World's Top 15 International Book Fairs and Festivals

To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life. - W. Somerset Maugham.

International Book Fairs News & Resources

• 2023 book fairs - International Publishers Association.
• 2023 International Book Fair Calendar - "World Literary Review."
• book fairs - Wikipedia.
• Frankfurt Book Fair - Wikipedia.
• Greta Thunberg accuses Edinburgh book festival sponsor of ‘greenwashing - "Climate activist pulls out of event, saying sponsor Baillie Gifford invests heavily in fossil fuel industry."
• Kolkata Book Fair - Wikipedia.
• London Book Fair - Wikipedia.
• Schedule of events at Cairo International Book Fair on Friday - "On Friday, the second day of the 54th Cairo International Book Fair, held under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture, Al-Masry Al-Youm published the schedule of various events that will be held, Friday, as announced by the Ministry of Culture."
• Top 100 Books & Publishing Events - "Ranking of popular trade fairs, trade shows & conferences you should participate. The only global event ranking table to calibrate the performance of events in their core missions after carefully considering factors like: audience reach, opportunities created, size, rating, format and international outlook."
• Welcome to the London Book Fair, Where Everyone Knows Their Place - "If you want to understand the power map of the publishing industry, just look at this event’s floor plan."

World's 15 Important Annual International Book Fairs & Festivals

• Beijing International Book Fair | BIBF - since 1986. The largest publishing industry event in the Asian Market.
• 60th Bologna Children's Book Fair | La fiera del libro per ragazzi - "The rights place for children's content." Since 1963, it is held yearly for four days in March or April in Bologna, Italy. It is the meeting place for all professionals involved with creating and publishing children's books, and is mainly used for the buying and selling of rights, both for translations and for derived products like movies or animated series. March 6-9.
• Brooklyn Book Festival - since 2006. Annual book fair held in Brooklyn, New York. Unlike most book fairs, the Brooklyn Book Festival caters to the adult readership, although they also feature numerous activities and readings for children. The festival includes themed readings, panel discussions, vendors, and author signings. September 25 - October 3, 2022.
• 54th Cairo International Book Fair - since 1969. The largest and oldest book fair in the Arab world, held every year in the last week of January in Cairo, Egypt, at Egypt International Exhibitions Center in New Cairo, it is organised by the General Egyptian Book Organisation. The Fair is considered the most important event in the Arabic publishing world. January 24 - February 6.
• Edinburgh International Book Festival - since 1983. Book festival that takes place in the last three weeks of August every year in Charlotte Square in the centre of Scotland's capital city, Edinburgh. Billed as The largest festival of its kind in the world, the festival hosts a concentrated flurry of cultural and political talks and debates, along with its well-established children's events programme. August 12-28.
• Festival du Livre de Paris Book Fair - since 1981. (Appelé Salon du livre de Paris avant 2016). "The main French literary event Livre Paris takes place in March every year since 1981. Created by the French Publishers Association, the Paris Book Fair has become a rich and culturally diverse event, open to the main contemporary catalogues of the publishing industry." April 21-23.
• 76th FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR | FRANKFURTER BUCHMESSE - since 1949. World's largest trade fair for books, based on the number of publishing companies represented. 16 to 20 October 2024.
• Hay Festival of Literature & Arts - since 1988. "Imagine the World." Annual literature festival held in Hay-on-Wye, Powys, Wales, U.K. for ten days from May to June. Described by Bill Clinton in 2001 as "The Woodstock of the mind". May 26 - June 5, 2022.
• HONG KONG BOOK FAIR - since 1990. "Reading The World - The More, The Merrier." Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, held annually (usually in the middle of July) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. July 20-26, 2022.
• 45th International Kolkata Book Fair - since 1976. It is a unique book fair in the sense of not being a trade fair - the book fair is primarily for the general public rather than whole-sale distributors. It is the world's largest non-trade book fair, Asia's largest book fair and the most attended book fair. It is the world's third largest annual conglomeration of books after the Frankfurt Book Fair and the London Book Fair. February 28 - March 13, 2022.
• 13ème le Salon International du Livre de Monaco - since 2012. "Le Salon International du Livre de Monaco est organisé par Les Rencontres Littéraires Fabian Boisson. Yvette Gazza-Cellario en est la présidente-fondatrice." Rendez-vous samedi 7 et dimanche 8 septembre 2024 au Grimaldi Forum Monaco de 10h à 18h.
• LEIPZIG BOOK FAIR - second largest book fair in Germany after the Frankfurt Book Fair. Held annually in March. ecame the largest book fair in Germany in 1632 when it topped the fair in Frankfurt am Main in the number of books presented. It remained on top until 1945 when Frankfurt surpassed it to regain the number one spot. March 27-30, 2025.
• LONDON BOOK FAIR - since 1971. "Defining the future of creative content." Large book-publishing trade fair held annually, usually in April. March 11-13, 2025.
• 36th Moscow International Book Fair | MIBF - since 1977. The largest and the most representative international book forum in Russia, the most significant annual event for the Russian book industry. This year, the 36th Moscow International Book Fair will take place from August 30 to September 3 in the Central Exhibition Complex "Expocentre" on the Krasnopresnenskaya embankment. The venue of the book fair has been changed due to reasons beyond the control of the organizers.
• NY Art Book Fair - Printed Matter, Inc's annual event that occurs at MoMA PS1 in Long Island City, New York, usually near the end of the month of September. October 13-16, 2022.
• Quebec International Book Fair | Salon international du livre de QuÉbec - The theme "Books without borders", a focus on both young people's literature and international literature. Several authors from around the world will be in attendance and different events will be organized in association with the show. Upcoming dates TBA.
• TOKYO ART BOOK FAIR | TABF - since 2009. Held annually, it gathers independent publishers, gallery presses, bookshops as well as individual artists and groups. The fair has seen constant growth in its scale and content over the years, and the event now gathers more than 350 participants from Japan and abroad and attracts more than 20,000 visitors every year. Venue: Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo. October 27-30, 2022.
• 34th turin international book fair | Salone Internazionale del Libro di Torino - "The largest fair of Italian publishing since 1988." One of the largest book fairs in the world. Held annually in mid-May. May 19-23, 2022.