext; Punjab Kesari; and Jio News, continue to play a vital role in amplifying the Festival’s reach and impact.”

Ms Anjali Mehra, Executive Vice President, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts, remarked, At The Leela, we believe that true luxury lies not only in beautiful surroundings, but in the richness of conversation, in fostering creativity, and nurturing meaningful dialogue. We are delighted to associate with the Jaipur Literature Festival once again this year, and we are honoured to support a festival that continues to inspire curiosity, challenge perspectives, and bring together voices from across the world. It is a true privilege to be one of the partners of this event to support and celebrate the passion and the spirit that resonates with our discerning guests.”