If you're a reader who believes that books are more than just ink on paper, New Delhi World Book Fair 2025 is where you need to be. The event celebrate cultures, books and literature. To commemorate 75 years of India as a republic, ‘Republic@75’ is the theme given to the book fair this year.
Scheduled from February 1 to 9, at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, the fair is a flagship event of the Ministry of Education, organised by the National Book Trust of India. “It will feature over 2,000 exhibitors and publishers, with an estimated footfall of around 20 lakh visitors,” NBT chairman Professor Milind Sudhakar Marathe said.
NBT director Yuvraj Malik said the event will receive guests and literary notables from over 50 countries. However, Russia will be the prime focus of the international halls with the pavilion titled ‘Roos Se Aayi Kitabein (Books from Russia)’, he said.
Festival of Festivals (FoF), will be one of the biggest attractions, and will bring major book festivals and literary platforms—like the Jaipur Literature Festival, Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival, Bengaluru Poetry Festival, and others—on a shared stage. Another highlight is the India Book Tour, a special programme to connect writers and readers across the country. Number of artistic and literary performances will take place at the amphitheatre. Malik noted that a special Russian performance will be held every day.
Pankaj Tripathi, Phonsokh Ladakhi, Pushpesh Pant, Shashi Tharoor, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and other prominent figures will grace the event with their sessions.
Visitors can interact with authors at the Authors’ Lounge and explore a number of illustrations at the Illustrators’ Corner. “This is the first time we are introducing a children’s pavilion,” the NBT director spoke about the new attraction. He said it will be the largest pavilion at the event. Braille books will be provided free of cost through the ‘Books for All’ initiative.
Aiming to encourage the habit of reading, the fair will host quiz competitions and a Reading Pledge programme in collaboration with MyGov.