ILFU Fes­ti­val 2026

ILFU is the biggest literature festival in the low countries, lasting two weeks, presenting over 200 authors and reaching 20,000+ visitors. The festival originated in 1980 when the first edition of the ‘Nacht van de Poëzie’ (Dutch Poetry Night) was organized in Utrecht’s 2000-seats concerthall TivoliVredenburg. Against all odds, the event presenting 8 hours of poetry until the wee small hours attracted thousands of visitors and anno 2023 still is an iconic value in the Dutch literary scene. Over the decades, the festival grew into a big celebration of literature, covering many genres, from poetry to young adult, from non fiction to spoken word, from quality films to high standard singer-songwriters and from literary theatre to narrative visual art.