After their last successful event in 2019, the Riyadh International Book Fair is set to double in size when it is to be held this October. This will be the first time the fair will be managed by the Kingdom's Literature Publishing and Translation Commission, one of several established by the Kingdom's Ministry of Culture to promote the best books and publishing houses to Saudi readers.
2019 was a successful year for the Riyadh International Book Fair, which saw over a million visitors taking part at the event. Despite unveiling a new logo for 2020, the planned event was postponed till 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
An important new step for emerging Saudi authors and publishers.https://t.co/6uLNg2sPq4
— About Her (@AboutHerOFCL) June 12, 2021
This year's fair, however, is set to go even further with the Literature Publishing and Translation Commission aiming to expand the number of participating publishing houses. For the first time ever, there will also be a conference for international publishers to stay in touch with publishing houses and institutions from across the region.
"I call on all local, Arab, and international publishing houses to participate in Riyadh International Book Fair whose capacity will be doubled," the culture minister, Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, stated this week via Twitter. Registration for this year's fair is open throughout the month of July. Interested participants may visit riyadhbookfair.org.sa for more details and to sign up to be part of the upcoming event.
This event, although impressive in size, is not the only fair in the Kingdom that attracts bibliophiles from far and wide. In fact, Saudi Arabia is no stranger when it comes to its love for book fairs. Other cities such as Jeddah have also successfully held theirs with millions of visitors received. However, Riyadh International Book Fair is said to be one of the Kingdom's largest book fairs till date, followed by Jeddah International Book Fair.
