Venue
Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur, Rajasthan 302018, India
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Jaipur Literature Festival guide
Five days of open talks in Jaipur.
In short
Readers and students can attend the 20th Jaipur Literature Festival from Thursday 14 to Monday 18 January 2027 at Hotel Clarks Amer. Global bestselling authors share stages with writers in Indian languages, while publishers and agents meet alongside. Sessions can be crowded, so arrive early for popular talks and book accommodation well ahead.
The Jaipur Literature Festival brings novelists, historians, poets, economists and the occasional Nobel laureate to the Rajasthani capital each winter for five days of open conversation. It started in 2006 with roughly a hundred people in the audience; two decades on, it counts as one of India's largest literary gatherings.
Its pull lies in the mix. Global bestsellers share stages with writers working in Indian languages, and a student can find a seat a few rows from an author they have studied for years. Alongside the public tents, publishers, agents and translators meet to do deals, so the week matters to the book trade as much as to readers.
It has never been purely polite. In 2012 Salman Rushdie cancelled his appearance after threats, and four authors who read from The Satanic Verses left the city on official advice. Argument remains part of the appeal, and every edition still closes with a full-blooded debate.
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Key Facts & Stats:
Ends: Monday, 18 January 2027
Where: Jaipur, India
Venue: Hotel Clarks Amer
Held: Every year
Type of event: Live Events, Cultural Events, Arts Festivals
Currency: Indian rupee (₹ INR)
Time zone: UTC+5:30 (IST), no daylight saving
Language: Hindi, Rajasthani; English widely used in tourism
Map
Getting around
Hotels near the venue fill up around the event dates.
E-pass and photo ID checks at the entrance
Entry is checked against your registration, so bring two things every day: the e-pass on your phone (with a screenshot saved offline) and the photo ID that matches the name you registered under. Student rates only apply with a valid student card shown on arrival.
- Gates get slow mid morning on Friday, Saturday and Sunday; arriving early saves a long wait.
- Friend of the Festival holders have a separate priority entrance and lounge.
Unreserved seating and busy sessions
Seats in the tents are unnumbered and first come, first served, and audiences drift freely from one talk to the next. When a big name is on, the crowd can stand several people deep around the seating, so take your place one session ahead if a talk really matters to you.
Leaving a weak session is normal and nobody takes offence. Keep aisles clear for the volunteers, who wear magenta waistcoats and are the people to ask when you are lost between stages.
Clothing for cool mornings and a meeting point
Jaipur's January days are pleasant, but mornings and nights turn chilly and early haze is common. Dress in light layers you can peel off by noon, wear comfortable shoes and pack sunglasses and lip balm for the dry air.
- Mobile networks can struggle when crowds are large, so fix a meeting point inside the venue with your group.
- A power bank is worth its weight; you will use your phone for the programme, the pass and rides home.
- Carry a little cash for snacks and books in case card machines falter.
What happens on the day
- Each morning
Morning raga
The three largest tents open with music before the first talks.
- Day 1
Inaugural address
The opening morning brings the festival's formal start on the Front Lawn.
- Daytime
Sessions in parallel
The big stages host around nine sessions each, and up to seven conversations run at once across the site.
- Evenings
Jaipur Music Stage
Concerts by Indian and international musicians, sold separately from the talks.
- Final afternoon
Closing debate
The festival ends with a grand debate in front of the biggest crowd of the week.
Registering online and choosing where to stay
Nobody walks into JLF unannounced. Registration is compulsory even for the general sessions that cost nothing, and it happens online through the festival website, which sends you an e-pass. Use exactly the name on your photo ID, because the two are matched at the gate. Students get reduced rates with a valid student card, and the Friend of the Festival pass buys lounge access, priority entry and meals for those who want a calmer week. Evening concerts on the Jaipur Music Stage are sold separately, so buy those as their own tickets.
Most people do two or three festival days and give one afternoon to the city itself. Our Jaipur page is a good starting point for that spare afternoon.
How the festival grew from a hundred listeners in 2006
The first edition in 2006 drew about a hundred people. Writers Namita Gokhale and William Dalrymple, who still co-direct it, built the programme with Teamwork Arts, whose managing director Sanjoy K. Roy produces it. Growth came fast. By 2008 the crowd had reached around 2,500, and two years later it was close to 30,000. For years its home was Diggi Palace in central Jaipur, before the festival moved to Hotel Clarks Amer.
Twenty years on, the organisers count more than 8,000 speakers and over five million visitors on the ground. The 2026 programme alone ran to over 350 speakers across six venues. Languages are central to the mix. The 2027 edition adds Bhasha Swarmala, a series honouring India's languages, with sessions planned in ten Indian languages, from Assamese to Manipuri, alongside English.
Early names announced for 2027 include the Nobel laureates Esther Duflo and Olga Tokarczuk, Geetanjali Shree and Lyse Doucet. Behind the public tents, the Jaipur BookMark forum gathers publishers, agents and translators to do business. The festival has also travelled, with more than 15 editions abroad, from the United States to Ireland.
