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The Adab Festival’s eighth edition will be held on November 10 at Habitt City from 11am to 10pm, the organisers announced at a press conference on Wednesday.

A range of programmes and events — spanning art, literature, thought-provoking discussions, debates, and book launches — are scheduled to take place at the festival. It is free and open to all.

Ameena Saiyid, founder and director of the Adab Festival, announced that going forward, a one-day Adab Festival will be held annually in different cities, replacing the previous multi-day format.

Speaking on the festival’s purpose, Saiyid said, “Adab Festival is a new Silk Route through which our traditions, culture, literature, and the arts can travel and reach people’s hearts across Pakistan and the world. Through this festival, we want everyone in the community to love, experience, and enjoy books and literature.”

She added that the event is “designed to develop critical thinking in people, challenge dominant discourses in society, nurture alternative viewpoints, and provide fertile ground for creative exchange.”

The festival will open with a play by Khaled Anam and his Grips Theatre group and will close with a show by Anwar Maqsood.

The annual Adab Festival/Infaq Foundation Awards will be announced for the best writings in Urdu, English, and, for the first time, Sindhi.

Saiyid thanked the festival’s partners — the Sindh government, Goethe Institut, Vgotel, Institute of Business Management, Habib Metropolitan Bank, the British Council, Magnus Investments, and Habitt Karachi—for their support in organising the event.

Originally published in Dawn, November 7th, 2024