Daylong Lahore Literary Festival opens today

Author: Staff Report

LAHORE: The fifth edition of the annual Lahore Literary Festival (LLF) has been revised to a single day event.

It will now be hosted today (Saturday) at the Faletti’s Hotel.

The festival was originally supposed to be a three-day event that was due to held at the Alhamra Arts Council. Sources said that the schedule was reduced to two days due to security clearance issues, following which a schedule was put up on Thursday evening. Various newspapers began reporting a change in the venue from Alhamra to Avari Hotel, creating confusion among the public, which was further exacerbated due to the lack of response or official notification from the organisers of the LLF on their social media channels.

Finally, a notice on the LLF website has stated that the venue has been finalised at the Faletti’s Hotel and that it will only be a daylong event.

Meanwhile, LLF Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Razi Ahmed said, “We are certain that Lahoris will be thrilled with our latest edition.”

The LLF has become an important part of the cultural activity of the city and the event attracts tens of thousands of people from all over the province to the provincial metropolis every year.

Last year too, the venue had to be shifted from the Alhamra Arts Council to a nearby hotel due to security issues, which forced significant reduction in the number of sessions that could be conducted.

This year’s lineup includes Ahmed Rashid, Arfa Sayeda Zehra, Ayesha Jalal, Daniyal Mueenuddin, Dr Syed Adibul Hasan Rizvi, F S Aijazuddin, Hameed Haroon, Kamila Shamsie, Mohsin Hamid, Nayyar Ali Dada, Rameeza Nizami, Salima Hashmi, Sarmad Khoosat, Shabnam Ghosh, Syeda Saiyidain Hameed, Tahira Naqvi, Tehmina Durrani, Zehra Nigah, Alex von Tunzelmann, Anita Anand, Dwight Garner, Gillian Slovo, Jeff Koehler, Julie Tieke, Katie Hickman, Margaret MacMillan, Max Rodenbeck, Michael Palin, Molly Crabapple, Pippa Virdee, Salam Kawakibi, Simone Willie, Teju Cole, William Dalrymple, and more. The festival will start at 10am and will conclude at 7pm. Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis in the three halls.