Emirates Airline Festival of Literature tickets to go on sale

However Festival Friends, members of the LitFest supporters' programme, will have an exclusive preview week, starting 14 January 2013 to buy the tickets of their choice at a special rate.

It is still possible to join Festival Friends on-line at emirateslitfest.com. Annual membership starts for as little as AED120.

The Festival will be held in Dubai at the Intercontinental Hotel, Dubai Festival City, between the 5-9 March 2013 under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and in partnership with Emirates airline and the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the emirate's dedicated Authority for culture, arts, and heritage.

The full preview programme of events will be on-line and distributed across the Emirates in the coming weeks. The Fifth Anniversary edition of the Festival opens with a spectacular event on the evening of Tuesday 5th March. This is followed on Wednesday evening by the Dubai Culture sponsored Desert Stanzas evening of poetry and music which takes place at a Bedouin encampment.

In the following days, visitors can enjoy literary discussions, panel debates, Masterclasses, workshops and readings as well as experience the Fringe and children's events. There are cookery demonstrations, special art displays and Literary Lunches.

Also new for 2013 are the evening events which also include the Murder Mystery Dinner on Thursday 7 March, The Lighter Side on Friday 8 March and a Closing Ceremony on Saturday 9 March.

Headline authors include Kate Adie, Rachel Allen, Jeffrey Archer, Tony Buzan, Bobby Chinn, Artemis Cooper, William Dalrymple, Shobhaa Dé, Adrian Hayes, Anissa Helou, Ken Hom, Maitha Al Khayat, Anupam Kher, Waciny Laredj, Alia Mamdouh, Ben Miller, Simon Sebag Montefiore, Ahlem Mosteghanemi, Jamil Nahra, Taghreed Al Najjar, Noura Al Noman, Ben Okri, Ian Rankin, Tan Twan Eng, Shashi Tharoor and Jeet Thayil.

The Festival will welcome more than 100 writers, thinkers and speakers from 30 countries to participate in the Middle East's largest celebration of the written and spoken word, which brings people of all ages, nationalities and background together to promote education, debate and a love of reading and writing in a celebratory and enjoyable way.

It is expected that more than 30,000 visitors will attend sessions at this fifth edition of LitFest which has become an eagerly anticipated annual event.