Art & Literature
Festival

The ALA Art & Literature Festival (ALF) returns for its fourth edition in 2026 with the theme “Kerala to the Bay: The Stories That Bind Us.”

Following three successful years, ALF 2026 comes to the San Francisco Bay Area as a celebration of literature, art, performance, memory, and cultural connection.

The festival brings together voices from Kerala and the Bay Area to explore how stories travel across oceans, generations, and languages. Through conversations, poetry, music, dance, visual art, and community gatherings, ALF 2026 celebrates identity, belonging, creativity, and the shared human experiences that connect us.

Choose Your Program

Most Popular Friends of ALF
Friends of ALF

Friends of ALF

$ 250

Enjoy two passes with reserved front-section seating, while supporting the festival and our community.

Become a Friend

Program details and featured artists will be updated as confirmations are finalized.

Morning Pass
Morning Session

Morning Literary & Cultural Session

$ 20

A curated morning experience where stories, poetry, performance, memory and migration flow between Kerala and the Bay Area.

Get Morning Pass

Program details and featured artists will be updated as confirmations are finalized.

Full Day Pass
Full Day Session

Full-Day Festival Pass

$ 50

Access to the morning through evening including the complete ALF festival experience.

Get Full-Day Pass

Program details and featured participants will be updated as confirmations are finalized.

If you plan to attend beyond the morning session, please choose the full-day festival pass.

Event Guests

ALF2026

Festival Schedule

Saturday, September 26, 2026
  1. 10:00–10:15 AM
    Inauguration
  2. 10:15 AM–12:00 PM
    Morning Session — Identity & Belonging
  3. 12:00–1:00 PM
    Lunch Break
  4. 1:00–1:15 PM
    Kids on Stage + Young Readers
  5. 1:15–1:45 PM
    Writers on Stage
  6. 1:45–2:45 PM
    Vayalar Poems & Talk
  7. 2:45–3:00 PM
    Tea Break
  8. 3:00–4:00 PM
    Dr. Sunil P. Ilayidom — Speech
  9. 4:00–4:30 PM
    Sahayathri Dance Performance
  10. 4:30–5:30 PM
    Dr. Neena Prasad — Mohiniyattam
  11. 5:30–6:00 PM
    NatyaDarpana — Dance Production
  12. 6:00–6:45 PM
    Break
  13. 6:45–9:15 PM
    Vayalar Night — Musical Program
Vayalar Night
Vayalar Night
Vayalar Night
Vayalar Night
Featured Session

Vayalar Night

A Musical Tribute to the Timeless Legacy of Vayalar Ramavarma

The evening culminates in Vayalar Night, a mesmerizing musical tribute to the legendary poet and lyricist Vayalar Ramavarma.

Acclaimed singers and musicians from Kerala will join us for an unforgettable night of music, poetry, memory, and nostalgia — celebrating timeless songs and words that continue to live across generations.

As Kerala commemorates the 50th anniversary of the passing of legendary poet and lyricist Vayalar Ramavarma, ALF joins this remembrance with a special evening of music, memory, and nostalgia.

Vayalar Night is a musical tribute to one of Malayalam's most beloved literary voices — a poet whose words became songs, and whose songs became part of Kerala's emotional memory.

Featuring musicians from Kerala, this unforgettable evening will bring alive the timeless melodies shaped by Vayalar's extraordinary lyrics — songs of love, longing, hope, nature, and the spirit of Kerala.

For those who grew up with these songs, it will be a journey back to a cherished past. For those discovering them for the first time, it will be an introduction to the beauty and depth of Malayalam music and poetry.

Join us at ALF as the Bay Area celebrates alongside Kerala in honoring Vayalar Ramavarma — a literary legend whose words continue to unite generations, cross borders, and keep our cultural heritage alive.

Reserve your seats today for an unforgettable evening where poetry meets melody, memories find their voice, and Vayalar's timeless legacy lives on.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Literary Conversations

Curated Morning Session

Vayalar Musical Night

Kids Workshops

Community Dinner

Food and Cultural Gathering

Mohiniyattam Performance

Book release / book stalls

Network Lunch

Poetry and storytelling

Featured Guests / Participants

Meet the distinguished voices joining ALF 2026.

Dr. Sunil P. Elayidom

Writer & Public Intellectual

Distinguished literary thinker exploring culture, language, identity, and social history.

Donation Image

SUPPORT THE STORIES

Your support helps bring writers, artists, performers, musicians, and cultural voices from Kerala and the Bay Area together for ALF 2026. Contributions help keep the festival accessible, support programming, and make it possible to present a full day of literature, art, music, dance, and community.

Support the Festival

Help bring writers, artists, performers, and community voices together.

Friends of ALF

$250

A meaningful way for families and community members to support ALF and enjoy 2 festival passes.

Community Supporter

$500

Recognition on website + 4 festival passes

Festival Patron

$1,000

Recognition on website Exclusive access + Event acknowledgement

Cultural Sponsor

$5,000

Includes sponsor recognition on the website, event materials, and stage acknowledgment.

Presenting Sponsor

$10,000

Premier recognition across the website, event materials, stage acknowledgments, and premium event visibility.

About the Organiser

About

Art Lovers of America

Art Lovers of America is a cultural organization dedicated to celebrating literature, art, performance, and community. Through festivals, conversations, performances, and cultural programs, ALA creates spaces where artists, writers, readers, performers, and audiences can come together across languages, geographies, and generations.

FESTIVAL AT A GLANCE

MORNING SESSION

Details Coming Soon

FULL-DAY HIGHLIGHTS

Details Coming Soon