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In this age of the mobile device, it's reassuring to know that there are still major events dedicated to promoting books. Around the world, annual book fairs and festivals attract thousands who love the printed word. And enjoying a good page-turner by a favorite author is as inspiring, entertaining, and educative as it's ever been. So, where can you browse the best book fairs and festivals?
Click on and read through this list of the most popular literary-themed events.
The fair attracts several thousand exhibitors representing book publishing, multimedia, and technology companies. In 2024 there was special emphasis given to digital knowledge and artificial intelligence (AI).
The Frankfurt Book Fair is the world's largest trade fair for books based on the number of exhibitors. It's held annually, in mid-October.
An annual event held in Hay-on-Wye, Wales, the Hay Festival of Literature & Arts is one of the most prominent festivals in British culture.
Founded in 1988 and held in May and June, the Hay Festival regularly features well-known writers, authors, journalists, and other media celebrities.
Established in 2007 in association with the Frankfurt Book Fair, the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair is a relatively new addition among the big book fairs in the literary calendar.
The fair provides a platform where publishers, booksellers, agents, cultural organizations, and the literary press can meet, exchange ideas, and identify business opportunities, and is regarded as the preeminent event for Arabic language, Middle Eastern, and North African publishers. The fair takes place in April-May.
Usually held in the middle of July, the Hong Kong Book Fair provides a broad platform for the selling and exhibiting of books, printed matter, stationery, printing, and other multimedia publishing.
While print media remains its core exhibit, the fair has also garnered a reputation for showcasing the latest technological and multimedia innovations. To that end, visitors can engage with numerous high-tech interactive displays.
The Guadalajara International Book Fair is the largest book fair in the Americas and the principal event for Spanish-language publishing.
The fair takes place annually, usually in late November and early December. Besides its function as a major meeting place for publishers and book industry professionals, the fair attracts a reading public keen to meet authors and attend book signings.
The London Book Fair was inaugurated in 1971. It's a trade fair that serves as a global hub for rights negotiation and the sale and distribution of content across print, audio, TV, film, and digital channels.
Held annually, usually in April, the fair is not open to the public. It's instead organized for the publishing community and industry professionals.
Held annually in May at the Saatchi Gallery, the Firsts: London's Rare Book Fair is one of the most popular and prestigious rare book fairs in the world.
Open to collectors and bibliophiles who love browsing secondhand classics, this highly respected fair is in fact the annual flagship event of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association.
The New Delhi World Book Fair is India's second oldest book fair after the Kolkata Book Fair. Held either in February or March, big name authors, including Surendra Mohan Pathak, are regularly hosted at this hugely popular event.
The fair is well respected for promoting national readership policies, and also supports the growing markets of neighboring countries. Kids are especially welcome, with youngsters having their own Children's Pavilion, which promotes children's literature and the national Readers Club movement.
Held every April in the Argentinian capital, the Buenos Aires International Book Fair is one of the top five literary-themed expos in the world.
The fair is orientated towards the literary community but also welcomes the general public, attracting many thousands of book lovers over its three-week duration.
Sweden's premier book fair is actually the largest literary festival in Scandinavia.
An annual event held in Gothenburg since 1985, the fair usually takes place in the last week of September and draws around 100,000 visitors and 900 exhibitors.
Every August, Edinburgh hosts its international book festival. The event is billed as "the world-leading festival of words, literature, and ideas."
Throughout the years, the festival has drawn a litany of celebrated wordsmiths and VIP authors. In 2008, Sean Connery used the event to launch his long-awaited memoir.
A free, public festival celebrating the written word, the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is the largest book festival in the United States, drawing approximately 150,000 attendees annually. Hosted as it is in the entertainment capital of the world, the festival attracts its fair share of celebrity authors.
Besides writers, the festival features publishers and vendors introduced through a series of panel discussions, workshops, and public readings. There's also storytelling, and performances for children, as well as the Los Angeles Times book prize ceremony.
The Bologna Children's Book Fair is the leading professional fair for children's books in the world. It's held annually for four days in March or April in Bologna, Italy.
The fair was canceled in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is yet to fully reopen, at least physically. However, the organizers are said to be creating a digital platform to fulfill the fair's main purpose: the international sale of rights and other publishing agreements.
Sources: (Susan Mears Agency) (TCK Publishing)
The International Kolkata Book Fair is the world's largest non-trade book fair, Asia's largest book fair, and the region's most attended literary-themed event.
The fair takes place in the winter months, either January or February, and regularly attracts over two million visitors.
The world's best book fairs and festivals
The annual literary events every book lover should attend
LIFESTYLE Literature
In this age of the mobile device, it's reassuring to know that there are still major events dedicated to promoting books. Around the world, annual book fairs and festivals attract thousands who love the printed word. And enjoying a good page-turner by a favorite author is as inspiring, entertaining, and educative as it's ever been. So, where can you browse the best book fairs and festivals?
Click on and read through this list of the most popular literary-themed events.