The countdown to 14^th Emirates Airline Festival of Literature begins with a spectacular sunrise event as a taster for the leading global literary festival. Bringing to life one of the findings of a new Mapper360^® study, the event saw readers and writers come together in a shared experience, which echoes a strong online trend of growing communities of vocal readers and responsive writers in dialogue. The study also identified a 3% global increase in online conversations about books and reading, with the UAE leading the charge with a 7% increase over the previous year.

To view the Multimedia News Release, please click: https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8989651-emirates-litfest-releases-stunning-images-of-dubai-community-2022-festival/

Hosted in the Dubai desert at secluded desert camp Caravanserai, the sunrise event was attended by more than 100 authors, poets, Foundation Friends, and lovers of stories, with 200 books available to share, read, discuss, and take home. The event signals a new dawn for the Festival, with the 2022 programme featuring more unique experiences and surprising special events than ever before under the theme Here Comes the Sun.

The full Mapper360^® report identifies key trends in the literary landscape across the UAE and globally, and it will be released in the coming months.

The globally renowned Emirates LitFest will take place 3 – 12 February 2022 at locations throughout Dubai, with a packed programme of events, literary readings, cultural and musical performances, foodie experiences, live debates and interactive workshops throughout the 10 days of the festival.

It will also feature a number of ‘only in Dubai’ special events, including the prized jewel of the Festival, Desert Stanzas; an atmospheric poetry extravaganza under the stars at Caravanserai, bringing together world-class poetry performance and Arabian hospitality. There will also be intimate readings with award-winning authors, fireside chats, and a celebration for Charles Dicken’s birthday where literature’s most iconic woman scorned, Miss Havisham, finally gets to have her wedding.

Festival director Ahlam Bolooki commented: “After living with the strain of the pandemic for so long, coming together here in this beautiful desert landscape to read, talk about books, and watch the light chase away the shadows is a balm for the soul. We have been told by our community how much they need stories, books and the Festival, and we didn’t want to make them wait. Coming out here for a reading breakfast with hundreds of members of our local community has rejuvenated us and given us the boost of positivity and joy we associate with the Festival.”

Over the past 13 years, the Festival has welcomed more than 1,800 authors, poets, artists, performers and experts. In 2021, it reached more than 117,000 people.

The Festival is held with Founding Partners Emirates Airline and the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated authority for heritage, arts, and culture. Tickets for the 2022 Emirates Airline Festival of Literature will be on sale from emirateslitfest.com.

More information about the Emirates Literature Foundation can be found online and year-round news of #EmiratesLitFest on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. The Foundation also has two podcasts; the Best of the Emirates LitFest, and the Boundless Book Club.