The Bookish Journey Development That is Altering the Manner We Expertise High Locations

Amongst my author mates, the Jaipur Literature Pageant, or JLF, is one thing of a Shangri-La: an eclectic gathering born in 2006, on the lawns of town’s Diggi Palace. Authors debut new work, writers maintain forth in panel discussions, and followers line up for autographs; the legendary editor Tina Brown known as it “the best literary present on earth.”

After attending a pop-up model of the JLF in New York final September, I made a decision to make the journey to India. Stepping onto the sprawling grounds of the Clarks Amer resort, the competition’s residence since 2022, I reached for comparisons: Monsoon Marriage ceremony meets Coachella? Or perhaps a literary Cirque du Soleil? There have been seven levels and a five-day calendar of occasions, all attended by writers, publishers, actors, administrators, cooks, politicians, and, effectively, me.

Attempting to place it into perspective, I sought out Geetanjali Shree, the winner of the 2022 Worldwide Booker Prize for her novel Tomb of Sand. She’s been attending JLF for years and has seen the competition develop. “It has expanded into what in Hindi is known as a sangam,” she defined, “a spot the place the varied rivers meet—the varied cultures and languages and dialogues—and one thing vibrant occurs.”

That feeling of convergence has been central to different “lit fests” which have sprung up elsewhere on the earth, too. Take, for instance, the Macondo Literary Pageant in Nairobi, dreamed up by the Kenyan author Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor, who was annoyed that current gatherings didn’t cater to African writers and members of the diaspora. In 2019, she created her personal. “It’s a crossroads and assembly floor for a lot of nations and peoples,” she informed me.

When Kwame Dawes, Jamaica’s poet laureate, started the Calabash Worldwide Literary Pageant in 2001, his mission was to assist propel Caribbean writers to a bigger stage. Dawes cofounded the occasion with the novelist Colin Channer and Justine Henzell, whose household runs Jakes Resort in Treasure Seashore, in southwestern Jamaica, the place the occasion takes place.

A compelling vacation spot, after all, is vital. However what these festivals actually have in widespread is the act of turning books—and studying—into group.

I noticed that with my very own eyes in the future in Jaipur, as I shadowed JLF’s tireless producer, Sanjoy Ok. Roy. He wove his approach by the crowds, greeting mates, posing for selfies, checking in with a military of volunteers. Whereas hustling to a different roundtable, Roy paused to absorb the scene. “This goes past simply the authors and viewers,” he mentioned. “There’s one thing within the air.”

4 of the Finest Lit Fests

Jamaica’s Calabash Worldwide Literary Pageant has a low-key sensibility, with authors and festival-goers gathering on the island’s iconic waterfront Jakes Resort.

The Ubud Writers & Readers Pageant, in Bali, leans in to its location by placing a robust emphasis on Asian, and notably Indonesian, authors with occasions at many prime resorts.

Conceived by Creator Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor and Journalist Anja Bengelstorff, The Macondo Literary Pageant is Held on the Kenya Cultural Centre in Nairobi.

Massive names together with Michael Cunningham, Joyce Carol Oates, and Reese Witherspoon are scheduled to attend this yr’s Charleston Literary Pageant, at the Dock Road Theatre.

A model of this story first appeared within the November 2025 problem of Journey + Leisure underneath the headline “The Good Set.”