The 16th George Town Literary Festival (GTLF) runs Friday 27 to Sunday 29 November 2026 in the UNESCO core. Penang Institute organises it. The theme is Cosmopolises, printed as 世界之城 in the Chinese papers. Two buildings share the programme: Wisma Yeap Chor Ee with Digital Penang, and Bangunan U.A.B. with Think City. Both sit on Lebuh Pantai, a short walk from the Clan Jetties and Padang Kota Lama.
myPenang lists those three days on the state events calendar. The Star reported the 5 October 2026 press conference. Sin Chew published the Chinese write-up on 9 October. Register a free festival pass on georgetownlitfest.com. Festival manager Julia Tan told The Star that most sessions are free, and that you should still register. Workshops and a few special programmes are the paid exceptions. Do not treat this as a street fair. It is panels, readings, launches, student films, and fringe work in two heritage halls.
What Cosmopolises is actually about
Festival director Datuk Dr Ooi Kee Beng (黄基明) called Penang a minor cosmopolis, small, and unusual because of how many languages already share the same streets. The theme is not a skyline contest. It is about how people live together in a city that already mixes Hokkien, Malay, Tamil, English, and food from all of them. GTLF 2026 uses literature, translation, city history, and foodways to talk about that, not a tourism slogan.
The line-up is 53 writers, poets, speakers, and moderators from 20 countries and territories. Sixteen are Malaysian. Thirty-seven are from outside, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Myanmar, the Netherlands, Palestine, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam. Malaysian names already announced include National Laureate Emeritus Professor Dr Muhammad Haji Salleh (莫哈末哈芝沙烈), Tan Twan Eng, Hanna Alkaf, Amir Muhammad, Cecil Rajendra, Bernice Chauly, and Samantha Chong. International names include Jeremy Tiang and Kirsten Han from Singapore, Alice Jolly from England, Palestinian poet Asmaa Azaizeh, Belgian writer Gaea Schoeters, Hong Kong novelist Xu Xi, Taiwan’s Kuo Chiang-Sheng and Lo Sirong (罗思容), Myanmar’s Ma Thida, and Mekong Review editor Minh Bui Jones. Penang Institute published the full first list in its 5 August 2026 press release. The Star updated it on 5 October.
Opening, letters, and students
The opening programme is Letters of the Penang Diaspora. Penangites who studied, worked, or lived overseas sent letters home. Selected letters will be read on the Friday morning. Sin Chew lists the opening, titled 世界之城, for 27 November, 10:00 to 11:15, with Ooi, Muhammad Haji Salleh, Penang Institute analyst Pan Yi Chieh (潘怡洁), and Lo Sirong. Host Beh May Ting. Confirm the clock on the official programme PDF when it drops. The public was invited to submit letters. If you still have one in a drawer, check the festival site before you assume the inbox is closed.
Languages I Live In is the student strand. Short films and reflective essays from school students go on show, with a dedicated reading. Participating schools named by The Star include St Xavier’s Institution, SMJK Chung Ling, SMKA Al-Mashoor (Lelaki), and Prince of Wales Island International School. This is the part of GTLF that actually belongs to George Town teenagers, not visiting authors.
GTLF will also present its first Life Achievement Prize in Literature. The recipient has not been named. The Penang Monthly Short Story Prize 2026 winner will be announced during the weekend. Greatech Technology is platinum sponsor. HSBC Malaysia is gold. Those names are on the backdrop at the press conference. They do not change the fact that you still walk in with a free pass for most of the rooms.
How to spend the three days
Pick one venue for a morning and stay there. Wisma Yeap Chor Ee and Bangunan U.A.B. are close, but session changeovers fill the street. Friday starts later than Saturday. A public listing that mirrors the festival calendar puts Friday 10:00 to 22:00, Saturday 08:30 to 21:30, and Sunday 10:00 to 20:30. Treat those as a working window until the official hour-by-hour grid is posted, then obey the grid.
Sin Chew also lists a Thursday 26 November warm-up at the Eastern & Oriental Hotel, Francis Suite, 17:00 to 19:00: Alice Jolly and Tan Twan Eng on books they actually like. That is the night before the festival, not a substitute for Friday. If you only have one evening in town, spend it on Lebuh Pantai, not at the hotel.
The same weekend is the Penang International Dragon Boat Regatta at the north coast. Traffic on Jalan Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu and the Gurney strip will be ugly. Stay in the core. Eat at New Lane if it is not Wednesday, or at Anjung Gurney if you are already on the north coast. Chowrasta is finished by noon, so do the market Saturday morning before the first Saturday panel.
Practical Details
- What: George Town Literary Festival 2026, 16th edition, theme Cosmopolises (世界之城)
- When: 27 to 29 November 2026. Working hours on public listings: Friday 10:00 to 22:00, Saturday 08:30 to 21:30, Sunday 10:00 to 20:30. Opening ceremony Friday 10:00 to 11:15. Confirm on the official programme.
- Where: Wisma Yeap Chor Ee (with Digital Penang) and Bangunan U.A.B. (with Think City), Lebuh Pantai, George Town. Organiser office: Penang Institute.
- Tickets: Free festival pass for most programmes. Register in advance at georgetownlitfest.com. Selected workshops and special programmes are ticketed.
- Transit: Rapid Penang to Weld Quay or Komtar. Walk Lebuh Pantai. Do not drive into the core on a festival Saturday if you can avoid it.
- Eat: Chowrasta before noon. New Lane from about 16:00, closed Wednesday. Anjung Gurney 17:00 to 00:00.
- Contact: Penang Institute, +60 4 228 3306, enquiry@penanginstitute.org
- Website: georgetownlitfest.com, myPenang listing, Penang Institute line-up, The Star, 5 Oct 2026
