Toronto International Festival of Authors

The Festival

The Toronto International Festival of Authors is Canada's largest and longest-running literary festival. This fall, TIFA 2026 brings the world's most compelling writers into conversation with one another, and with you. Join us at Victoria University in the University of Toronto from Oct. 28 - Nov. 1, 2026, for over 100 events with some of the world's most beloved authors.

Our full programme will be announced Sept. 3, 2026. In the interim, TIFA is pleased to share a preview of Festival highlights, and Pre-Festival Special Events taking place throughout the month of October. 

Until Sept. 1, Full Festival passes will include all events in the 5-day Festival, as well as four Pre-Festival Special Events. 

 Preview of Festival Highlights

This year's international guests include: Barbara Kingsolver, presenting her much-anticipated new novel, Partita (Oct. 30, 8:00PM, Winter Garden Theatre); Marie NDiaye in conversation on her spellbinding novel The Witch; and David Szalay in conversation on his Booker Prize-winning Flesh. 

TIFA 2026 features two streams developed in partnership with guest curators. The Festival of Indigenous Stories is curated by Evelyn Araluen, author of The Rot, and Jessica Johns, author of Bad Cree. This international collaboration between TIFA, the Melbourne Writers Festival (MWF), and Melbourne's Blak & Bright Festival, is designed to connect and celebrate Indigenous authors and artists from Canada and Australia.

Rupture / Justice is curated by Philippe Sands, one of the world's foremost human rights lawyers. From the historical to the environmental, the political to the personal, this stream brings together a panel of global voices to discuss how societies navigate what Sands calls "unprecedented times." 

Closing the festival is the Toronto premiere of East West Street: A Song of Good & Evil. This unforgettable performance comes to Toronto for one performance only (Nov. 1, 5:00PM, Winter Garden Theatre) after sold-out stops in New York, Sydney, London, and Berlin. 

Pre-Festival Special Events

The follow Pre-Festival Special Events are included in Full Festival Passes, available until Sept. 1. 

TIFA Presents Bonnie Garmus
October 15, 2026 at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema

TIFA Presents Emily St. John Mandel
October 20, 2026 at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema

TIFA Presents Ann Cleeves
October 26, 2026 at Isabel Bader Theatre

PEN Graeme Gibson Talk with Evan Gershkovich
October 27, 2026 at Winter Garden Theatre

Single tickets to Pre-Festival Special Events, events at the Winter Garden Theatre, and Festival Day and Weekend Passes will go on sale Sept. 3, 2026.

Passes and Tickets

With our Pass system, you can access many events on a particular day, series of days, or for the entire Festival, for one accessible price. Wander the picturesque halls of Victoria College, discover new authors with Tea and Cake in Alumni Hall, and enjoy the camaraderie of your fellow readers and writers in our festive atmosphere. 

Full-Festival Passes and 5-Day Passes include events at the Winter Garden Theatre (Barbara Kingsolver and East West Street). Single Day Passes and Weekend Passes do not include these events. Single tickets to these events will be available through Ticketmaster as of September 3. 

Box Office

The on-site TIFA Box Office will be located in the lobby of Victoria College and open during Festival hours. 

After purchasing your pass online, you'll receive a QR code. Present it at the Box Office in person to get your festival badge, which grants access to all standard events. 

Masterclasses use QR code entry at the door.