Amitav Ghosh's 14 November Writers Festival keynote is sold out, but the S$30 pass is not

The biggest name has gone first. The pass that gets you into more than 100 sessions has not.

If Amitav Ghosh was the reason you were going, you are too late: his keynote at Victoria Theatre on Saturday 14 November, 1.30pm, is marked sold out on the festival site. Everything else that matters is still on sale. The Festival Pass is S$30 (the Youth Pass S$15, with a student card) and gets you into more than 100 talks, panels and readings, first come, first served, and the early-bird price ended on 18 October. The festival itself runs from 13 to 22 November 2026 under the theme 'Hidden in Plain Sight', with more than 200 programmes and over 300 writers, speakers and moderators across the Civic District.

The line-up has range. Ghosh was the biggest name. Tan Twan Eng still brings literary heft, while Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Saturday 21 November, 1.30pm) and Ruha Benjamin (Sunday 22 November, 1pm) give keynotes at Victoria Theatre that are still on sale at S$25 and will draw very different crowds, and Rachel Smythe and Robin Stevens are names your teenager may know before you do. Jemimah Wei is on the bill too, there is a crime fiction track, and author Caris Avendaño Cruz is coming over from the Philippines. This 29th edition is organised by Arts House Group and commissioned by the National Arts Council.

It is also the last edition under festival director Yong Shu Hoong, which is a reason for long-time regulars to give this one a little extra attention.

Venues on the festival site include Victoria Theatre and Victoria Concert Hall, The Arts House and National Gallery Singapore, all close enough to walk between, with City Hall MRT nearby. That makes it easy to build a day around the festival, provided you don't mind a short dash between buildings in November rain. SG Culture Pass credits can be used for selected events, so check before you pay if you have some left.

Then plan sensibly. The nearest thing to the Ghosh keynote that you can still book is the opening one: Stephen Witt on Jensen Huang and Nvidia, the subject of his book The Thinking Machine, at Victoria Theatre on Friday 13 November at 7.30pm, S$25. Pick a handful of sessions, leave gaps for the conversations that start in the queue, and set aside a little for the books you'll swear you weren't going to buy. Pass first; agonise over the sessions later.

Good to know 13–22 November 2026 at The Arts House, Victoria Theatre and Victoria Concert Hall, National Gallery Singapore and other Civic District venues. Festival Pass S$30, Youth Pass S$15 (valid student card), over 100 pass programmes, first come, first served. Amitav Ghosh keynote, Sat 14 Nov 1.30pm, Victoria Theatre (S$35): sold out. Keynotes on sale at Victoria Theatre, S$25 each: Stephen Witt, Fri 13 Nov 7.30pm; Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Sat 21 Nov 1.30pm; Ruha Benjamin, Sun 22 Nov 1pm. Checked 11 Nov 2026. Check singaporewritersfestival.com for the full programme.

Want more of what’s new? Here’s everything else on the list.

The Arts House, Victoria Theatre and other Civic District venues | Civic District