The third edition of the Wayanad Literature Festival (WLF), India's first and largest rurally held literature festival, will be held at Dwaraka, Mananthavady, from December 20 to 23, 2026, organisers announced.
The biennial festival, which debuted in 2022, was inaugurated by former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, bringing together over a hundred speakers and 20,000 attendees. By 2024, participation had expanded to over 400 speakers with attendance crossing 110,000, while festival content reached nearly 70 million people online. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated the 2024 edition.
The WLF organising committee comprises representatives from various sections of Wayanad, with 260 public libraries across the district serving as community partners.
“A literature festival in a remote agrarian landscape—one without railways or airports or proximity to big city centres—draws its strength from the community itself. By default, it becomes more grounded and more life-giving; it becomes a celebration of ordinary people—their resilience, expression, and need for representation,” said WLF founder and director Dr Vinod K Jose, at a press conference in Kalpetta.
Besides literary sessions, the festival will feature an international academic conference, film festival, book fair, food fair, farmers' market, heritage walks, arts and crafts fair, children's arena, masterclasses, literary quiz and the Best College Magazine Award.
Senior journalist and curator Leena Gita Reghunath said the affection the festival had received reflected its independence, quality of programming and commitment to meaningful public discourse. Curator VH Nishad added that WLF has evolved into a major cultural gathering through the participation of people from diverse communities. He also said that signature events such as the Heritage Walk and Campfire Readings distinguished it from other literature festivals.
The festival has previously hosted prominent personalities including Arundhati Roy, Justice Jasti Chelameshwar, Adv Shyam Divan, Christophe Jaffrelot, John Keay, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Prakash Raj, Basil Joseph, K Satchidanandan, M Mukundan, NS Madhavan, KR Meera, Benyamin, Santhosh George Kulangara, PC Musthafa, Amitava Kumar and S Hareesh, among others.
The list of speakers for the 2026 edition will be announced in the coming months.
Early bird delegate passes are priced at Rs 799, while day tickets for adults cost Rs 50 and can be purchased through the festival website.
