Ubud Writers & Readers Festival 2026

The Ubud Writers and Readers Festival was founded in 2003 in the aftermath of the 2002 Bali bombings, as a way of bringing international attention back to Bali through culture rather than tourism marketing alone. It has since grown into the most significant literary festival in Asia, drawing over 200 authors and thinkers from across the world and attracting audiences of more than 30,000 over five days.

The Programme

The festival runs from 28 October to 1 November 2026 across multiple venues in and around Ubud — including the Ubud Palace (Puri Saren Agung), Indus Restaurant, ARMA Museum, and various private gardens and hotels. Events range from intimate conversations with novelists to large-scale panel discussions on politics, climate, and identity.

Authors from Indonesia, Australia, the UK, India and the US feature each year alongside emerging Indonesian writers and regional voices. Past participants have included Booker Prize winners, Man Booker longlisted authors, and major figures in Southeast Asian literature. A significant portion of the programme focuses on Indonesian and Balinese art, culture and history.

Events include ticketed author sessions, free outdoor stages, a book fair, cooking and craft workshops, film screenings, and a children’s and young adults’ strand. The full programme is published on the festival website (ubudwritersfestival.com) around six weeks before the event.

Tickets and Access

Individual session tickets typically range from around IDR 150,000 to IDR 350,000 (approximately USD 9-21). Multi-day passes are available at a discount and are worth considering if you plan to attend several sessions a day. Popular author talks sell out weeks in advance — buy early. Some free events and the book fair do not require tickets.

Practical Information

Ubud is around 1.5 hours from Ngurah Rai airport in normal traffic. The festival period coincides with Bali’s high season, and Ubud accommodation books out well in advance — plan to book hotels or villas two to three months ahead. The festival itself creates additional demand in October, so do not leave this until the last minute.

For more on spending time in Ubud, see our Ubud city guide and Bali island overview.