The Singapore Writers Festival 2026 runs from 13 to 22 November, and the early-bird discount on passes ends on 18 October. That leaves a few days to decide whether a festival pass or individual tickets suit you better, and which sessions to lock in before they fill.
This is the festival's 29th edition. CNA Lifestyle reports more than 300 writers, speakers and moderators across more than 200 programmes, covering fiction, poetry, memoir, literary translation, crime writing, journalism and documentary film. The theme is Hidden in Plain Sight, which looks at stories and perspectives that can be overlooked or read differently depending on who is looking.
Festival dates and organisers
The festival runs from 13 to 22 November 2026. It is organised by the Arts House Group and commissioned by the National Arts Council, with support from the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. Sessions are spread across several venues, so the address of each programme matters more than the festival's general location. Check the venue on every ticket page before you plan your route.
Tickets and prices
Prices for 2026, as reported by CNA Lifestyle on 29 September and shown on the festival's website:
| Ticket | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Festival pass | S$30 | Early-bird price is S$24 (20% off) until 18 October |
| Youth pass | S$15 | Confirm eligibility and age range on the festival site |
| Individual programmes | From S$5 | Priced per programme |
| Early-bird discount | 20% off passes and selected programmes | 29 September to 18 October |
| Concession | 20% off | Students, full-time National Servicemen and seniors aged 55 and above, from 19 October |
The sources checked do not spell out exactly which sessions a festival pass covers. Some sessions may need a separate booking, so confirm what your pass includes on the ticketing page before you assume it covers a particular session.
Using SG Culture Pass
CNA Lifestyle reports that SG Culture Pass credits can be used for festival experiences. Eligibility is likely to be set programme by programme, so check each ticket page before you build your schedule around credits.
What is new in 2026
Crime and Mystery Spotlight
The festival's new Crime & Mystery Spotlight is a dedicated track covering thrillers, true crime, horror and detective fiction. Reported sessions include Robin Stevens and Louise Hegarty on the legacy of Agatha Christie, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia with Singapore writers Jean Tay and Ovidia Yu on crime fiction. Another session brings together South Korean crime writer Seo Mi-ae with Singapore's Rueben Dass and Jocelyn Suarez to discuss how writers build compelling killers and predators. Read the format of each session before you buy.
Literary walks
Walks are a different kind of ticket from a seated talk. CNA Lifestyle lists a coastal walk at West Coast Park led by Orang Laut SG founder Firdaus Sani about the histories of the Orang Laut and Orang Pulau communities, Mandarin literary walks through Yunnan Garden, and a bilingual walk about Singapore's lost cinemas. Because these are outdoors, check the meeting point, the duration, the wet-weather arrangement and whether you need comfortable shoes.
Language-specific programmes
Guest curators Chan Cheow Thia, Muhammad Ilyia Kamsani and Neelakandan Sivanantham shaped this year's Chinese, Malay and Tamil programmes. Examples reported include a Tamil-language conversation with poet Yuvan Chandrasekar and a dikir barat-infused play about cultural heritage and financial pressure. Check the language of each session on its page, especially if you are going with someone who does not speak that language.
Who is speaking
Among the headline names reported by CNA Lifestyle are Amitav Ghosh, who delivers a keynote on how writers imagine the planet's future amid intensifying global crises, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia, whose keynote explores truth, deception and artificiality. Sociologist Ruha Benjamin speaks on hidden biases in the digital world, and documentary filmmaker Shiori Ito discusses her film Black Box and investigative journalism. Journalist Stephen Witt, author of The Thinking Machine, discusses the rise of Nvidia and its chief executive Jensen Huang.
Other writers include Malaysian Booker Prize-shortlisted novelist Tan Twan Eng, Rachel Smythe, Shuang Xuetao, Jessica Townsend and Robin Stevens. Singapore writers include Jemimah Wei, Balli Kaur Jaswal, Pooja Nansi, Jeremy Tiang, Myle Yan Tay, Wen-yi Lee, Suffian Hakim and Daryl Qilin Yam. Line-ups and session times can change, so confirm a speaker on the programme page before you buy a ticket for them.
What to book first
There is no published sell-out data, so this is a planning judgment rather than a verified fact. Sessions with international headliners and keynote lectures are the most likely to attract demand, so book those first. Small-format sessions, walks and workshops have limited capacity by nature. Leave the free or free-with-registration sessions and drop-in activities for later, since they give you flexibility.
A sensible order:
- Book the one or two sessions you would be disappointed to miss.
- Compare the festival pass against the total of your single tickets. If you plan more than a handful of paid sessions, the pass is likely to be cheaper, but do the sum.
- Add walks and workshops, checking dates and meeting points.
- Fill gaps with free sessions after you have checked registration requirements.
For families and young people
SWF Playground is aimed at children aged 12 and under. Reported activities include a live drawing battle, a comics workshop, and a Bring Your 'Chou Chou' Day for children aged four to six, where soft toys and comfort objects become illustrated stories. Jessica Townsend and Robin Stevens are among the children's and young adult writers taking part. The Youth Fringe is for ages 13 to 25 and offers chances to develop skills such as curation and moderation, with Rachel Smythe discussing how she reimagined Greek mythology for a digital generation.
Check age guidance and whether a session needs registration. A programme labelled for children may still need a ticket for an accompanying adult.
SWF Homage and translation
This year's SWF Homage looks at literary translation, including how Singapore literature has moved between languages and travelled overseas from the 18th and early 19th centuries to today. It includes translation-focused programmes, an online microsite and a travelling public installation at libraries and community spaces. Because the installation travels, check where it will be before you plan a visit.
