First Look at This Year's Ubud Writers & Readers Festival

This year (2026), the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival (UWRF) cordially invites you to engage with over 150 thinkers, artists, journalists, poets, and writers to discuss Samarasā—awareness, empathy, action. Located in Ubud, at the heart of Bali, this literary festival provides thought-provoking and profoundly challenging sessions with the greatest minds from several countries, but most importantly, Indonesia. Amid the current global unrest, this festival is not only a safe space to explore complex subjects but also a hub to raise awareness for current sociopolitical issues. 

Founder and Director Jane DeNeefe revealed that awareness is the key to clarity in a fractured world. “Empathy builds the bridges that we fail to build ourselves. Action is what turns that feeling into something that moves the needle. That spirit runs through every corner of this year's programme: the author talks, panel discussions, literary lunches, and late-night spoken word galas that spill into the small hours,” she added. 

This year’s festival consists of over 150 speakers with over 100 panel discussions. Some notable names include: Tari Lang and her memoir My Neighbor, My Dictator, which explores Lang’s life during Suharto’s coup and her parents’ unjust imprisonment. Investigative journalist and filmmaker Dandhy Laksono with novelist Randa Abdel-Fattah on Defying Silence Together and the truth about censorship and freedom of speech, with the former also starring in another panel discussion involving sociopolitical reform and environmental issues. A special guest joining this year’s festival is Pakistani-American writer, composer, and performer Ali Sethi, keeping human stories alive through his pathways of longing, music, and culture. 

The speakers and guests are here to urge not only to think critically about current sociopolitical issues but also to encourage visitors and participants to empathize and take action for a better future. You can join and engage in these discussions from 21 to 25 October 2026, at Jalan Raya Sanggingan.