The Galle Literary Festival 2025: A Cultural Journey in Sri Lanka

What is the Galle Literary Festival 2025

The Galle Literary Festival is a 4-day event that takes place around the same time every year and is must if you love nothing more than losing yourself in the pages of a good book. What’s more, it takes place in beautiful Sri Lanka! Set within the ancient colonial walls of Galle’s Dutch Fort, the festival is packed full of talks and discussions led by world-renowned authors and speakers from the literary world. The setting is as special as the talks themselves, plus, over recent years the festival has expanded to feature cookery exhibitions, live music performances, stand-up comedy and even art trails around the city. So, there’s plenty for everyone!

When is the Galle Literary Festival 2025?

Mark your calendars for February 6th to February 9th, 2025. Over these four days, the colonial city of Galle on the southwest coast of Sri Lanka transforms into a real haven for bookworms. You might be a keen literary enthusiast or perhaps you just love nothing more than immersing yourself in local events when you travel – either way, this celebration of culture and creativity is one for your diary. It’s come a long way since the first-ever festival back in 2005, with 2025 marking the 12th year of the festival put on by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, and every year it gets bigger and better. The lineup of authors and speakers for 2025 is looking to be a good one! If you’ve got your heart set on an early 2025 Sri Lanka holiday though, get in touch with our experts soon as the best hotels will be snapped up quickly. 

A note from Rebecca, HA Sri Lanka expert

“If you can time your visit to Sri Lanka to coincide with the Galle Literary Festival, I’d hugely recommend it! Galle always has a lovely buzz about it – it’s one of my favourite spots in Sri Lanka for that reason – but it really comes to life on another level over the festival. Stroll down the cobblestone streets filled with authors, poets and great thinkers from all around the world. Listen to readings, join in discussions, and even share a cup of Sri Lankan tea with your favourite author if you’re lucky! The event gets better every single year and the talks are always brilliant. What’s more, this year it’s perfectly coinciding with the second Gourmet Galle food festival!” Rebecca, HA Sri Lanka expert

If you fancy timing your Sri Lanka holiday to coincide with the Galle Literary Festival 2025, we’re here to help! Our Sri Lanka experts, Rebecca and Lisa, are ready and waiting to design a holiday that’s perfect for you. Get in touch today.

What’s the lineup for the Galle Literary Festival 2025?

Boasting a status as the ‘author’s favourite’ literary festival, some star appearances are already signed up including Sunday Times bestseller, Sathnam Sanhera, British TV presenter and endurance athlete, Louise Minchin and two winners of the International Booker Prize 2024; Jenny Erpenbeck and Michael Hoffman. 

Here’s a full list of current confirmed speakers at the Galle Literary Festival 2025:

Ravinder Bhogal, Saraid de Silva, Saba Douglas-Hamilton, Jenny Erpenbeck, Afua Hirsch, Michael Hofmann, Sunela Jayewardene, Ramya Jirasinghe, Helen Macdonald, Sharanya Manivannan, Louise Minchin, Greg Mosse, Kate Mosse CBE, Dr Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, Devdutt Pattanaik, Sashi Perera, Aube Rey Lescure, Dr Adam Rutherford, Razeen Sally, Philippe Sands, Sathnam Sanghera, Shyam Selvadurai.  

We have no doubt that the lineup will grow as the festival approaches, so keep an eye on galleliteraryfestival.com for all of the up-to-date information you need. 

How to book tickets for the Galle Literary Festival 2025?

Tickets will be available to purchase online later this year. As always with an HA holiday though, chat to your expert about it all and we can make the arrangements for you. 

The Galle Literary Festival isn’t all there is to tempt you with a Sri Lanka holiday early next year though… there’s the second-ever Gourmet Galle food festival too… 

Gourmet Galle: Sri Lanka’s 8-week food festival

If you ask any of us about food here on team HA, you’ll be there a while. We’re huge foodies and don’t take the subject lightly. So, trust us when we say, Sri Lanka’s food scene deserves to be celebrated.

And, it’s finally getting the recognition it deserves! After the huge success of the inaugural Gourmet Galle festival earlier this year, the tasty extravaganza is returning for round two in 2025.

Between January 17th and March 9th 2025, Sri Lanka’s south coast will be transformed into even more of a foodie heaven than it normally is. The first ever ‘Gourmet Galle’ food festival earlier this year was packed full of masterclasses and dinners hosted by world-renowned chefs from all over the globe and next year’s festival is set to be just as tantalising. What’s more, the events take place in some of our favourite hotels along the south coast (like KK Beach in Habaraduwa and Fort Printers nestled within the walls of Galle Fort.) 

Gourmet Galle 2024 featured star chefs such as Mark Hix, James Lowe and Paul Flynn all sharing their top tips and skills in masterclasses and cooked up some unforgettable dinners for tourists and locals alike. The line-up for 2025 is yet to be confirmed, but keep an eye out – we know we will… our stomachs are rumbling already. 

Exploring Galle beyond the festivities 

Without doubt, these festivals are a must if you’re able to time your Sri Lanka holiday for the start of the year. But beyond the festivals, Galle is a real treat of a city to explore. Wander around the ancient streets of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Galle Fort, and don’t miss a stroll along the fort walls as the sun sets – the perfect time of day to get a snap of the iconic lighthouse. There are countless bars, restaurants, coffee shops and quirky art studios to explore in the city itself, and when you’re ready to venture further afield – a short tuk tuk drive away will see you walking on the most beautiful white sand beaches (with plenty of them to choose from!). 

Why visit Galle Literary Festival 2025 on your Sri Lanka holiday?

Our clients trust us with their holidays because, ultimately, they know what we offer is so much more than that. We offer a seamless, stress-free experience that’s completely tailored to your tastes by your very own specialist. Our experts have spent so much time exploring every corner of Sri Lanka, digging out the best hotels, locations and experiences for you. We love nothing more than seeking out those special touches that give you a real insight into the culture of where you’re visiting – and the Galle Literary Festival does just that.

Browse our selection of Sri Lanka holiday itineraries to get an idea of what might be possible, and then give our experts a call to get your adventure plans started today.