Taif To Host Third Edition Of Writers And Readers Festival 2026 Celebrating Literature And Culture

The Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission is preparing a wide cultural programme that puts writers and readers at the centre of activity, using the Writers and Readers Festival in Taif as a key platform to highlight their role in Saudi Arabia’s creative life and to expand opportunities for cultural participation across generations.

The third edition of the Writers and Readers Festival will take place at Arruddaf Park in Taif from January 9 to 15, 2026, offering visitors a week-long programme that brings together cultural activities and entertainment in one location designed for families, students and literature enthusiasts of different ages.

The festival presents an integrated experience that blends education, creativity and leisure, with live performances, interactive sessions and cultural hospitality elements that combine intellectual content with entertainment, giving visitors a chance to explore literature, music and artistic expression within one coherent programme.

Organisers are designing the event as a dynamic meeting space for writers and readers of all ages, using a contemporary approach that respects Saudi Arabia’s literary heritage while engaging with modern cultural trends, so that participants can enjoy accessible events while also encountering deeper discussions on books, knowledge and creativity.

The choice of Taif as host city reflects its status as a UNESCO Creative City and the first city in the Kingdom to be recognised as a Creative City of Literature, a designation that highlights Taif’s long-standing literary influence and its continuing role in the cultural memory of Saudi readers and writers.

The Writers and Readers Festival programme includes meetings, open literary dialogues and discussion circles that create a platform for exchanging experience and ideas, supporting the wider literary scene and giving both established and emerging voices a space to present work, debate issues and build professional networks within the cultural sector.

Children and adolescents will find dedicated activities that introduce books through play, storytelling and creative workshops, with content that encourages an early relationship with reading, combines enjoyment with learning and supports youth engagement with literature in ways that feel relevant to daily life and contemporary interests.

This third edition of the Writers and Readers Festival comes as cultural activity expands across the Kingdom, and the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission uses the event in Taif to strengthen the cultural sector, emphasise the importance of writers and readers in the production of knowledge, and link the authenticity of place with modern cultural experience.

With inputs from SPA