Kolkata Book Fair 2025 sees 27 Lakh visitors, ₹25 crore sales in 12 days

Kolkata Book Fair 2025 recorded 2.7 million visitors, ₹25 crore sales, with 1,000+ publishers participating over 12 days
Germany was the theme country for the first time, featuring a book-stack pavilion with diverse literary and cultural displays
Argentina won ‘Most Beautiful Stall,’ while a new ‘Premier Area’ for English publishers enhanced visibility and reader engagement

The 48th International Kolkata Book Fair, organized by the Publishers and Booksellers Guild, concluded on Sunday at Salt Lake’s Boimela Prangan. The 12-day event recorded 2.7 million visitors, with book sales reaching ₹25 crore. In comparison, the 2024 fair lasted 14 days, attracting 2.8 million visitors and ₹27 crore in book sales. The 2025 edition featured over 1,000 publishers, including participation from international publishers.

Germany was the theme country for the first time. The German pavilion was designed to resemble a stack of books and displayed a wide range of literature, including fiction, academic books, and cultural publications. Countries such as the USA, UK, France, Russia, Nepal, Spain, Peru, Guatemala, and Costa Rica also participated, offering books in multiple languages and genres.

The closing ceremony was attended by West Bengal ministers Firhad Hakim, Bratya Basu, and Aroop Biswas, along with Bidhannagar Mayor Krishna Chakraborty. Bratya Basu noted that the Kolkata Book Fair continues to grow in popularity, while Firhad Hakim emphasized that the fair now has a permanent venue at Salt Lake, eliminating the need for relocation in the future.

A special ‘Premier Area’ was introduced for English-language publishers, providing enhanced visibility and accessibility. The mascots ‘Hasho and Hasho’ were launched this year and became a major attraction for visitors. The 'Most Beautiful Stall' award was given to Argentina. ‘Aajkaal Publishers’ won in the large regional publishers category in the open field, while ‘Hachette Book Publishing India Private Limited’ received the award for the best large stall inside the hall.

The book fair, recognized as one of the world’s largest, saw participation from major Indian and international publishers. The open-air layout allowed for better visitor movement and browsing. The 2025 edition continued the annual tradition of bringing together publishers, authors, and readers in a large-scale literary event.

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