The nineteenth edition of the Bookfest International Book Fair will take place Wednesday through Sunday at Romexpo, with book lovers invited to attend 455 events organised by 158 exhibitors, marking twenty years since the first edition launched by Gabriel Liiceanu in 2006.

'At this nineteenth edition we will have 158 exhibitors and 455 events taking place in the shared spaces and at publishers' stands. There will be a dedicated stand for the Frankfurt Book Fair and six publishers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, along with fair officials, will come to meet Romanian publishers in preparation for Romania's participation as Guest of Honour at the 2028 Frankfurt Book Fair. Bookfest has been a strategic project of the Ministry of Culture for the past four years and has benefited from the High Patronage of the President of Romania since 2016,' Dan Croitoru, member of the Board of the Romanian Publishers Association and Editorial Director of Polirom, told the press conference announcing the event.

Bookfest is preparing a spectacular anniversary edition, with Bulgaria as this year's Guest of Honour.

Among the cultural figures who will appear on the open stages and at publishers' stands are Georgi Gospodinov, Mircea Cartarescu, Gabriela Adamesteanu, Gabriel Liiceanu, Cristian Tudor Popescu, Theodor Paleologu, Doina Rusti, Radu Paraschivescu, Horia-Roman Patapievici, Tatiana Niculescu, Mircea Mihaies, Catalin Vasilescu, Dan-Liviu Boeriu, Lucian Croitoru, Catherine Lovey, Nadia Comaneci, Margareta Paslaru, Igor Bergler, Alex Donovici, Alec Blenche, Veronica D. Niculescu and many others.

Leading authors from Bulgaria and Romania will welcome readers throughout the five-day event with their latest titles and book-signing sessions. Georgi Gospodinov and Mircea Cartarescu, two of the most important writers in contemporary Europe, will engage in a public dialogue on the very first day of Bookfest.

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Bulgaria will come to Bucharest with an impressive delegation of 14 writers, poets and children's authors representing some of the most important voices in contemporary Bulgarian literature. The public will be able to meet them both at events organised at Romexpo and during a series of discussions, book launches and readings taking place in bookshops and cultural venues across the city.

One of the most eagerly anticipated guests at Bookfest 2026 is Georgi Gospodinov, widely regarded as one of Europe's leading contemporary authors. Readers will have the opportunity to meet him both at Bookfest and at a separate event taking place outside the fair.

On Wednesday, following the official opening of this year's edition of Bookfest at 12:00 on the Arena Stage, the inauguration of Bulgaria's national stand will take place at 12:30.

Later the same day, at 18:00, Georgi Gospodinov will enter into dialogue with Mircea Cartarescu on the Arena Stage, with cultural journalist Mirela Nagat hosting the event. The following day, Thursday, at 19:00, Humanitas Bookshop at Cismigiu will host the launch of the most recent Romanian translation of his work, the novel 'Death and The Gardenerm,' published this year by Anansi. World Fiction in a translation by Mariana Mangiulea Jatop.

Other Bulgarian participants at the fair will include Ioanna Elmy, Elena Alexieva, Kostadin Kostadinov, Petia Kokudeva and Nadejda Radulova. In addition, Todor P. Todorov, the Bulgarian writer nominated for the European Union Prize for Literature in 2024, will take part in a discussion at Bookfest 2026 with Romanian writer Bogdan Cretu, nominated for the same prize in 2025.

On the opening day of Bookfest, at 17:00, the latest issue of LIK magazine, themed 'BG SPA - Health Through Water.' will be presented at the Bulgarian Stand. Guests will include AGERPRES National News Agency Director General Claudia Nicolae, BTA Bulgarian News Agency Director General Kiril Valchev and Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to Romania Radko Vlaykov. The event will be moderated by journalist Martina Ganceva.

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Publishers have prepared special promotional packages and discounts for visitors throughout the duration of the book fair.

Bookfest Bucharest 2026 will be open to visitors from 10:00 to 20:00 on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, and from 10:00 to 21:00 on Friday and Saturday. As with all previous editions of the fair, admission will be free of charge.

The Bookfest Book Fair is organised by the Romanian Publishers Association under the auspices of the Romanian Publishers Federation.

Bookfest is the most important book fair in Romania and the only event in the publishing industry to have developed a significant international dimension.

At previous international editions, the guest countries have included Spain, Hungary, France, the German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria and Switzerland), Poland, the Czech Republic, Israel, Sweden, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Italy and the Republic of Moldova.

The Bookfest Book Fair also holds local editions in Timisoara, Cluj-Napoca, Targu Mures and Brasov, as well as another international edition in Chisinau. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Daniel Popescu; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)