With 'Laku' Theme, Yogyakarta Literary Festival 2026 Affirms Literature as Part of City Culture
The Yogyakarta City Government, through its Cultural Office (Dinas Kebudayaan), is once again holding the Yogyakarta Literary Festival (FSY) 2026, this year adopting the theme ‘Laku’.
Head of the Yogyakarta City Cultural Office (Kundha Kabudayan), Yetti Martanti, said FSY is a cultural agenda designed as a space for appreciation, development, and gathering of various elements of the literary ecosystem, from writers, literary figures, academics, publishers, communities, cultural practitioners, to the reading public.
Yetti also revealed that FSY’s journey began in 2021 with a musicalisation performance of Hanacaraka during the pandemic. Since then, FSY has adopted the themes ‘Mulih’ in 2022, ‘Sila’ in 2023, ‘Siyaga’ in 2024, ‘Rampak’ in 2025, and this year ‘Laku’.
“When we speak of laku, it represents a process in which every step carries meaning. There is dynamism, adaptation, and various other elements. It does not simply stop at an outcome; rather, the process itself becomes a meaningful practice that gives birth to goodness for culture in Yogyakarta in particular, and Indonesia in general,” said Yetti.
Through the theme ‘Laku’, FSY 2026 seeks to affirm that literature is part of the city’s cultural life. Literature is not only a space for writers and academics, but also relates to how society reads life, understands changing times, stores memory, and builds perspectives on the social environment.
“The Yogyakarta Literary Festival is a long-term endeavour. From the outset we agreed that this is a festival owned by everyone. We try to position ourselves as a shared meeting space,” said FSY Curator Paksi Ralas Alit during the FSY 2026 press conference at Taman Budaya Embung Giwangan, Yogyakarta, on Wednesday (19/8/2026).
The festival is open to the public and remains free of charge, with the hope that it will continue to be accessible to anyone from anywhere without tickets or levies, including for performances.
This year, FSY 2026 has expanded to eight days thanks to the full support of the literary ecosystem and communities. It runs from 23–30 August 2026 at Taman Budaya Embung Giwangan Yogyakarta.
“FSY 2026 presents around 100 speakers, 36 event sessions over eight days, and involves 12 literary communities. We are also involving universities such as UGM, UNY, UST, UAD, Sanata Dharma, and UIN,” said fellow FSY Curator Fairuzul Mumtaz.
The organisation of FSY 2026 also involves various parties, including IKAPI DIY, Suku Sastra, Jawacana, Balai Bahasa DIY, the Javanese Literature Programme at FIB UGM, the UGM Literature Master’s Programme, Dinkop UMKM DIY, Javanese Script Communities across DIY/Central Java, as well as various literary communities, writers, cultural figures, academics, publishers, and book industry players.
Yetti said the collaboration demonstrates that a literary festival cannot rely solely on the government. The government plays a role in providing space, facilitation, and policy support, while communities, writers, academics, publishers, media, and the public bring knowledge, experience, networks, and creativity.