Mark your calendars: the Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) returns from 13 to 22 November 2026, bringing together more than 300 writers, speakers and moderators across over 200 programmes. Organised by Arts House Group and commissioned by the National Arts Council, the festival’s 29th edition takes “Hidden in Plain Sight” as its theme, exploring how stories can be revealed, obscured or reinterpreted.
A line-up spanning genres and continents
This year’s roster includes Amitav Ghosh, Tan Twan Eng, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Ruha Benjamin, Rachel Smythe, Robin Stevens, Shuang Xuetao, Kamala Chandrakirana, Yuvan Chandrasekar and Jemimah Wei, among many other voices across fiction, memoir, literary translation, crime fiction, journalism and documentary film. It’s Singapore, regional and international literature in genuine dialogue, rather than parallel programming.
New to this edition is the Crime and Mystery Spotlight, a dedicated track exploring how clues, assumptions and shifting perspectives can reveal what lies beneath the surface. Sessions include Old Crimes, Fresh Takes with Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Jean Tay and Ovidia Yu on turning history into crime fiction, and Still Killing It: Agatha Christie’s Enduring Legacy with Robin Stevens and Louise Hegarty.
More Chinese, Malay and Tamil programming
SWF 2026 expands its multilingual offering with more Chinese, Malay and Tamil programmes, live interpretation and digital translations for selected sessions. Highlights include the Mandarin-language Writing Fiction to Remember and Heal with Teoh Hee La, Wang Zhanhei and Hon Lai Chu, and Echoes in Art and Ink: Rediscovering Little India’s Hidden Stories in Tamil with Uma Kathir and Krishnasamy Subramaniam.
At the heart of this multilingual focus is SWF Homage, which turns to literary translation this year, tracing how Singapore literature has travelled across languages since the 18th century, alongside an interactive microsite and a public installation touring libraries and community spaces.
For families, youths and casual readers too
SWF Playground brings Robin Stevens and Jessica Townsend together for younger readers, while families can create illustrated stories at Bring Your ‘Chou Chou’ Day! or go treasure hunting with the Asian Civilisations Museum. Youths aged 13 to 25 can develop curation and moderation skills through Youth Fringe, and schools can take part in The Ending Is Yours, a mystery-writing exhibition for students aged 10 to 18.
This edition also marks Festival Director Yong Shu Hoong’s final year at the helm. “Hidden in Plain Sight felt like a fitting theme,” he said, reflecting on how the concept applies as much to today’s AI and scam landscape as it does to literature.
Tickets and early bird savings
Early bird tickets launch with 20% off through 18 October 2026 at singaporewritersfestival.com. SG Culture Pass credits are eligible for Festival experiences, and a range of free programmes will also be available.
Looking for more literary and arts events this season? Check out our guide to National Museum of Singapore’s 139th anniversary programme and SGIFF 2026’s line-up for more things to do this November.
The 29th Singapore Writers Festival runs from 13 to 22 November 2026 across venues in Singapore. Visit singaporewritersfestival.com for the full programme and tickets.
