Emirates Literature Festival 2023: 15th edition of Dubai festival draws in book lovers

The 15th edition of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, on its fourth day on Saturday, has book lovers thronging the venue as top authors give lectures and lead sessions for the 6-day festival.

The festival set to conclude on February 6, promises readers and non-readers an experiential delight more than ever before, the festival director Ahlam Bolooki said ahead of the opening on February 1.

Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the festival is one of the biggest celebration of stories in the Arab region and one of the top literary festivals in the world.

For the third year in a row, virtual sessions will be made available to watch online from the week after the Festival through the ‘Month of Reading,’ starting from 10 February 10 to March 31, 2023.

Emirati line-up: The line-up for 2023 features some of the most prominent speakers from the UAE’s cultural and creative sector such as Sheikha Latifa bint Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Mohamed Ahmed Al Murr, Omar Saif Ghobash, Dr Rafia Ghobash, Maisoon Saqr Al Qasmi, Dr Habib Al Attar, Dr Raja Al Gurg, Major Ali Al Suwaidi, Ali Al Saloom, Nujoom Al Ghanim and more.

Abras ferry speakers and audiences across Dubai Creek in Al Jadaf to enjoy the sessions and festival vibes at two venues, the Intercontinental at Festival City, and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library.

Bringing together more than 250 of the world’s greatest writers and thinkers in more than 300 events, the line-up features prominent names, many of whom are returning to Dubai as ‘old friends’, reflecting this year’s festival theme.

The line-up includes Brian Cox, Emmy-award winning patriarch of the hit streaming series Succession; master-storytellers Jeffrey Archer, Cecelia Ahern, Mohsin Hamid, and Alexander McCall Smith; Indian politician Shashi Tharoor; renowned religious commentator Reza Aslan, who will be in conversation with Omar Saif Ghobash; Malaysian journalist and activist Marina Mahathir; notable Bahraini poet Qasim Haddad; and Emirati author and poet Maisoon Saker Al Qassimi, the 2022 winner of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award.

Ticket prices start at Dh25. Also available are day-long, weekend, student and publishing day passes starting at Dh199. - as well as an all-access Crystal Pass with exclusive entry to the Green Room.

Members of the Festival Friends loyalty programme receive a 15 per cent discount on tickets and a range of additional benefits.

Attendees listening to Oliver Jeffers, visual artist and author working in painting, bookmaking, illustration, collage, performance and sculpture, at his session 'Meanwhile Back on Earth', at Emirates Airline Festival. of Literature at Intercontinental Hotel in Dubai. 3rd February. 2023.

The programme is believed to be one of the most diverse line-ups of any literary event in the world, representing almost 50 different nationalities including a strong representation of Filipino writers.