Reading Mountains Festival 2026
The Alpine region encompasses a rich and diverse cultural landscape, bringing together the cultural heritages, traditions, languages and dialects of eight countries. For eleven years, the Alpine Convention has celebrated this shared heritage through the Reading Mountains Festival, organised annually as part of the UN International Mountain Day on 11 December.
For generations, the Alps have inspired writers, poets, artists, musicians and countless others who have sought to capture the spirit of the mountains through their work. Their stories bring the Alpine region to life, fostering a deeper understanding of its rich cultural and natural heritage. Whether through art or time spent immersed in the landscape, participants are invited to explore the Alps from different angles.
The Festival welcomes all works and events inspired by the Alps and mountain life. Reflecting this year’s International Mountain Day theme, organisers are invited to highlight mountain pastoralism and its role in shaping the Alps.
Whether you have joined a previous edition or are discovering the Festival for the first time, we warmly invite you to host an event. Get creative and join us in celebrating Alpine culture, stories and traditions.
The Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention is available to support the promotion of your event on social media as well as providing you with posters, bookmarks, stickers, and other materials. Please register by 30 November 2026 to be guaranteed these materials.
For any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us here.
Register here
Reading Mountains Festival
Celebrating Alpine cultural heritage in the scope of International Mountain Day - 11 December
The Reading Mountains Festival is a way to connect people who love books and mountains, even if they are physically apart. Book lovers and authors, mountaineers and artists throughout the Alps (and beyond) have a chance to discuss similar issues and evaluate the meaning, impact, and purpose of Alpine literature. Some of these discussions are captured in the film ‘People, Books and Mountains - The Quest for Alpine literature’ that was produced as a follow up to the first editions of the Reading Mountains Festival.
Reading Mountains was first launched to celebrate International Mountain Day in 2015. The idea is to initiate events dedicated to mountains and literature in various places around the Alps on International Mountain Day, declared by the United Nations and celebrated on 11 December every year. The Reading Mountains Festival encourages the celebration of cultural differences and similarities in the Alps and, at the same time, connects mountains and culture.
Partners organising various events in the scope of the festival are provided with posters, bookmarks, and stickers that they can use for the promotion of their event(s).
To give you an impression of the potential diversity of the events, we have compiled a (non-exhaustive) list of literature. Do you have any suggestions for additional books? Need further information on the events or have suggestions for the initiative? Then do not hesitate to get in touch!
#ReadingMountains #MountainsMatter
Quality of life, Climate Change, Forests, Mountain Agriculture, Natural Hazards, Population and Culture, Spatial Planning, Transport
