Love reading? Well, listen up then bookworms, because the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature is coming back to the UAE, albeit with a slightly different format.
In light of the global pandemic, this year – and for the first time ever – the Emirates Festival of Literature will run a mixture of virtual and in-person sessions with local and international authors.
The festival will be longer this year in order to prevent over-crowding. This year’s annual event will take place over three weekends rather than the usual two.
The first sessions will take place on January 29 and January 30 at Art Jameel, the second weekend (February 4 to February 6) will be held at InterContinental Dubai and the final sessions will be at Alserkal Avenue on February 12 and February 13.
The programme will feature authors from various genres including literature, art, science, current affairs, film and food.
Adult ticket prices for the sessions start from Dhs60, while a special virtual ticket costing Dhs100, will let you access all ten of the virtual sessions.
And for the little book-lovers in the family, there will be a special line-up of childrens’ writers with tickets starring from Dhs40.
A number of the sessions will also be live-streamed for anyone who is unable to attend.
There will be no live book signing sessions. Instead, you will be able to buy a pre-signed copy of the books you choose, and there will also be less seats across multiple locations in order to keep fair-goers safe.
Festival director for the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, Ahlam Bolooki, said: “The world has shifted since the 2020 Festival, and we have all been changed by the events of the last year. Although circumstances have meant that some of the usual elements of our Festival are not possible for 2021, we are thrilled to be able to stage live sessions again.
“I believe the programme we have curated captures the zeitgeist of the world at the moment. We’re looking forward to a better future, and a more hopeful, more accepting and more empathetic world. We all want to make more positive choices in our lives, while being entertained and having some fun. The New Year brings a new beginning. I hope it enables us all to ‘Change the Story’ for 2021, and our Festival to bring a big dose of optimism for the future.”
Tickets will be available from mid-January on www.emirateslitfest.com.
FromDhs60, Dhs100 (ten virtual sessions), from Dhs40 (kids). Jan 29-Jan30, Feb 4-Feb 6, Feb 12-Feb 13. www.emirateslitfest.com.
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