Amar Ekushey Book Fair begins today

Staff Reporter :

Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2026, the country’s largest annual month-long literary event, will begin tomorrow with the theme “Multidimensional Bangladesh.” Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will inaugurate the fair as the chief guest at 2:00 pm.

He will also hand over Bangla Academy Literary Award 2025 among the recipients.

Preparations at the Bangla Academy premises and at Suhrawardy Udyan in front of the academy are nearly complete. Cultural Affairs Minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury and State Minister for Cultural Affairs Ali Nawaz Mahmud Khayyam, Cultural Affairs Secretary Md. Mofidur Rahman, Director General of Bangla Academy Professor Mohammad Azam and Bangladesh Book Publishers and Sellers Association President Md. Rezaul Karim Badsha will join the programme. 

Bangla Academy President Professor Abul Quasem Fazlul Huq will chair the event. The fair will remain open until March 15, from 2:00 pm to 9:00 pm daily (except holidays). No new visitors will be allowed to enter after 8:30 pm. On holidays, the fair will remain open from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm.

Bangla Academy and participating institutions will sell books at a 25 percent commission, while government institutions will sell books at their fixed commission rates. Bangla Academy will have stalls in both sections of the fair for selling its books and publications.

A total of 549 publishing houses are participating this year—81 at the Bangla Academy premises and 468 at the Suhrawardy Udyan section—comprising 1,018 units in total. Last year, 708 institutions participated with 1,084 units.

This year, the organizers aim to make the fair environmentally conscious and transform it into a “Zero Waste Book Fair.” The fair will be polythene-free and smoking-free.

Arrangements have been made for cleanliness, regular water spraying to control dust, and mosquito control measures.

Participants have been urged to use reusable and eco-friendly materials such as jute, cloth, and paper for stalls, shops, stages, banners, leaflets, promotional materials, fast-food outlets, coffee shops, and other setups at the venue and surrounding areas.

A Little Magazine Corner has been arranged under the trees near the open stage at Suhrawardy Udyan, where 87 little magazines have been allocated stalls.

At a press conference, it was stated that this year’s layout will remain largely the same as last year, with some structural adjustments. Due to the location of the metro rail station, the previous exit gate has been shifted closer to the Ramna Kali Temple Gate area. There will be four entry and exit points in total at TSC, Doel Chattar, MRT Batching Plant, and the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh areas.

Food stalls have been arranged along the boundary of IEB. Considering the holy month of Ramadan, arrangements for Tarawih prayers will be made for Muslim visitors at the Suhrawardy Udyan section of the fair.  Prayer spaces, washrooms, and other services will remain available. Food stalls have also been specially reorganized this year.

The Children’s Corner will include 63 institutions with 107 units. It has been placed at the center of Suhrawardy Udyan to ensure children can move freely and easily collect their desired books. “Children’s Hour” will be observed every Friday and Saturday from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm.

Every day from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm, topic-based seminars will be held at the main stage, followed by cultural programmes from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm. As part of the Ekushey observance, children and juvenile art competitions, recitation, and music contests will also be organized. Adequate archways have been set up at the entry and exit points. Facilities for unveiling new books will be available at Suhrawardy Udyan.

To ensure comprehensive security, sufficient CCTV cameras have been installed throughout the area. Overall security will be maintained by Bangladesh Police, RAB, Ansar, and various intelligence agencies.

Adequate lighting will be arranged in the fair premises and surrounding areas, including from Doel Chattar to TSC through Shahbagh, Matsya Bhaban, and the Engineering Institution, as well as from Doel Chattar to the Shaheed Minar, from Doel Chattar to Chankharpul, and from TSC to Nilkhet.

 ‘Chittaranjan Saha Memorial Award’ will be given to the publisher of the best-quality book published in 2025 among participating publishers. 

Three institutions will receive the ‘Munier Choudhury Memorial Award’ for the best artistic book design published at the 2025 fair. The ‘Rokonuzzaman Khan Dadabhai Memorial Award’ will be given to one institution for the highest number of quality children’s books published in 2025.  The ‘Qayyum Chowdhury Memorial Award’ will be presented to the best-decorated stall among participating publishers.

A new award titled the ‘Sardar Jayenuddin Memorial Award’ is being introduced this year. Among new participating publishers (those taking part for the first time in 2024 or 2025), awards (1st, 2nd, and 3rd) will be given based on the highest number of quality books.