Britain's What's On Event Guide
JLF London at the British Library returns from 5th – 7th June 2026
Evoking the spirit of the Jaipur Literature Festival, held annually in the city of Jaipur, JLF London at the British Library blends South Asia’s multilingual literary heritage with local flavour and context, in a unique celebration of books and ideas that champions diverse global perspectives and highlights our shared stories.
Transforming the British Library into a dynamic, cross-cultural space throughout the weekend, the festival will welcome a host of inspirational speakers for talks, debates, conversations, and performances, spanning poetry, theatre, cinema, art, food, history, AI, climate action and geopolitics.
The festival will feature key figures across politics, journalism, performance, and literature, including the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet; bestselling creator of The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Alexander McCall Smith; Booker-longlisted novelist Tash Aw; and eminent historian and critic Marina Warner; alongside distinguished voices such as Fredrik Logevall, Ali Eslami, and Richard Horton, bringing further depth through perspectives that cover the breadth of diplomacy, history, digital art, and global health.
The lineup also includes notable political commentator Bruno Maçães; renowned historians Anita Anand, Sarah Churchwell, and William Dalrymple; poet, playwright, writer and illustrator Nikita Gill; Gurnaik Johal, author of Saraswati, one of the most discussed debuts of 2025; and Tahmima Anam, critically acclaimed author of Uprising and The Startup Wife; alongside other leading South Asian and diaspora voices such as Abir Mukherjee, Jeet Thayil, Ruchir Joshi, and Sheena Kalayil – whose novel The Others was longlisted for the prestigious 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction – as well as Gopalkrishna Gandhi, author, former diplomat and administrator, and a grandson of Mahatma Gandhi.
Transforming the British Library into a dynamic, cross-cultural space throughout the weekend, the festival will welcome a host of inspirational speakers for talks, debates, conversations, and performances, spanning poetry, theatre, cinema, art, food, history, AI, climate action and geopolitics.
The festival will feature key figures across politics, journalism, performance, and literature, including the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet; bestselling creator of The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Alexander McCall Smith; Booker-longlisted novelist Tash Aw; and eminent historian and critic Marina Warner; alongside distinguished voices such as Fredrik Logevall, Ali Eslami, and Richard Horton, bringing further depth through perspectives that cover the breadth of diplomacy, history, digital art, and global health.
The lineup also includes notable political commentator Bruno Maçães; renowned historians Anita Anand, Sarah Churchwell, and William Dalrymple; poet, playwright, writer and illustrator Nikita Gill; Gurnaik Johal, author of Saraswati, one of the most discussed debuts of 2025; and Tahmima Anam, critically acclaimed author of Uprising and The Startup Wife; alongside other leading South Asian and diaspora voices such as Abir Mukherjee, Jeet Thayil, Ruchir Joshi, and Sheena Kalayil – whose novel The Others was longlisted for the prestigious 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction – as well as Gopalkrishna Gandhi, author, former diplomat and administrator, and a grandson of Mahatma Gandhi.
Fri 5 Jun to Sunday 7 June
The British Library, 96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB
10.30 – 18.30 - doors open at 10 amAttendees must be 16 +
Single day passes: £30
Weekend bundle pass: £54
Concessions available
Online streaming weekend pass: from £10
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