Literary moments: Emirates LitFest 2025 in pictures

Six-day event at Dubai Festival City featuring top global and local writers

Last updated: January 31, 2025 | 17:45

2 MIN READ

The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, one of the world’s leading literary events, opened with a dynamic first weekend that is set to entertain, energise and enthuse audiences with a host of unique sessions featuring some of the biggest literary figures in the UAE and from across the globe.

Virendra Saklani/Gulf News

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The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature is the Arab World's largest celebration of the written and spoken word, featuring international and regional writers, poets, thinkers, and speakers worldwide.

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Students Mahveen and Salma on the opening day of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature 2025.

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Children take part during a session. The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature is a cornerstone of Dubai's cultural landscape, bringing together people worldwide and transforming this vibrant city into a hub of stories and ideas.

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Over the last 15 years, more than 2000 authors from over one hundred countries have spoken at the Festival.

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The Festival reached more than 380,000 people, in person and via live streaming.

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Participants during the Youth ambassadors programme.

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The Festival aims to develop a culture of reading as an enjoyable habit in the UAE, and its efforts have been recognised through many awards over the years.

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It celebrates the power of literature and its unique ability to bridge cultures and diverse perspectives, reminding us of our shared humanity.

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Over the years, the Festival has championed the joy of reading and a love of books, serving as a launchpad for local authors on the global stage.

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The Emirates LitFest brings some of the biggest and brightest names from across the creative world to the UAE so audiences can meet the people behind their favourite stories.

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Visitors take a selfie after a session.

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