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The curtain will rise on the Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2026 today as Prime Minister Tarique Rahman inaugurates the country’s biggest book fiesta at 2pm, following weeks of theatrics staged by the Bangla Academy, the organiser of the fair, and a section of publishers.
This year, the fair will continue until 15 March. It will be open every day from 2pm to 9pm, while on holidays it will start at 11am and continue until 9pm. After 8:30pm, no new visitors will be allowed to enter the fairgrounds.
On the eve of its opening on Wednesday, the fairgrounds were still echoing with the rhythmic knock of hammers. Workers were hurrying to finish stalls, stacking fresh books and adding the final touches of colour and craft, as the country’s most cherished literary gathering prepared to welcome bookworms once again.
Publishers in a hurry
Publishers were seen having a hectic time settling matters ahead of the opening of the grand event, though many fear they will have to begin in a somewhat unprepared state amid a lack of readiness, trying to complete stall decorations within two to three days.
“We have been trying our best to complete everything in time. Workers are working round the clock. But it will be very tough to start smoothly, as we received stall allocation only two days before the opening,” said Syed Zakir Hossain, publisher and chief executive officer of Adorn Publication, speaking to the Daily Sun.
He said that despite anticipating probable losses, they were participating in the fair at the request of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, in order to make the new government’s initiative successful amid what he described as the inconsistent approach of the Bangla Academy.
“This fair will be more a matter of formality, maintaining the tradition of holding a book fair in February. I do not know how many readers will visit the fair during the month of Ramadan, when educational institutions will remain closed,” he added.
549 publishing houses participating in the fair
A total of 549 publishing houses are participating in this year’s book fair, with 81 at the Bangla Academy premises and 468 at the Suhrawardy Udyan section, making a total of 1,018 units.
Last year, 708 publishing houses participated, with a total of 1,084 units. According to information from the fair committee, the number of participating publishers has decreased this year.
The Little Magazine Corner will be located under the trees near the open stage at Suhrawardy Udyan, where 87 stalls have been allocated for little magazines.
Additionally, the Children’s Corner will feature a total of 63 institutions and 107 units.
Fair Committee Member Secretary Selim Reza said, “This year, the layout of the book fair has been kept largely the same as last year, although some structural changes have been made.”
The Bangla Academy and other participating publishers will sell books on a 25 per cent commission basis at the fair, while government institutions will sell books at their designated commission rates.
Food stalls at a corner, security arrangements tight
Food stalls will once again be set up along the boundary of the Institution of Engineers.
Arrangements for book cover unveiling ceremonies at Suhrawardy Udyan will be managed by the Bangladesh Police, RAB, Ansar and various intelligence agencies.
For security, the fair will have a closed-circuit camera system in place. The book fair will be polythene-free and smoking will be prohibited.
Cultural programmes
Subject-based seminars will be held on the main stage of the book fair every day from 3pm to 4pm, followed by cultural programmes from 4pm to 5pm.
The fair will feature a “Children’s Hour” from 11am to 1pm every Friday and Saturday. As part of the Amar Ekushey celebrations, competitions in drawing, recitation and music will be organised for children and adolescents.
Additionally, in observance of the month of Ramadan, arrangements will be made for Tarawih prayers for visitors at the Suhrawardy Udyan section of the fair.
Participation of all major publishing houses seen as a success
Keeping the 13th National Parliamentary Elections in mind, the Bangla Academy initially decided to hold the book fair earlier, in December.
Later, on 28 September last year, the organising institution announced in a notice that the decision had been “postponed”.
After a meeting with a delegation from the Bangladesh Book Publishers and Sellers Association on 2 November, the Bangla Academy decided to hold the fair in February, immediately after the elections.
Following the announcement of the election schedule, the Bangla Academy stated that the book fair would begin on 20 February. However, publishers requested that it be postponed and held after Eid.
Prokashok Oikko, a platform representing over 300 publishers, placed four demands in this regard. When the government accepted all of their demands on 18 February, the platform announced its participation. However, on Saturday, it backtracked, alleging a lack of transparency in stall allocation and inadequate preparation time.
The platform finally decided to participate in the fair on Monday, changing its position for at least the fourth time, after the government declared that it would cancel the allocation of pavilions.