Jaipur lit fest begins today, with parties, concerts, launches

New Delhi: Fancying some pomegranate mimosas and crème brûlée? The Jaipur Literature Festival’s glittering star-studded 2024 edition is all ready to set going its spectacular rollercoaster of parties showcasing the palatial comforts of the Pink City starting Thursday. Counting a footfall of four lakhs and more in most years, this year’s literary show is billed to be the biggest ever, featuring the company and words of last year’s Pulitzer winner Hernan Diaz, and Booker winners Paul Lynch and Georgi Gospodinov, among the world’s smartest intellectuals and the cleverest writers, but the parties at the various historical venues are what’s certain to increase your heartbeat. And you will be spoilt for choice!

Wednesday night opens with a festival-eve dinner at the enchanting Taj Rambagh Palace to honour the authors and speakers, although entry is by invitation only. By Thursday evening, things will be in full swing with literary consultant Mita Kapur throwing a small private dinner. Friday has three big do’s -- hosted by a jewellery brand and two publishers -- the Pan Macmillan evening at the Jai Mahal Palace poolside, the Amrapali dinner at Amrapali Museum and the Bloomsbury reception at Samode Haveli. Oh wait, there is an evening reception at Jaipur Bookmark to attend as well and impress the publishers! Perhaps you could be at Rambagh next year.

Beware of the fever that strikes on Saturday night if you are at the City Palace gates on February 3. It is the venue of the much-talked-about HarperCollins party. A heritage evening at Amber Fort on Sunday promises to regale and intrigue, not least confuse, with dance, theatre and inscrutable performance art! Drink up your cognac, eat up your lamb-halloumi-aubergine. Have you got a ticket to the Writers Ball hosted by Leela Palace the following night? It is the festival’s crowning glory.

The Jaipur Music Stage will, meanwhile, be running parallel to the festival featuring Alif, Harpreet, Prabh Deep, The Revisit Project, Salman Elahi, The Tapi Project and When Chai Met Toast. Yes, it will be a morning affair from February 1 to February 3.

Festival co-director Namita Gokhale will be releasing her novel, Never Ever Land, published by Speaking Tiger, in the course of the festival. Its seventeenth edition is being sponsored by Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Series. Throng Clarks Amer on February 1-5 to make it happen.