49th International Kolkata Book Fair to begin from January 22

The 49th International Kolkata Book Fair is set to begin on January 22, 2026, announced the organisers on Monday (November 3,2025). The theme country for this edition of the annual book fair is the Latin American country, Argentina. 

The book fair will take place between January 22 to February 3, at the Boimela Prangan, Karunamoyee, Salt Lake. The fair will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in presence of authors, artists, scholars, and poets. 

“Currently the International Kolkata Book Fair is the world’s largest attended non-trade book festival. Twenty-seven lakh book lovers visited the last book fair in 2025 and the book sales amounted to ₹23 crores,” an official from the organisers said.

The focal theme country logo was also unveiled on Monday.  Argentina will be a part the book fair for the first time since its beginning. “We sincerely believe that this will contribute towards building stronger bilateral cultural relationship between the two countries,” the organisers said. 

Mr. Andrés Sebastián Rojas, Head of the Political and Cultural Section of the Embassy of Argentina in India and Mrs Anandi Queipo Riavitz, Head of the Consular Section of the Embassy of Argentina in India were also present at the formal book fair launch ceremony. 

Countries like Great Britain, USA, Germany, Australia, France, Spain, Peru, Colombia, Japan, Thailand and other Latin American Countries will be participating in the upcoming book fair. Besides, there will be publications from other states of India, like, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar, Assam, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Odisha, Tripura, and others. 

Silver jubilee year 

As 2027 will be the silver jubilee year of the Kolkata International Book Fair, the organisers have urged photographers to share their iconic archival photos of the fair taken over the first two decades of its existence from 1976 to 1996. 

“The best 10 rare and nostalgic photographs will be awarded. The selected photographs will also be exhibited in the Press Corner of 2026. We also intend to publish those photographs in the 50 years’ Souvenir of the IKBF,” the organisers said.