Bogotá, Colombia. – After three days of intense sessions dedicated to journalism, literature, and culture, the Gabo Festival 2026 closed its fourteenth edition with an attendance of more than 15,000 people, 311 guests from 37 countries, 185 activities, and the support of 107 allied organizations, consolidating itself as one of the most important gatherings in Ibero-America.
Organized by the Gabo Foundation, the event once again turned Bogotá into a space for reflection on the main challenges of the region, bringing together journalists, writers, researchers, artists, activists, teachers, students, and citizens to debate topics such as artificial intelligence applied to journalism, freedom of the press, the sustainability of media outlets, historical memory, the mental health of journalists, democracy, peace, and new narratives.
During the festival, there were also workshops, masterclasses, exhibitions, film screenings, and book clubs held at various venues across the Colombian capital, including the Gimnasio Moderno, the Centro Felicidad Chapinero (CEFE), branches of the District Public Library Network (BibloRed), and Cine Colombia theaters.
The director general and co-founder of the Gabo Foundation, Jaime Abello Banfi, highlighted that the meeting demonstrated that “journalism, culture, and stories continue to bring together thousands of people who believe that understanding the world remains a collective task.”
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The legacy of the Colombian Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez was present throughout the programming through activities aimed at children and young people, workshops inspired by his teaching methodology, reading spaces, and tributes to journalists and defenders of freedom of expression.
One of the highlights was the conversation between former Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Mexican journalist Carmen Aristegui, who reflected on the ten years of the Peace Agreement in Colombia and recalled the role that García Márquez played as a facilitator of various dialogue processes in the country.
The programming also included initiatives driven by international organizations and collectives specializing in the environment, human rights, gender equality, diversity, and freedom of the press, expanding the festival’s reach as a platform for the exchange of ideas and democratic construction.
The countdown to Gabo 100 begins
The closing of the 2026 Gabo Festival officially marked the beginning of the commemorative activities for the centenary of Gabriel García Márquez’s birth, which will be celebrated in November 2027 with a special edition called Gabo Festival 100.
Abello Banfi explained that this new stage will seek to project the writer’s legacy beyond literature and journalism, promoting reflections on education, democracy, imagination, and critical thinking in Latin America. “The greatest tribute we can pay to García Márquez will never be to look back. It will be to ask ourselves what we are doing today with the questions he left us,” he expressed.
With this edition, the Gabo Festival reaffirms its role as one of the main meeting points for journalism and culture in the region, while it begins preparations for an international celebration that will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of the author of One Hundred Years of Solitude and his legacy for new generations.
