Gomti Book Festival 2026: Yogi Adityanath to inaugurate event at Lucknow University today

The fifth edition of the Gomti Book Festival will be held at Lucknow University from September 12 to 20, with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to inaugurate the event. Organised by the National Book Trust (NBT), India, in collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh government and Lucknow University, the festival will feature around 250 book stalls representing 121 publishers, showcasing books in Hindi, English, Urdu, Awadhi and other Indian languages, a press statement said.

NBT Director Yuvraj Malik said the festival will include literary discussions on women's identity, youth literature, translation, heritage, science, spirituality and contemporary journalism. Astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, folk singer Malini Awasthi, author Shantanu Gupta and Padma Shri awardee Vidya Vindu Singh are among those scheduled to participate.

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A special children's pavilion will host storytelling, puppet shows, creative workshops, quizzes and competitions. Daily cultural programmes will include Kathak, folk performances, theatre, mushaira and dastangoi. Entry to the festival will be free, organisers said.