Nairobi Litfest 2025 — A Celebration of Words, Ideas, and Imagination at McMillan Memorial Library

Nairobi, Kenya — June 26–29, 2025 — The highly anticipated 4th edition of Nairobi Litfest is set to take place from Thursday, June 26 to Sunday, June 29, 2025, at the iconic McMillan Memorial Library, with satellite events at partner branches across the city. Co-presented by Book Bunk and Hay Festival Global, this year’s festival promises an extraordinary literary and cultural experience that will bring together over 60 artists, writers, poets, and thinkers from across Africa and the globe.

Spanning 43 events over four days, Nairobi Litfest 2025 is designed for curious minds and creative souls, offering everything from hands-on masterclasses and provocative panel discussions to family-friendly storytelling and live performances. With the theme focused on challenging the ordinary, the festival invites participants to explore new narratives, revisit forgotten ones, and reimagine the power of words in shaping our world.

Headline guests include celebrated names such as Joan Thatiah, Dipo Faloyin, Leïla Slimani, Pankaj Mishra, Ayanna Lloyd Banwo, and Kithaka wa Mberia, among many others.

Join us for four transformative days of conversation, collaboration, and celebration. Nairobi Litfest 2025 is not just a festival—it’s a movement of stories, voices, and radical imagination.

Event Details

Book Bunk and Hay Festival Global
Nairobi Litfest

Thursday, June 26 – Sunday, June 29, 2025
@ McMillan Memorial Library & partner branches across Nairobi

• Workshops & Masterclasses: Dive into poetry with Ayanna Lloyd Banwo, podcasting with Astrid Madimba and Chinny Ukata, photojournalism with Luis Tato, and writing with Momtaza Mehri.
• Radical Archives: Panashe Chigumadzi, Ukombozi Library, and Africa is a Country explore contemporary African memory-making.
• Children’s Festival: A joyful lineup of storytelling and screenings with Venna Odhiambo, Velia Vidal, and Orpah Agunda.
• Provocative Panels: The Woman as Free with Leïla Slimani, Goretti Kyomuhendo, and Ayanna Lloyd Banwo; Everything is Political with Ntone Edjabe, Agustín Laó-Montes, and Rosie Olang’.

Time: Events begin at 9:00 AM daily