All set to be one of Doon Valley’s most iconic cultural events, the Doon Book Festival 2026 will take place from 4 to 12 April 2026 at Parade Ground, Dehradun. Organised by the National Book Trust, India under the Ministry of Education, and the Government of Uttarakhand, the festival promises to be an immersive celebration of books, ideas and culture, bringing together readers, writers, artists and thinkers from across the country.

Shri Yuvraj Malik, Director of National Book Trust, India, formally announced the festival during a press conference today and highlighted the scale of the nine-day celebration which will feature over 300 stalls showcasing lakhs of books in various Indian languages and English. Entry for the public has been kept entirely free to encourage reading habits and make literature accessible to everyone, he said. 

The festival will be inaugurated on 4 April 2026 at 10:30 AM at Parade Ground, Dehradun by Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, in the presence of Guest of Honour, distinguished scholar Acharya Balkrishna; Prof. Milind Sudhakar Marathe, Chairman, NBT-India; and Shri Yuvraj Malik, Director, NBT-India, among other dignitaries. 

A major highlight of the festival is the Doon Lit Fest, where renowned authors, filmmakers, thinkers and public figures like Nitin Seth, Kulpreet Yadav, Akhilendra Mishra, Acharya Prashant, Shubhanshu Shukla and Lt. Gen. Satish Dua among others will participate in a wide range of conversations. The speakers will touch upon themes like cinema, literature, leadership and courage in uniform, patriotism and revolution in India’s past, evolving human-machine relationships and historical narratives like the Naval Uprising of 1946 and the legacy of Subhas Chandra Bose.

The Doon Book Festival 2026 also reflects the National Book Trust’s commitment to promoting regional languages. Building on last year’s dedicated workshop in Uttarakhand that brought together writers, translators and language experts, a diverse range of children’s stories and literary works have been translated into Garhwali and Kumaoni, celebrating the region’s rich cultural heritage. As a key outcome, 13 books in these languages will be formally released at the festival, which will also see participation from over 50 Garhwali and Kumaoni authors.

Beyond books, the Doon Book Festival 2026 will feature daily storytelling sessions, creative workshops, quizzes and competitions for children, alongside specialised training programmes for teachers. Evenings will come alive with cultural performances and musical concerts by renowned artists such as Pandavas, Narendra Singh Negi, ‘Colors of India’ and Vanshika Joshi, creating a festive atmosphere throughout. The festival will also promote digital reading through the Rashtriya-E-Pustakalaya, which offers thousands of books across more than 22 Indian languages and English for free.

With its unique blend of literature, learning and live performances, the Doon Book Festival 2026 promises to be a landmark cultural event for Dehradun and the wider Uttarakhand region. As books, conversations and culture come together under one roof, the Doon Book Festival invites everyone to be part of this literary and cultural saga at Parade Ground from 4 to 12 April 2026.