Singapore Writers Festival 2026

The Singapore Writers Festival, one of Asia's premier literary events, started in 1986 as a biennial festival. Now organised by Arts House Group, SWF is a highly anticipated event on the cultural calendar, presenting the world's major literary talents to Singaporeans while shining a spotlight on homegrown and Southeast Asian creative talents.

Over the years, the Festival has evolved into a vibrant gathering for writers, academics, and thinkers, offering a diverse array of panel discussions, workshops, lectures, and performances. It has featured literary luminaries such as two-time Booker Prize winner Margaret Atwood, Whitbread First Novel Award winner Zadie Smith, British Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, Nebula Award winner Ted Chiang, and Lambda Literary Award winner Roxane Gay.

The Singapore Writers Festival is one of the few multi-lingual literary festivals in the world, celebrating the written and spoken word in Singapore's official languages – English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil.