Indian MP and renowned author Shashi Tharoor joined the launch of the Colombo Literary Festival 2026 in Colombo on Friday (24), as Sri Lanka officially opened what organisers describe as the country’s first international trilingual literary festival.
Tharoor attended the opening ceremony at the Arcade Independence Square alongside Health and Mass Media Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, Colombo Mayor Vraîe Cally Balthazaar, Festival Director Pradeep Samaranayake and representatives of the local literary community.
The six-day festival, running from July 24 to 29, gives equal prominence to Sinhala, Tamil and English and brings together local and international writers, poets, critics, academics, filmmakers, artists and readers.
The programme includes literary discussions, book launches, creative workshops, film screenings, cultural events, musical performances and book exhibitions. The festival will be open daily from 9.00 am to 9.00 pm at the Arcade Independence Square.
Speaking at the launch, Minister Jayatissa described the festival as an important milestone in taking Sri Lanka’s identity to the world through literature.
He said the trilingual platform would create opportunities for people of all ages to engage with and study literature from different perspectives.
Organised by Colombo Literary Festival (Pvt) Ltd with the involvement of five leading Sri Lankan publishing houses, the festival aims to go beyond a conventional book exhibition by providing equal space for all three languages and promoting Sri Lankan literature internationally.
Organisers said the festival is open to readers, students, creators and literature enthusiasts of all ages. (Newswire)
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