International Kolkata Book Fair - Some Informations

International Kolkata Book Fair

The largest literary event in Asia is the International Kolkata Book Fair, which began in 1976 and draws in a wide range of people with various books and cultural events. This event showcases international publishers, authors, and a special pavilion for guests, encouraging interaction between different cultures and honoring the literary history of the area. The idea for this event was influenced by Germany's renowned Frankfurt Book Fair.

The 48th International Kolkata Book Fair 2025 commenced with a ribbon-cutting ceremony by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and German Ambassador Phillip Ackermann. Scheduled from January 28 to February 9, the event is expected to attract a crowd of over 25 lakh individuals. This year, the book fair boasts a record number of 1,057 book stalls, with Germany selected as the theme country for the first time in the fair's history.   Regarded as the world's largest non-trade book festival, the International Kolkata Book Fair drew in 27 lakh book enthusiasts in 2024 and generated book sales amounting to ₹23 crore. The lineup for this year's event includes more than 1,000 publishers representing over 100 countries, such as the USA, UK, France, Russia, Nepal, Spain, Peru, Argentina, Guatemala, and Costa Rica. Among the unique features of the fair are gates named in honor of prominent figures like Salil Chowdhury, Ritwik Ghatak, Goethe, and Jibanananda Das, as well as renowned German writers including Rainer Maria Rilke, Franz Kafka, and Thomas Mann.

During the book fair, there will be more Metro trains running on the Green Line from Sealdah to Sector Five. Normally, 106 trains run between Sealdah and Sector Five on weekdays, but this will increase to 122 during the fair. On Sundays, there will be 74 trains operating. The schedule for the last Metro train at night remains unchanged.

The initial metro train departing from Sealdah to Sector 5 will depart at 6:55 am.   In the opposite direction, the first metro will depart at 7:05 am. The final train leaving Sealdah at night will depart at 9:35 pm. The final metro from Sector 5 will depart at 9:40 pm. On Sundays, the metro service will operate from 2:15 pm to 9:35 pm. During the book fair, Kolkata Metro will have services running every 12 minutes from 2:05 pm to 9:15 pm. The closest stations to the book fair park are Karunamoyee and Central Park. Measures have been taken at these stations to manage the influx of passengers.