iRead Festival

The iRead Festival is a two-day celebration dedicated to honoring readers and recognizing the winners of the iRead competition. Six distinguished readers from across the Arab world compete for the coveted title of Reader of the Year. The festival also features an engaging cultural program that includes a poetic performance inspired by the works of Ghazi Al Gosaibi, as well as thought-provoking discussion with leading writers and intellectuals such as Jon Fosse, the 2023 Nobel Prize Laureate in Literature, Abdullah Algethami and Mohamad Ait Hanna. In addition, visitors can enjoy book-signing sessions, the Kutubiya book-exchange exhibition, and an exciting debate among iRead competition finalists.

The iRead Festival is the full two-day program held on December 5-6, while the iRead closing ceremony is the festival’s final segment, during which the finalists present their concluding performances to compete for the Reader of the Year award.

The festival will be held on Friday, December 5 and Saturday, December 6, 2025. The opening ceremony will take place on Friday, December 5, 2025, at 5:00 p.m., followed by the iRead closing ceremony on Saturday, December 6, 2025, at 5:30 p.m.

The ceremony will be held at the Ithra Theater, while the rest of the festival’s programs will take place across various venues within the Ithra Center.

The finalists competing in the closing ceremony are six readers from five Arab countries – Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Libya, Tunisia and Algeria. They qualified for the final stage of the Reader of the Year track within the iRead competition, following a series of selection rounds that began in March 2025. Moreover, each finalist will present a five-minute original creative text of their own writing, followed by participation in an intellectual debate.

Yes, at the end of the ceremony, the audience will have the opportunity to vote for their choice for Reader of the Year. This will be in addition the Reader of the Year award determined by the official jury.

It is an intellectual debate on the impact of artificial intelligence on the value of creative writing, featuring six finalists from the iRead competition. Half of the participants will argue in favor of the statement, while the other half will argue against it.

You can obtain a festival ticket through the Ithra website or at the information desk. The ticket grants access to all festival programs once scanned at the information desk during the event days. Please note that attending the closing ceremony requires a separate ticket, which can be obtained directly from the information desk.

All tickets are free of charge.

Yes, children under the age of nine are not permitted to attend.

The festival features a diverse cultural program, including a discussion session with Nobel Laureate in Literature Jon Fosse, and a poetic performance inspired by the works of the late poet Ghazi Algosaibi on Friday, December 5, 2025. In addition, book-signing sessions will take place throughout Friday and Saturday (December 5–6, 2025), along with a series of expert talks exploring behind-the-scenes insights into books and literary experiences. You can view the full event schedule on the festival page of the Ithra website.

There are no fees required. The festival ticket grants access to all accompanying programs on Friday and Saturday, subject to venue capacity. However, attendance at the closing ceremony requires a separate ticket, which can be obtained from the information desk during the festival days.

No, attendance for all segments and programs is not required.

Yes, they are available at a 50% discount in the festival’s bookstore.

It is a book-exchange fair that encourages readers to recycle their books by exchanging their previously read titles for new ones.

No, participation is completely free. Just bring a book of your own and exchange it for any book available at the exhibition.

No.

Yes, the book must be in good condition and have at least 80 pages. Moreover, academic books, multi-volume sets and duplicate copies are not allowed.

Yes, the maximum limit is 10 books.

Registration for the iRead competition opens on December 7, 2025, and is open to all male and female students from the elementary to university levels.