The International Kolkata Book Fair (formerly Calcutta Book Fair) is a winter fair in Kolkata. 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 (by publishers) and the most attended book fair in the world. It is the world's third-largest annual conglomeration of books after the Frankfurt Book Fair and the London Book Fair. Many Kolkatans consider the book fair an inherent part of Kolkata, and instances of people visiting the fair every day during its duration are not uncommon. The fair offers a typical fairground experience with a book flavour—with picnickers, singer-songwriters, and candy floss vendors. With a total footfall of over 2 million people, it is world's largest book fair by attendance.
The success of the Kolkata Book Fair has resulted in many book fairs in smaller cities in West Bengal like Siliguri, and also in Kolkata urban region itself. The book fair was inspired, in turn, by the Frankfurt Book Fair. In the year 2027, the Kolkata Book Fair will become the first Indian book fair to reach 50th edition, making it the oldest annual book fair of India. The New Delhi World Book Fair, though inaugurated in 1972, did not become an annual event till 2012, before which it was biennial.
The popularity of the Kolkata Book Fair was seminal in India being nominated the Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2006, according to the Frankfurt Book Fair organizers. The book fair has been celebrated in theatre, literature, songs and limericks in Kolkata.
The 44th International Kolkata Book Fair took place between 29 January and 9 February 2020 at the Central Park, Bidhannagar.
The 45th edition was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 45th International Kolkata Book Fair took place between 28 February 2022 and 13 march at the Central Park, Bidhannagar. The theme was Bangladesh.
The 48th International Kolkata Book Fair took place between 28 January and 9 February 2025 at the Boimela Prangan Karunamoyee, Salt Lake. Timing for 48th International Kolkata Book Fair is Daily 12 pm to 8 pm. The theme for 2025 is Germany.
Inception
The book fair was started on a small scale in 1976 by the Kolkata Publishers and Booksellers Guild. The book fair was started to meet the growing public demand for books.
Duration The 44th International Kolkata Book fair 2020 started on 29 January 2020 and ended on 9 February 2020. It was to be around a week-long event but popular demand forced authorities to extend the duration. Even though there is usually an extended holiday in Calcutta during the period of 23 January (Subhas Chandra Bose's birthday) to 26 January (Republic Day of India), the fair is held at the beginning of February to overlap with the payday of most Kolkatans.
The fair typically overlaps with the Hindu festival of Saraswati Puja. Saraswati is the Goddess of Learning, and hence many Hindu households observe the day by worshiping books on that day and not touching books for any other purpose. This practice causes a lower footfall on the corresponding day in the book fair.
Venue
Since year 2009, the fair has been held in its new location at Milan Mela near Science City on E.M. Bypass. The initial apprehension about reduced attendance at the new site has been proven wrong. Millions visited the book fair in 2009.
The fair used to be held on the Maidan, Asia's large urban park. It was being held at the Park Street end of the Maidan, due to a better road and rail network, having moved there from the other end of Maidan in 1991.
During the 1980s and early 1990s, Kolkata played host to two annual book fairs, one by the Kolkata Publishers and Booksellers Guild, and one by the Government of West Bengal − the Grontho Mela ('Grontho' is archaic Bengali word for book). 'Grontho Mela' was held from late December until early January and was the showcase for books published by Government-run publishing houses. While this was initially a rival commercial venture, the unprecedented growth of the 'Kolkata Book Fair' caused the Government of West Bengal to merge the two book fairs in 1992.
Conservation problems for the Victoria Memorial include high dust pollution, which is often accentuated by public fairs on the Maidan. The Kolkata High Court's 2004 decision to move all public fairs to the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass has not been greeted with enthusiasm by fair organizers due to the present location being in the heart of Kolkata, and being very well serviced by public transport. The book fair and a few other fairs, however, were granted special permission by the Kolkata High Court to continue holding the fair on the Maidan in 2005 and 2006. However, the choice of Maidan as the annual venue for the book fair is no longer certain.
A demand for a permanent round-the-year indoor space for the fair, comprising only some of the stalls, had been given by the fair authorities to the Government of West Bengal. The former Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mr. Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, in a statement in 2005, had agreed to this request but no progress has been made on this front.
However, many Kolkatans feel that the fair will lose its ambience if it is held indoors or away from the Maidan, which is a vast stretch of green in the heart of the city. After a yearlong uncertainty, the world's largest non-trade book fair, settled for Park Circus Maidan to host the literary carnival in 2008.
However, organisers of Asia's biggest book fair remained apprehensive, keeping in mind the disgrace in January 2007 when the Kolkata High Court did not allow them to host the fair at the Maidan on environmental grounds. The Publishers and Booksellers Guild had to shift the most-awaited cultural event to Milan Mela ground near Science City in 2007 after the city's green brigade won a legal battle to block the fair at the Maidan. The fair took place over there annually from 2007 to 2017.From 2018 onwards, The fair takes place in Salt Lake Karunamoyee grounds.
