The Riyadh International Book Fair is a trade fair for displaying and selling books. It is one of the most important Arab book fairs regarding the number of visitors, sales volume, diversity of cultural programs, and number of publishing houses. In its first edition, supervised by the Ministry of Culture and held in 2021, more than one thousand local and international publishing houses participated. The fair, held in Riyadh, the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, lasts ten days and is visited by more than one million people.
History of the Riyadh International Book Fair
The fair started from the corridors of King Saud University, with the university organizing its first fair in 1977. The Ministry of Higher Education undertook the organization and supervision of book fairs until 2007. The responsibility then shifted to the Ministry of Media when it was under the name of the Ministry of Culture and Media. Later, the Ministry of Culture, which separated from the Ministry of Media in 2018, undertook the organization and supervision of book fairs through the Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission. The Riyadh International Book Fair 2021 was the first fair organized by the Commission after it was postponed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fair is held at the Riyadh Front.
Riyadh International Book Fair Events
In addition to displaying and selling books, the Riyadh International Book Fair hosts a variety of cultural activities, such as book signing events, dedicated pavilions for presenting knowledge and cultural services, pavilions for discounted books, and sections for authors who do not have publishing houses to showcase their work. There are also seminars, lectures, workshops, theatrical and cinematic shows, poetry evenings, events designed specifically for children, and the honoring of the Cultural Personality of the Year.
Competitions organized by significant entities, such as the Ministry of Media, cultural initiatives, and spaces for displaying paintings and artworks, are hosted at the exhibition. Additionally, the Kingdom hosts a guest of honor country each year at the fair, dedicating a pavilion to showcase its culture, historical heritage, works, and literary and knowledge publications to the visitors of the fair.
Riyadh International Book Fair logos
The fair adopts a yearly verbal slogan for the event. In 2022, its slogan was Seasons of Culture. In 2021, it was A New Destination, A New Chapter. In 2019, the slogan was The Book, the Gateway to the Future. In 2018, it was The Book, the Future of Transformation. And in 2017, The Book, Vision and Transformation. The visual emblem of the fair has undergone three phases, according to the entities that successively organized it. When the Ministry of Culture and Media was in charge, the symbol featured the Riyadh TV tower adorned with two crossed swords and a palm tree, alongside a depiction of an open book in blue. After the Ministry of Culture was separated from the Ministry of Media, the logo was modified to retain the two crossed swords and palm trees, but its color was changed to green. Finally, when the Ministry of Culture took over the organizing task, the logo was redesigned to feature colorful book spines, reflecting the identity colors of the Ministry of Culture.
The Riyadh International Book Fair in 2019 witnessed the participation of more than 913 publishing houses and institutions from thirty Arab and foreign countries. In the Riyadh International Book Fair 2021, one thousand publishing houses from twenty-eight countries participated. The 2022 edition, which took place from September 29 to October 8, witnessed the participation of 1,200 publishing and agency houses representing thirty-two countries.
Riyadh International Book Fair participants and schedule
The fair is not limited to the participation of publishing houses but also involves governmental and private entities, including ministries, authorities, and universities, displaying everything related to them, such as publications, brochures, and knowledge and cultural activities.
Typically, the first day of the exhibition is dedicated to the opening ceremony, sponsored by the King and opened by the Minister of Culture or his representative, with the attendance of representatives from the guest of honor country. Attendance on this day is limited to guests who have received special invitations. On the following day, the public is welcome to attend. Usually, specific morning hours are allocated to welcome school students on school trips to the fair.
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