Over 16 editions, the city’s very own literature festival has expanded and augmented Mumbai’s cultural vibrancy. The annually awaited celebration is a thriving space for meaningful dialogues between writers, thinkers, performers and audiences of varying ages, interests and dispositions. The 2026 edition will be held from 23-25 October at its forever “home-by-the-sea”, the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA). This year, in its 17th edition, the festival enters a new and exciting chapter with Godrej Industries Group joining as the Title Partner.
For over a century, Godrej has stood at the confluence of art and industry, poetry and progress, embodying the ‘Genius of &’. This year, the Group’s refreshed narrative of ‘Crafting Tomorrow’ seamlessly aligns with the festival’s DNA, marking a multi-year journey as architects of one of India’s most progressive literary events.
Sujit Patil, Chief Communications Officer, Godrej Industries Group, said, “Godrej Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest aims at celebrating Mumbai’s love for literature and thoughtful conversations. For over a century, we at Godrej have been a house of both poets and engineers; of people who dream and people who build. That duality sits at the heart of our purpose: ‘Crafting tomorrow since 1897’, and it is why this association feels less like a partnership and more like a homecoming. We are delighted to help shape the festival.”
Continuing its hallmark as a festival of ideas along with literature, Godrej Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest 2026 will cover a breadth of voices, spanning literature, cinema, journalism, economics, medicine, history, arts, sport, technology, environment, identity, and the digital ecosystem.
The line-up includes stars from all these fields, including Aditi Mittal, Anurag Minus Verma, Ayaz Memon, Boria Majumdar, Cyriac Abby Philips, Faye D’Souza, Gagan Gill, Gulzar, Irwin Allan Sealy, Jaspreet Bindra, Javed Akhtar, Jerry Pinto, Juhi Babbar, Kaushik Basu, Mazda Turel, Naman Ahuja, Pavan K Varma, Ramachandra Guha, Ratna Pathak Shah, Ria Chopra, Shanta Gokhale, Shashi Tharoor, Shefali Shah, and Sonali Kulkarni, amongst others.
Festival highlights include the Godrej Literature Live! Literary Awards for Lifetime Achievement, Poet Laureate, and Fiction, Non-fiction, and Business books, as well as the Great Debate, Book in Focus, international performances, workshops, book launches, and the ever-popular book swap. Along with the Godrej DEI Lab, this year’s edition continues to deepen its commitment to inclusion, foregrounding voices from the LGBTQIA+ community and minority groups.
For younger readers, the Literature Live! Little Festival, in collaboration with HT Parekh Foundation, will have specially curated sessions for children.
Amy Fernandes, Festival Co-Director, said, “We are proud to be bringing our 17th edition, which continues the festival’s legacy of presenting voices and ideas most relevant to our rapidly transforming society, with the distinguished line-up spanning generations and disciplines”.
Quasar Thakore Padamsee, Festival Co-Director, said, “For 16 editions now, I have seen the impact of the power of words through changing times, and this year’s programming too reflects that. With Godrej Industries Group, we have a partner who also envisions a world where literature brings light, learning, upliftment and solace”.
