Sri Lanka’s first international literary festival to provide equal space for all three languages - Sinhala, Tamil and English. The “Colombo Literary Festival 2026”, which aims to take the country’s literary and cultural arts to a new dimension, officially commenced yesterday morning (24).
The festival was inaugurated under the patronage of Minister of Health and Mass Media Dr Nalinda Jayatissa, renowned Indian politician and author Dr Shashi Tharoor, and Colombo Mayor Vraie Cally Balthazaar.
The Organising Committee has made arrangements to hold the festival from yesterday (July 24) until July 29, from 9.00 a.m. to 9.00 p.m. daily, at the Arcade Independence Square in Colombo.
Minister Dr Nalinda Jayatissa said the literary festival marks a significant milestone in a journey that integrates literature into Sri Lanka’s national identity, while offering an opportunity to witness a period in which the country could achieve greater heights in the future.
Noting that countries around the world seek to establish and strengthen their identities through various fields, the Minister commended the initiative to pursue a similar approach through literature.
He said the festival would provide a platform for people of all ages to discuss and explore literature from different perspectives in all three languages.
Organised as Sri Lanka’s first international trilingual literary festival, the event accords equal recognition and space to Sinhala, Tamil and English, bringing together local and international writers, poets, critics, academics, filmmakers, artists and readers on a single platform.
A wide range of events has been organised during the six-day festival, including literary discussions, book launches, creative workshops, film screenings, cultural programmes, musical performances and book fairs.
The festival is open to readers of all ages, students, creative professionals and everyone with a passion for literature.
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