Kolkata Book Fair 2023
Kolkata Book Fair 2022 The 45th International Kolkata Book fair held from 28 February to 13 March at Salt Lake, Central Park. Bangladesh is the theme country for Book Fair 2022. Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal and Bangladesh State Minister for Cultural Affairs, K. M. Khalid inaugurated the fair. In this occasion Banerjee renamed the ground as Boimela Prangon. The 45th Book fair was postponed from 2 years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kolkata Book Fair 2021 The International Kolkata Book fair which was supposed to be held in January–February 2021, was cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Kolkata Book Fair 2020 The 44th International Kolkata Book fair was held from 29 January to 9 February. Russia was the theme country for IKBF 2020, with the Russia Pavilion hosting sessions by various Russian authors and speakers. The owl 'Tito' was adopted as the mascot for the Kolkata Book Fair 2020.
Kolkata Book Fair 2019 The 43rd International Kolkata Book Fair was held from 31 January to 11 February 2019. The book fair was inaugurated by Hon'ble Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee and other distinguished writers were present on the dais as Morales declared the fair open by striking the customary gong at the new venue Central Park ground in Salt Lake. Due to undergoing construction the venue was shifted from Milan Mela ground to Salt lake Central Park. Visitors were allowed from 12 noon to 8 pm every day.
According to an organizer of the event, English books are seen as a status symbol, and are sometimes carried by people who do not even know English. Sometimes parents will encourage their children to read books in English, rather than their native language.BBC, The World This Week, 9 February 2019
The theme country for IKBF 2019 was Guatemala. Keeping the theme in mind the two main gates showcased Guatemala architecture.
Kolkata Book Fair 2018 The 42nd International Kolkata Book Fair was held from 30 January to 11 February 2018. The opening ceremony was done with the students of AIS(Adamas International School) The focal theme was France. The book fair was inaugurated by Honorable Chief Minister of West Bengal, Smt. Mamata Banerjee, in the presence of Special Guest Ms. Francoise Nyssen, Hon'ble Minister of Culture & Communication, France.
Kolkata Book Fair 2017 The 41st International Kolkata Book Fair was held from 25 January – 5 February 2017. The focal theme was Costa Rica. The book fair was inaugurated by Honorable Chief Minister of West Bengal, Smt. Mamata Banerjee.
Kolkata Book Fair 2016
The 40th International Kolkata Book Fair was held from 27 January to 7 February 2016. Bolivia was the Focal Theme Country in 2016. The year which is coincidentally the 50th year of Che Guevara's immortal struggle against imperialism in Bolivia. The book fair was inaugurated by Ms Magela Baudoin, a noted litterateur and novelist of the Focal Theme Country, Bolivia, in the presence of our Honored Chief Guest, Honorable Chief Minister of West Bengal, Smt. Mamata Banerjee and other dignitaries.
Kolkata Book Fair 2015
The 39th International Kolkata Book Fair 2015 was inaugurated on 27 January at 4:00 pm, Tuesday by the Honorable Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banarjee. The fair is held between 28 January and 8 February from 1 pm to 8 pm.
The focal theme of the 2015 fair is Great Britain.
Kolkata Book Fair 2014
The 38th International Kolkata Book Fair 2014 was inaugurated on 28 January at 4:30 pm by the Honorable Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banarjee. The fair was held between 29 January and 9 February from 1PM to 8PM.
The focal theme of the 2014 fair was Peru. Wikipedia, world's largest multilingual free Internet encyclopaedia, also made its debut at the 38th International Kolkata Book Fair, where it launched a campaign "to sign up volunteers who can contribute to enrich" the Bengali language version of Wikipedia. The Book Seller and Publisher Guild introduced the Book Privilege Card in 2014 for the internet-savvy readers. A printout of the mail will serve as the Privilege Card that gives an additional 15% discount on the purchase of books worth 500 and above.
Kolkata Book Fair 2013 The 37th International Kolkata Book Fair 2013 was inaugurated on 26 January 2013 and stayed operational from 30 January to 10 February 2013. The focal theme this year was "Bangladesh". Nearly 1.9 million book lovers visited this fair. The duration of the 2013 Kolkata Book Fair was extended by three days, following a request from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, to help small and medium-sized publishers. The 37th edition of the popular fair started on 26 January in the state capital instead of 29 January and ended on 10 February as scheduled earlier. The fair did a business of over Rs.20 crore. Besides the focus country of Bangladesh, Britain, the US, Italy, Vietnam, China, Israel and Costa Rica set up book pavilions at the fair. Also, Nobel laureates, writers, dramatists and musicians from various countries took part in the Kolkata Literary Meet to mark the centenary of poet-writer Rabindranath Tagore winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. Iconic Bengali writer Sunil Gangopadhyay, who died in October 2013, was remembered at the event through speeches and an award instituted in his memory.
Kolkata Book Fair 2012 The 36th International Kolkata Book Fair 2012 flagged off on 25 January 2012 and was operational till 5 February 2012. The focal theme this year was Italy. West Bengal's newly appointed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the Kolkata Book Fair on 24 January 2012 at 4:30 pm. This year many fire prevention measures were taken, in consideration of recent fire incidents in Kolkata such as the AMRI Hospital tragedy.
Power cut