Taif, 27 Rajab 1447 AH (16 January 2026)

The Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission has concluded the third Writers and Readers Festival in Taif after seven days of cultural and entertainment events at Al-Ruddaf Park from 9 to 15 January 2026. Held under the theme "Your Presence Is a Gain", the festival offered an integrated cultural experience where literature met the arts and interactive experiences for every segment of society.

Commission CEO Dr. Abdullatif bin Abdulaziz Al-Wasel said the third edition achieved notable success across all indicators, with attendance exceeding 370,000 visitors, cementing its place as one of the Kingdom's largest cultural events and an effective national platform for spreading literature and embedding reading in daily life.

The festival supports the commission's efforts to make literature an integral part of people's lives by offering a comprehensive cultural experience in Taif, with its cultural standing and long literary legacy, as part of the Saudi cultural system's approach of distributing events across the Kingdom's regions and opening new spaces for creativity and expression.

Al-Wasel said the festival targeted all segments of society through a varied programme that balanced knowledge with entertainment, allowing visitors to leave with a rich cultural harvest and quality time suited to all ages. The commission, he added, is committed to strengthening culture's presence in public life, elevating literature and celebrating writers and readers as the cornerstone of cultural production.

The festival ran across four main areas, Al-Darb, Al-Matal, Al-Fina and Al-Sarh, with a programme of more than 270 events, including 176 cultural activations, 84 theatre performances, seven musical and poetry evenings, 45 literary and artistic works brought to life, and 20 artistic platforms that enabled artisans to present their products in a professional setting.

Interactive platforms and experiences let visitors listen to selected poems, follow musical performances and poetry dialogues, learn about the lives and works of writers from history and move between diverse expressive worlds, along with an interactive pavilion introducing the commission's role in supporting the literature, publishing and translation sectors and its main initiatives and projects.

A dedicated children's zone featured five main corners, hands-on activities and educational games, alongside the "Hakawati" storytelling theatre, which presented purposeful stories in an entertaining atmosphere that helps build an aware, knowledge-loving generation.

The festival's close reflects Taif's cultural standing as the first Saudi city admitted to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of literature, on 31 October 2023, an achievement that mirrors its cultural vision and active role in the national and global literary scene.