[1] The festival hosts authors, poets, artists, filmmakers, and scholars who participate in discussions, workshops, and book launches, focusing on literature and cultural dialogue.

[1] A new logo for the festival, combining a butterfly and a book to represent the natural and literary heritage of the Doon Valley, was unveiled by Ruskin Bond in August 2023.

[1] The 2017 inaugural curtain raiser of Dehradun Literature Festival Shobhaa De, who launched Karan Johar's book The Unsuitable Boy.

Notable attendees included Krishan Kant Paul, the Governor of Uttarakhand, spiritual leader Sadhguru, author Ruskin Bond, filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, actress Sharmila Tagore, Soha Ali Khan, Lillete Dubey, and actor Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub.

Participants included Yashwant Sinha, who discussed his autobiography Relentless, and Union Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, who emphasized the importance of fitness.

[29] Day two included notable discussions with Imtiaz Ali and Richa Anirudh, Piyush Pandey and Prahlad Kakkar, Saeed Naqvi, DGP Ashok Kumar, Amit Lodha, Ian Cardozo and Rachna Bisht.

[30] Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Pushkar Singh Dhami, attended the final day, which began with a session on "India’s Wars: 1962 and 1965" featuring Shiv Kunal Verma and Anirudh Chakravarty.

[34] Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi inaugurated the festival, alongside Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar, and author Gurcharan Das.

[35][36][37] On the second day, sessions covered topics such as mythology and mental well-being, including a discussion on myth and folklore led by Smriti Dewan and Reshma Krishnan Barshikar, moderated by Saumya Kulshreshta.

[2] Other notable attendees at the fifth edition included Ashok Chakradhar, Geet Chaturvedi, Sreemoyee Piu Kundu, Atul Pundir, Khushboo Grewal, and Muzaffar Ali.