2024 is looking likely to break book fair records around the globe.
India’s just concluded Kolkata International Book Fair clocked 2.9 million visitors this year, with sales of Rs 280 million ($3.4 million).
Both counts were new records for Kolkata, and put the giant Indian book fair in the running for the third largest book fair in the world in 2024. As of right now it is at number two, behind Egypt’s Cairo International Book Fair.
Cairo still has a few days to go, but has already clocked 3.5 million footfall in its first nine days, so is expected to easily beat it’s 3.6-3.7 million visitor record of 2023. Do check out the Limassol International Book Fair report from Cairo.
UPDATE: Cairo IBF 2024 closed its gates with record 4.6 million visitors.
The ongoing Amar Ekushey Boi Mela in Bangladesh is likely to retain the top spot, with around 6 million visitors, but that event happens across the entire month of February, and this year gets an extra day thrown in as 2024 is a leap year.
Last year Spain’s Madrid Book Fair took third place with 3 million visitors in 2023, but we’ll have to wait until the summer to see if that number can be matched or beaten this year.
Other contenders include India’s New Delhi World Book Fair, and the usually 2-million plus club of Sharjah, Algiers and Teheran.
Last month Chennai took a hit with exceptional rains keeping attendance down to “only” 900,000, but despite this, 2024 is looking likely to break book fair records around the globe.
More on all these events as the data comes in and as time permits between school commitments here in The Gambia, West Africa.
Meantime spare a thought for poor Gareth Rapley at the The London Book Fair, who quaintly believes #LBF is the first international publishing event of 2024.
They say ignorance is bliss.
This post first appeared in the TNPS LinkedIn newsfeed.
