Ladakh Book Festival to open today with over 75 book stalls

Leh, Ladakh: The second edition of the Ladakh Book Festival 2026 will be held from August 14 to 22, 2026 at the NDS Memorial Sports Complex, Leh.

The festival aims to promote a culture of reading in Ladakh while connecting children, youth, readers, writers and literature enthusiasts with books, literary activities, creative programmes and cultural performances. The festival will be inaugurated on August 14 at 12:30 PM by Vinay Kumar Saxena, Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Ladakh.

The inauguration ceremony will be attended by Ashish Kundra, IAS, Chief Secretary, UT Ladakh; Lieutenant General Madanraj Pandey, AVSM, SM, VSM, GOC 14 Corps; and Major General Sachin Mehta, VSM, GOC, 3 Infantry Division as distinguished guests.

Also present will be Himanshu Gupta, IAS, Administrative Secretary, Department of Industries and Commerce; Shashanka Ala, IAS, Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor; Bhanu Prabha, IAS, Secretary, School Education, UT Ladakh; Romil Singh Donk, IAS, Deputy Commissioner, UT Ladakh along with Yuvraj Malik, Director, National Book Trust, India and Milind Sudhakar Marathe, Chairman, National Book Trust, India.

Addressing a press conference, Yuvraj Malik said, “The second edition of the Ladakh Book Festival is a special event for book lovers, students, youth, parents and those with an interest in literature and culture, adding that entry to the festival is completely free and invited people to participate in large numbers. He said that the highlight of the festival is the Book Fair, which will feature more than 75 book stalls offering readers a wide range of titles across subjects and genres.”

Yuvraj Malik also announced that the theme of this year's Ladakh Book Festival is 'Valour and Wisdom - Shaurya evam Pragya'.

A 'Know Your Army' exhibition will be organised on August 18 and 19, aimed at engaging youth and providing them with information about the Indian Army and its contributions. He said that in this way, the Ladakh Book Festival will go beyond books and literature to become a wide-ranging platform of knowledge, culture, creativity and awareness for children, youth and the general public.

The Ladakh Book Festival 2026 will feature a range of literary, educational, creative and cultural activities daily from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM, alongside the Book Fair. Entry to the festival is free. The Ladakh Book Festival warmly invites readers, students, parents, teachers, youth and lovers of literature and culture to participate in this nine-day celebration.

Tags : Vinay Kumar Saxena, Lieutenant Governor, Ladakh, Book Festival, Leh