Colombo Literary Festival Opens as Sri Lanka’s First Trilingual Literary Celebration

The Colombo Literary Festival has opened as Sri Lanka's first trilingual literary event, bringing together literature, cinema, music, and cultural discussions from July 24 to 29 in Colombo.
on Jul 24, 2026

Colombo Literary Festival – A First Trilingual Literary Event in Sri Lanka

Today, the 24th of July, sees the inauguration of the inaugural Colombo Literary Festival (CLF), which will serve to mark an important event in Sri Lanka's literary and publishing circles. Taking place for six days till the 29th of July, the festival will convert Arcade Independence Square, Colombo 07 and Goethe-Institut to venues of literary activities, films, music and discussions.

While a typical book fair would not be the same, the Colombo Literary Festival is expected to make history as a trilingual literary event in which the Sinhala, Tamil and English literary worlds converge in one place. The initiative has been undertaken by Colombo Literary Festival (Pvt) Ltd., an effort spearheaded by five of the country's top publishing firms in order to promote reading and creativity.

There is going to be a wide array of events that include interviews of writers, panel discussions, book launches, literary exhibits, intellectual debates, and more about contemporary literature, publishing, and social issues. In addition to that, there will be a selection of books both local and international available at the festival.

Not only will the CLF be focused on literature, but also films and music events are included in order to diversify the experience. According to the organisers, the festival will help people appreciate literature better and link it with other art forms.

The first issue of the festival will be inaugurated by Indian author and MP Dr. Shashi Tharoor, who will be the chief guest at the event. Well known for his novels and books of both fictional and non-fictional writings, Dr. Tharoor’s presence reflects the global dimension of the festival.

The organising committee of this festival will be led by the president of Vidarshana Publishers, Mr. Janaka Inimankada. The members of the organising committee include leading figures from Sri Lanka’s publishing industry such as Sarasavi Bookshops, Samayawardhana Publishers, Expographic Books, and Darshana Marketing Enterprises.