Emirates Airline Festival of Literature 2016

The 2016 edition of the Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature will be held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President & Prime Minister of Dubai, and in partnership with Emirates and the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority at the InterContinental Hotel, Dubai Festival City, from 1st to the 12th March (the longest it's been yet!). And the line-up includes more than 140 names, from 30 different countries! Time was picked as the theme of the festival to encompass the past, present and the future.

Among the headline-grabbers in the eighth edition of the festival are James Bond novelist Anthony Horowitz, astronaut Chris Hadfield, renowned children’s writer Jacqueline Wilson, English poet and playwright Simon Armitage, British Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, prolific Egyptian scholar Youssef Ziedan, Science-fiction and fantasy children's author Garth Nix and many more.

There will be no lack of famous faces at the 2016 edition. A touch of glamour comes from Hollywood star Steven Berkoff, a return visit from British talk-show royalty Judy Finnigan and Richard Madeley, British soap stars Nadia Sawalha and Lisa Faulkner. For Harry Potter fans, award-winner illustrator Jim Kay presents A Muggle's-Eye view which is a visual journey through the newly published illustrated editions of J K Rowling’s books.

Organisers have actually extended the Festival to TWO weeks in an effort to meet the growing demands of the regional audience as well as the increasing portfolio of attending authors. With the festival more than doubled in size, there’s plenty of space for new concepts and events. Students will be particularly thrilled about Poetry Live, which will see the students benefit from up-close encounters with and live readings by some of the world’s most renowned wordsmiths. Participating poets include Armitage, Duffy, John Agard, Imtiaz Dharker, Gillian Clarke and Grace Nichols.

The Literary Cruise, a new exquisite fine-dining concept will be introduced in The 2016 programme which has the listeners will set sail on the picturesque Dubai Creek, with philosopher AC Grayling extolling the importance of literature. The festival, which will have several competitions and workshops, will help give exposure to some budding writers living in the UAE. Planned sessions include writing workshops by Emirati novelist Shaima Al Marzooqi and three-day film making masterclass by award-winning Emirati director Nujoom Al Ghanem. Also, the 2016 festival also has its own theme song Sands of Time, which was composed by internationally renowned pianist, Jason Kouchak.