The Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2026 concluded on Sunday amid financial losses and uncertainty, with publishers reporting a sharp decline in sales and reader turnout.
Traditionally held at the start of February during the Language Month, this year’s fair opened on 26 February after repeated schedule changes and logistical challenges.
The shortened 18-day event left many publishers struggling to cover costs.
On the final day, 236 new books were submitted to the fair’s information centre, bringing the total for 2026 to 2,007 titles—a significant drop from 3,299 in 2025 and 3,751 in 2024. The theme of the fair was “Multidimensional Bangladesh.”
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman inaugurated the fair as chief guest, marking his first major government event in that role. During the ceremony, winners of the Bangla Academy Literary Awards 2025 were also honoured.
A total of 549 publishing houses participated this year, down from 780 in 2025. Of these, 81 were located within Bangla Academy premises, while 468 occupied the Suhrawardy Udyan section, across 1,018 units in total. Traditional “Children’s Hours” were held on Fridays and Saturdays to engage young readers.
Security was managed by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, with archways, metal detectors, manual searches, and monitoring through around 300 CCTV cameras.
Publishers’ Unity expressed disappointment over the business situation. Sales in the first 17 days were reportedly at least 80 per cent lower than normal years. Nearly 90 per cent of publishers could not recover the basic cost of constructing stalls, while almost 30 per cent sold books worth less than Tk5,000. The organisation said the situation was worse than the Covid-era fair in 2021. Despite the losses, Publishers’ Unity thanked the government for fully waiving stall rents and acknowledged Bangla Academy for organising the event.
Uncertainty marked the lead-up to the fair, with 321 publishers initially objecting to the proposed 20 February inauguration due to the parliamentary election and Ramadan. Later adjustments, including the 26 February start and waived stall rents, could not fully offset reduced reader turnout, which was further affected by poor weather.
The final day opened at 2:00pm and continued until 9:00pm. The closing ceremony featured speeches by Bangla Academy Director General Professor Mohammad Azam, Member Secretary Md Selim Reza, Ministry of Cultural Affairs Secretary Md Mofidur Rahman, and Minister for Cultural Affairs Nitai Roy Chowdhury, with Bangla Academy Chairman Professor Abul Kasem Fazlul Haq presiding.
Professor Azam expressed hope that writers, readers, and publishers would help renew the fair in the future. Total sales by the 570 participating publishers were estimated at Tk17 crore, with Bangla Academy alone selling books worth Tk17,04,629 during the first 17 days.
Awards presented included the Roknuzzaman Khan Dadabhai Memorial Award to Panjeree Publications Ltd for children’s books, the Sardar Jayenuddin Memorial Award to Sohaj Prokash for new participants, and the Artist Quayyum Chowdhury Memorial Award for stall decoration to Creative Dhaka Publications, Matra Prokash, and Bengal Books.
Minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury emphasised the importance of books in fostering a knowledge-based, inclusive society, while Professor Abul Kasem Fazlul Haq stressed that quality books nurture justice, conscience, and progressive thought.
Despite the challenges, organisers hope lessons learned this year will guide improvements in future editions, benefiting both readers and publishers.
