Shillong Literary Festival set to open amid cherry blossoms at Ward’s Lake
Against the backdrop of Shillong’s cherry blossoms, the sixth Shillong Literary Festival will bring together writers, thinkers, artists and readers from November 12-14 at Ward’s Lake. The three-day festival will feature literature, storytelling, dialogue, music and performances, alongside cultural and culinary experiences showcasing Meghalaya’s rich Khasi, Jaintia and Garo traditions.
In a press statement, the organisers say that the festival has grown into a significant cultural platform, creating spaces for conversations between regional thinkers, writers and international literary figures while exploring the relationship between literature, culture and society.
Ahead of the sixth edition, the festival has introduced First Bloom: Discovering New Writing from the Northeast, an initiative to identify and encourage emerging fiction and narrative non-fiction writers from across the region. The initiative offers a total prize pool of INR 75,000, with INR 50,000 for the winner and INR 25,000 for the runner-up, providing new writers an opportunity to reach wider audiences.
The three-day festival will once again transform the city into what has often been described as the ‘Kyoto of the West’
As part of its pre-festival programming, two workshops on career prospects in literature will be held on October 26 at the State Convention Centre in Shillong.
(who is???) Kanishka Gupta will lead the morning session from 10:30 to 12:00, while writers Mitra Phukan and Lalnunsanga Ralte will feature in the afternoon session from 15:00 to 17:00. Each workshop will have 100 seats, with registrations available on a first-come, first-served basis.
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The 2026 edition follows a prelude held earlier this year at Bikaner House in New Delhi, featuring veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah, 2026 Pulitzer Prize winner Suparna Sharma and veteran journalist Shekhar Gupta. The prelude expanded the festival’s cultural footprint beyond Meghalaya and strengthened its engagement with the wider literary, media and creative community.
According to the statement, the festival will bring together rich folklore of Meghalaya and storytelling traditions with contemporary Indian and global narratives. Over the years, the event has hosted authors including Banu Mushtaq, Vikram Seth, Shobhaa De, Shehan Karunatilaka and Francesc Miralles. Shobhaa De has described the festival as the prettiest lit fest ever, referring to its distinctive setting and connection with Shillong’s cultural and natural landscape.
Building on more than 13,000 visitors recorded at last year’s edition, the upcoming festival will also offer cultural and culinary experiences alongside its literary programme. Live music performances by artists from the Chief Minister’s Meghalaya Grassroots Music Program (CM-MGMP) will take place every evening, while food stalls will showcase local culinary talent and Meghalaya’s diverse food culture.
The statement adds that the festival will contribute to Meghalaya’s wider efforts to strengthen its creative economy and cultural tourism by creating opportunities for writers, artists, performers, local entrepreneurs and audiences to engage through a shared platform.