Getting there
Flying in
Jaipur International Airport is in Sanganer, a short taxi ride from the venue. From Bangladesh, fly to Delhi (Dhaka to New Delhi flights) and connect; from South-East Asia see Bangkok to Delhi flights.
From Delhi by train
Vande Bharat and Shatabdi services are the favourites. The 06:05 Shatabdi from New Delhi reaches Jaipur at 10:30, early enough for the afternoon sessions. The main station, Jaipur Junction, is about 12 km from the venue.
From Delhi by road
Under four hours by car on National Highway 8; buses take six to seven.
In the city
Uber and Ola work well and are easiest at night. Book 10 to 15 minutes earlier than feels necessary when sessions empty out. Auto-rickshaws handle short hops: agree an all-in fare first, or use the prepaid counters at the railway station and Sindhi Camp bus stand.
Where to stay during the festival
Hotels across Jaipur fill and raise prices for festival week. Staying close to Hotel Clarks Amer makes early sessions easy and lets you slip back for a rest between talks, which suits families and older visitors.
A central address works better if your evenings are for dinners and shopping. Heritage stays in the old Pink City have the most character, but traffic and narrow lanes add time to every trip. Delhi is the usual first or last night for international visitors.
Jaipur
Rambagh Palace5-star hotel
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from$827.00/ night
- Free WiFi
- Airport shuttle
- Swimming pool
5 Rooms available
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Delhi
The Imperial, New Delhi5-star hotel
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from$358.00/ night
- Free WiFi
- Airport shuttle
- Swimming pool
3 Rooms available
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Weather and what to pack
January is Jaipur's coolest month: sunny days and cold nights. On the 1991-2020 normals for Jaipur International Airport, it averages a high of 22.5°C and a low of 8.4°C, with almost no rain (about 6 mm, less than one rainy day). The record low is -2.2°C.
Mornings in the open tents can be chilly, and the evening concerts colder still, while midday sun on the lawns is warm.
Worth packing
- Warm layers for early sessions and evening concerts
- A shawl or light jacket you can take off at midday
- Sunglasses and sunscreen for the lawns
- Photo ID matching your registration
- A notebook and a pen for signings
- Comfortable shoes for moving between venues
Car hire in Jaipur
Airport transfer to Jaipur Literature Festival
Met at arrivals at Jaipur International Airport (JAI) and driven door to door to Hotel Clarks Amer.
- Jaipur International Airport (JAI) → Hotel Clarks Amer
- 6 km · 10 min
Restaurants and food in India
Places to eat in India before or after the celebrations.
1135 AD
Level 2, Jaleb Chowk, Amer Palace, near Sheela Mata Temple, Amer, Jaipur 302002, India
Cuisine:RajasthaniMughlai
- Dine-in
- Private room
Karavalli
Vivanta Bengaluru Residency Road (formerly The Gateway Hotel), 66 Residency Road, Ashok Nagar, Bengaluru 560025, India
Cuisine:South Indian coastalKerala
- Dine-in
Karim's
Gali Kababian, near Jama Masjid, Old Delhi, Delhi 110006, India
Cuisine:MughlaiNorth Indian
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
Indian Accent
The Lodhi, Lodhi Road, New Delhi 110003, India
Cuisine:Modern IndianTasting menu
- Dine-in
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
General
20 Years of Ideas. Stories. Conversations. The anniversary edition looks back over two decades of the festival while adding new speakers and a strand devoted to India's languages.
At Hotel Clarks Amer on Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, opposite Fortis Hospital. The festival spent many years at Diggi Palace before the move.
The first list, released in October 2026, includes Nobel laureates Esther Duflo and Olga Tokarczuk, plus Meera Syal, James Wood, Marcus du Sautoy, Sudha Murty and Avni Doshi among many others. More names follow before January.
Yes. A virtual registration gives remote access to sessions, and it has been free in recent editions. It is a useful fallback if you cannot travel or want to catch talks that clash with the ones you attend in person.
No. English dominates the big stages, but the programme covers Hindi and a long list of other Indian languages, and the 2027 edition adds a dedicated series on India's languages.
Yes. Registration options cover single days as well as the full run. One day gives you a taste; two or three let you follow a theme and catch the speakers you came for.
It is the festival's evening strand of concerts by Indian and international musicians, ticketed separately from the daytime talks. One special evening each year is held with Amer Fort as the backdrop.
Very much so. Discounted student registration exists, the audience skews young, and many sessions suit older school students and undergraduates studying literature, history or economics.
Prices & payment
General sessions have traditionally been free, but you must register online first, and some categories carry a fee. Premium passes and evening concerts on the Jaipur Music Stage cost extra. Check current rates on the official site when registration opens.
Booking
A business forum held alongside the festival for publishers, literary agents, translators and writers. It reached its 13th edition in 2026 and is aimed at the book trade.