The 4th edition of the Kathmandu Kalinga Literary Festival (KLF) will be held on June 6 to 7, 2026, at Hotel Himalaya, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Kalinga Literary Festival (KLF), one of India’s leading international literary festivals, has been organising the Kathmandu edition since 2022 to strengthen literary, cultural, spiritual, and civilizational ties among Nepal, India, and the broader South Asian region.

The central theme of Kathmandu KLF 2026 will be ‘Beyond Borders: South Asian Literature in a Changing World’. The festival will explore how South Asian literature, art, and intellectual traditions are engaging with contemporary global realities, cultural transformations, identity, inclusion, spirituality, and social change.

“The 4th Kathmandu Kalinga Literary Festival will celebrate literature, music, poetry, cinema, dance, and diverse artistic traditions. The festival will further strengthen the long-standing cultural and literary ties between Nepal, India, and South Asian countries in the context of emerging global cultures,” said Rashmi Ranjan Parida, founder and director of Kalinga Literary Festival.

The festival will see participation by several eminent personalities in literature, cinema, music, diplomacy, spirituality, and public life. Highlighted participants include singer and actress Ila Arun, author Pratibha Ray, spiritual thinker Acharya Prashant, acclaimed actor, lyricist, and writer Piyush Mishra, and noted writer and filmmaker Raj Shekhar.

Other distinguished speakers and participants include Vikas Swarup, Paramita Satpathy, Upendra Nath Behera, Badri Narayan, Neena Verma, Archana Singh, Jai Prakash Pandey, Kuladhar Saikia, Malini Awasthi, Narayani Basu, Satish Padmanabhan, Yatindra Mishra, Sandeep Singh, Vikram Sampath, Anant Vijay, Yatish Kumar, Buddhisagar, Ashutosh Agnihotri, Sujeet Kumar, and Yunus Khan, along with many other renowned writers, artists, filmmakers, scholars, musicians, diplomats, and public intellectuals from across South Asia and beyond.

The festival will feature panel discussions, keynote addresses, poetry readings, musical performances, author interactions, book launches, workshops, cultural evenings, and cross-border literary collaborations.

“The festival theme reflects the growing importance of South Asian literature and cultural traditions in shaping global conversations around identity, migration, inclusion, spirituality, environment, and social engagement,” said Ranjana Niraula, director of Kathmandu Kalinga Literary Festival.

The festival is being organised in association with Yashaswi Pragyan Pratishthan.