Pokhara is set to host the Nepal Literature Festival 2025 from February 27 to March 2. Organised by the Bookworm Foundation, this twelfth edition of the festival will once again take place at Lakeside.

This year’s festival will be inaugurated by Minister for Information, Communication, and Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung. According to the organisers, the event will see the participation of more than 200 prominent figures, including authors, politicians, artists, journalists, and scholars.

Over four days, attendees will discuss literature, politics, economy, cinema, and contemporary issues, with more than 50 panel discussions, interactive sessions, musical performances, and creative showcases.

One of the key highlights of the festival is the inaugural keynote speech by economist and professor Mahendra P Lama. According to the organisers, actress Manisha Koirala and journalist Vijay Kumar will also engage in a conversation on resilience.

Actor Rajesh Hamal will unveil the cover of his upcoming book, ‘Yugdekhi Yug Samma’, while entrepreneur and writer Jiba Lamichhane will launch his work, ‘Akshat Antarctica’.

Nepali-American writer Ranjan Adiga will participate in two sessions at the festival. He will be discussing his short story collection, ‘Leech and Other Stories’.

Be it the heartbeat of Nepali cricket, Paras Khadka, or the widely discussed literary enthusiast Bhusita Vashishta, the festival will feature inspiring conversations with personalities like Dr Bhagawan Koirala, who has dedicated his life to social service, and Maggie Doyne. Doyne, an American philanthropist, is the co-founder of a children’s home in Surkhet and was named CNN Hero in 2015.

There will also be discussions with students about books, stories, poetry, and the overall reading culture. The festival’s platform is expected to serve as a medium for nurturing new-generation writers and thinkers, according to Bookworm.