The 30th Dhaka International Trade Fair 2026 will open on Thursday at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Centre in Purbachal. The month-long event will bring together domestic and foreign exhibitors to showcase trade, culture, innovation and public services.
Organised jointly by the Ministry of Commerce and the Export Promotion Bureau, the fair will be formally inaugurated at 10:00am by the Chief Adviser. Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman briefed the media on Monday in Dhaka, alongside Export Promotion Bureau Vice Chairman Hasan Arif, Additional Secretary (Export) Abdur Rahim Khan and Director General Baby Rani Karmakar.
This year, stalls and pavilions were allocated online. E-ticketing has been introduced, allowing visitors to scan QR codes for entry. On-the-spot tickets will also be available.
To ease travel, the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation will operate dedicated shuttle buses, supported by discounted Pathao ride-sharing services. Over 200 buses will run daily from Kuril Bishwa Road, Farmgate, Narayanganj and Narsingdi from 8:00am, with final return trips leaving the fair at 11:00pm.
An Export Enclave will display export sector capabilities, and seminars on promising sectors and products will be held. A Bangladesh Square will commemorate the 1952 Language Movement, the Liberation War, and those injured or martyred in the July 2024 movement.
Dedicated Electronics and Furniture Zones will support foreign entrepreneurs. An open cultural centre will promote products, while special seating corners, two children’s parks and reserved stalls for women, persons with disabilities, and cottage, handloom, textile and handicraft entrepreneurs have been arranged.
Polythene bags and single-use plastics are banned, with eco-friendly bags available at reduced prices from the Ministry of Textiles and Jute. Seminars and cultural programmes will encourage youth participation and innovation.
The fair is being held for the fifth time at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Centre, with 324 pavilions, stalls and restaurants allocated transparently to domestic and foreign companies. Hall A and Hall B house 174 stalls over 156,000 square feet, while 53 pavilions occupy open areas in front of the halls. Another 107 mini-pavilions, stalls and restaurants, including a food zone, have been set up over six acres behind the halls.
Products on display include textiles, machinery, cosmetics, electronics, furniture, jute products, household goods, leather and footwear, toys, plastic items, handicrafts, processed food, fast food and home décor.
Security has been strengthened with police, Armed Police Battalion, Rapid Action Battalion and other law enforcement agencies, supported by CCTV, archways and metal detectors. More than 200 cleaning staff will be on duty, while mobile courts will conduct daily anti-adulteration drives.
Facilities include a 500-seat cafeteria, free primary medical care, parking, ATMs, a mother and child centre, an information desk and a temporary secretariat. BRTC shuttle fares are Tk70 from Farmgate, Tk40 from Kuril Bishwa Road, Tk120 from Chashara, Tk130 from Muktarpur and Tk100 from Narsingdi.
Entry tickets are Tk50 for adults and Tk25 for children, while freedom fighters, persons with disabilities and July movement victims can enter free with valid ID.
The fair will run daily from 9:00am to 9:00pm, with extended hours until 10:00pm on weekly holidays. This year, alongside Bangladesh, 11 companies from India, Turkey, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Malaysia are participating, compared with 343 companies last year.
The Dhaka International Trade Fair has been held annually since 1995 to promote domestic products, expand marketing opportunities and support employment.
