Book Fairs/Literary Festivals

Europe’s vast range of literary events includes some of the oldest and most venerated in the world. Use the search menu below to find events across the continent.

Selected festivals

The international literature festival berlin (ilb) ranks as one of the world’s most important literary events. Its comprehensive stylistic and thematic spectrum is unique – encompassing prose, poetry, non-fiction, graphic novels as well as children’s and young adult literature. The festival is usually held in September.

Frankfurter Buchmesse is the international publishing industry’s biggest trade fair, with some 7,450 exhibitors from more than 100 countries, more than 300,000 visitors, over 4,000 events and some 10,000 accredited journalists in attendance. With BOOKFEST – Frankfurter Buchmesse’s international festival for literature, stories and ideas – there are also exciting events taking place around the city in October.

Under the patronage of the Bavarian State Minister for Science and the Arts, the International Youth Library has been organizing the White Ravens Festival for International Children’s and Youth Literature for the seventh time in the summer of 2023. For five days in July, authors from Germany and abroad will read from their books for children and young adults, lead workshops and writing workshops, and talk about themselves and their work in panel discussions.

Frankfurter Buchmesse is the international publishing industry’s biggest trade fair, with some 7,450 exhibitors from more than 100 countries, more than 300,000 visitors, over 4,000 events and some 10,000 accredited journalists in attendance. With BOOKFEST – Frankfurter Buchmesse’s international festival for literature, stories and ideas – there are also exciting events taking place around the city in October.

With up to 200 events and its own programme for children (lit.kid.COLOGNE), lit.COLOGNE is one of the largest literature festivals in Europe.
In terms of programming, lit.COLOGNE is characterised by encounters between authors and artists from all disciplines, by events on political and journalistic topics, as well as by specially conceived and written programmes on literary themes taking place in autumn.

Leipzig Book Fair is the most important get-together in the spring for the book and media industry. The event connects readers with authors, publishers and media companies from Germany and around the world. During the last edition of the book fair, 2,500 exhibitors from 46 countries presented their new books to be published during spring, with 286,000 visitors attending the exhibition grounds and throughout the city. Leipzig Book Fair is held in conjunction with the Manga-Comic-Con and the Leipzig liest (“Leipzig reads”) reading festival.

Leipzig Book Fair is the most important get-together in the spring for the book and media industry. The event connects readers with authors, publishers and media companies from Germany and around the world. During the last edition of the book fair, 2,500 exhibitors from 46 countries presented their new books to be published during spring, with 286,000 visitors attending the exhibition grounds and throughout the city. Leipzig Book Fair is held in conjunction with the Manga-Comic-Con and the Leipzig liest (“Leipzig reads”) reading festival.