The 19th edition of the Bookfest International Book Fair opened on Wednesday at Romexpo in the presence of representatives of the authorities, the publishing environment and the diplomatic community. This year's guest of honour is Bulgaria.

At the opening ceremony, outgoing Minister of Culture Demeter Andras Istvan described Bookfest as 'a remarkable cultural event in Romania and a benchmark for the European publishing world.'

'I welcome all participants to the fair and extend special thanks to the guest of honour, Bulgaria. In an age dominated by speed, instant information and the challenges of technology, the book remains one of the most powerful tools for personal development, offering knowledge and discernment, an understanding of the world and perhaps, most importantly, a path towards understanding ourselves. Civilisations have been built on ideas and ideas have circulated through books. Supporting reading is not only an educational act but also an effort to uphold freedom of thought, freedom of expression, dialogue and the building of those bridges of communication between people, communities and cultures that give us a fundamental sense of belonging to humanity,' said Demeter Andras Istvan.

Photo: SILVIU MATEI / AGERPRES FOTO
The minister said that Bookfest has remained for nearly two decades a space for encounters and, above all, for the meaningful encounters of minds and ideas that truly matter. He also brought to mind that Romania will be the guest of honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair, the world's oldest and most important book fair, in 2028.

'When I signed this agreement in February, I knew not only that we as a country were ready for this moment, but also that we had partners such as the Romanian Publishers Association (AER) with whom this presence will be a genuine triumph. I also have the pleasure and honour of welcoming representatives of the Frankfurt Book Fair, who are here today and throughout these days,' the minister said.

Demeter Andras Istvan stressed that the Ministry of Culture will remain 'a protector of creators, publishers and all those who contribute to promoting reading and developing Romania's cultural heritage.'

'By investing in culture, as much as we can, although for now it is still not enough, we invest in the future of a nation. This year we supported Bookfest as a strategic project and, because the Ministry's support alone would not have been sufficient, particularly this year, I thank everyone who contributed to making this event not only possible but much more than that,' he added.

Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to Romania Radko Vlaykov highlighted the historical ties between the two countries and Romania's centuries-long tradition of hospitality.

Photo:SILVIU MATEI / AGERPRES FOTO
We see this invitation as a sign of centuries of hospitality from Romania towards Bulgaria and Bulgarian writers and cultural figures. It is a centuries-old hospitality because, in the middle of the 19th century, many Bulgarians who are shining figures in our history, such as Botev and Levski, lived and worked here and prepared the Revolution for Bulgaria's liberation. Here in Bucharest, in 1870, there were seven Bulgarian printing houses and almost all the periodicals that were later distributed in Bulgaria were printed there. In 1896, the foundations of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences were established in Braila, the Bulgarian diplomat emphasised.

The ambassador also expressed hope that Bookfest would help attract young people to reading printed books.

I believe this fair will have a major effect and significant influence on young people, encouraging them to step away from electronic devices for a while and pay greater attention to books printed on paper. (...) It is very important that we continue to have printed books, Radko Vlaykov added.

Bucharest's General Mayor Ciprian Ciucu announced that the Bucharest City Hall and ARCUB have begun drafting a new cultural strategy for the capital, which is expected to be finalised by the end of the year.

Photo:SILVIU MATEI / AGERPRES FOTO
'As for Bucharest, I can tell you a few things. First of all, this year the cultural strategy of the Municipality of Bucharest expires, a strategy that was never really implemented. We are very good at writing strategies, we have shelves full of them, but we forget to follow them. However, I can already announce, and this is news, that Bucharest City Hall together with ARCUB has begun a process through which, by the end of the year, I hope we will have a cultural strategy for Bucharest, because Bucharest has enormous but underutilised potential. (...) Many festivals take place here and we host the country's most important book fairs,' Ciucu said.

He added that publishers and representatives of the book industry would be consulted during the drafting process.

'Publishers will certainly be invited to discuss Bucharest's cultural strategy, which will be both a strategic planning and budgeting document, and I emphasise budgeting because we often write things into strategies but, if we do not allocate funds, they never happen. (...) If the cultural strategy highlights, as I believe it will, the importance of supporting this field (Bookfest, ed. n.), we will certainly become more involved because it will be a participatory strategy. Sociological studies will be conducted regarding the cultural consumption habits of Bucharest residents and the potential we have. Once again, I want to stress that we cannot speak of a coherent and comprehensive cultural strategy if it does not also include books,' the mayor said.

During the event, moderated by Humanitas Publishing House Director General Lidia Bodea, Romanian Publishers Association representative and State Counsellor Roxana Butnaru presented the organisers of Bookfest with the diploma of the High Patronage of the President of Romania, stressing that it represents 'recognition of the important contribution this event makes to promoting reading, written culture and dialogue in Romanian society.'

At the end of the event, Lidia Bodea announced that Greece will be the guest of honour at the 2027 edition of Bookfest.

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The 19th edition of the Bookfest International Book Fair takes place from Wednesday to Sunday at Romexpo. Twenty years after the first edition, launched by Gabriel Liiceanu in 2006, book lovers are invited to attend 455 events organised by 158 exhibitors.

Bookfest announced a special anniversary edition, with Bulgaria being this year's guest of honour, while leading authors from Bulgaria and Romania will welcome readers throughout the five-day event with their latest titles and book-signing sessions.

Publishers have prepared special offers and discounts for visitors throughout the duration of the fair.

Bookfest Bucharest 2026 can be visited between 10:00 and 20:00 on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, and between 10:00 and 21:00 on Friday and Saturday. As with all previous editions, admission is free.

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

Bookfest is Romania's most important book fair and the only event in the publishing industry to have achieved a significant international dimension. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Daniel Popescu, Petronius Craiu; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)