A Festival Pass gives you access to all events in the Hall de Galle and the Maritime Museum throughout the Festival. Check How To Buy Tickets page for more information.

A Day Pass gives you access to all events in the Hall de Galle and the Maritime Museum on Saturday 30 January. Check How To Buy Tickets page for more information.

Architect and heritage conservationist Ashely de Vos takes you on a walking tour of the Fort.

Good girls dress more conservatively than bad girls. The hero is better looking than the villain. Is there a formula? Kaveri Lalchand tells the story of her publishing house and its adventures in translating Indian pulp fiction.

We asked our Festival writers to give us opening lines for new stories. Hear how these stories were finished by aspiring writers. Poet Hasini Haputhanthri moderates and reads from her own work. FREE EVENT.

200 years ago a garden was planted in Peradeniya to be the grand tropical counterpart to Kew Gardens in London. Hear the extraordinary story of its growth. Siril Wijesundara, current Director General of the Botanical Gardens talks with Sarala Fernando.

Michelle de Kretser’s novels have always been marked by mystery. Come and hear her explain herself.

At the age of 18 Patrick Leigh Fermor walked from the Hook of Holland to Constantinople. Artemis Cooper relates her experiences as the official biographer of one of Britain’s greatest travel writers.

Channa Daswatte talks you through a series of architects’ houses and discusses the peculiar task that architects face when they design houses for themselves.

Learn the commandments of writing Pulp Fiction.

Enjoy an intimate lunch in a heritage home with Shyam Selvadurai!

Enjoy an intimate lunch in a heritage home with Jackie Kay!

Enjoy an intimate lunch in a heritage home with Mohammed Hanif!

Richard Boyle examines books by 19th and early 20th century British colonisers describing and promoting Ceylon to readers back home. FREE EVENT.

Claire Tomalin has told the stories of hidden women in history, Dora Jordan, mistress to the King, or Nelly Ternan, Charles Dickens’ dirty secret. Today she tells us why she chose these tales to tell.

Sarnath Banerjee lets us forget our homework and spend the afternoon reading comics.

Angela Petrella introduces you to the VOICE OF WITNESS series and ways to tell personal versions of public histories.

Michelle de Kretser, Shehan Karunatilaka, Mohammed Hanif and Jackie Kay tell us how they’ve enjoyed the company of the eccentrics, alcoholics and paranoid dictators in their novels.

Rajpal Abeynayake tells us what he dislikes about the Galle Literary Festival. And you get to ask the questions this time. Moderated by Sunila Galapatti, Director of the Galle Literary Festival this year.

Legend has it that in transporting curative herbs from the Himalayas to Lanka, the Monkey God Hanuman dropped a piece of mountain at Unawatuna. Ecologist and taxonomist Professor Samarakoon of Ruhuna University, leads you on a botanical tour of the Rumassalla hill, to discover the truth of the story.

Ian Rankin tells us how his most famous detective, John Rebus, came to be, and finally to retire.

Ru Freeman reads from her debut novel.

Salman Rushdie called Rana Dasgupta ‘the most unexpected and original Indian writer of his generation’. Come and hear from Rana in person.

The Chamber Music Society of Colombo returns to give you another magical concert, this time with a world premiere of a new composition completing the orchestra's cycle of works by resident composer Stephen Allen.

Join Claire Tomalin and Michael Frayn for a special literary dinner, created by chef by Peter Kuruvita.

Dine with Shyam Selvadurai in the courtyard of the Galle Fort Hotel.

Ian Rankin will make no speeches tonight, but would love you to join him for dinner.

Come let your hair down at the Jetwing Lighthouse Hotel! Bring a Festival ticket for admission and get there before the place fills up.