About 372,145 people visited the fair on Monday, bringing total attendance since opening to 5,865,458. This exceeds the previous record of 5,547,970 visitors recorded in earlier editions, according to a ministry statement.
The unprecedented turnout and strong book sales across various genres showed that efforts to promote the importance of culture and knowledge had been successful, Culture Minister Ahmed Fouad Hanno said.
“The level of engagement reflects the fair’s deep-rooted place in the cultural life of Egyptians, Arabs, and residents of Egypt,” Hanno added.
The final day of the fair will feature the announcement of its awards, including the Naguib Mahfouz Award, as well as a closing artistic performance. The performance is being held for the first time as part of efforts to enhance the fair’s cultural and creative offerings, he stated.
The 57th edition of the fair runs from 21 January to 3 February at the Egypt International Exhibitions and Conferences Centre in New Cairo, under the slogan, “He who stops reading for an hour falls behind by centuries.” Romania is the guest of honour.
To expand public access to culture, Hanno launched the “A Library for Every Home” initiative alongside the opening of this year’s fair.
The initiative offers around 1,000 book titles grouped into 50 cultural bundles sold at symbolic, heavily discounted prices. The books are drawn from the Ministry of Culture’s publishing catalogue and existing stocks of valuable works that had not previously reached a wide readership.
Under the initiative, visitors can buy a bundle of 20 books for no more than EGP 100 at the General Egyptian Book Organization’s (GEBO) discounted pavilion.
According to the ministry, the titles are divided into four main bundles targeting different audiences, including adults, youth, and children. There is also a periodicals bundle containing 10 issues of magazines and journals published by GEBO.
To mark the selection of Naguib Mahfouz as the fair’s personality of the year, a special Mahfouz-themed bundle has been introduced. It includes 15 critical and artistic works examining his literary legacy and is offered at a nominal price.
The 57th edition of the Cairo International Book Fair was inaugurated by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Minister Hanno.
It is the largest edition in the fair’s history, featuring 1,457 publishing houses from 83 countries, 6,637 exhibitors, more than 400 cultural and intellectual events, 100 book-signing sessions, and 120 artistic performances. The fair also hosts around 170 Arab and international guests, along with more than 1,500 writers, thinkers, and creators from Egypt and abroad.
First launched in 1969, the Cairo International Book Fair has grown into one of the largest and longest-running book fairs in the Middle East and Africa, serving as a flagship cultural event in Egypt’s annual calendar.
In recent years, the fair has expanded beyond book sales to become a major public platform for cultural exchange. It now includes dedicated programmes for children and youth, reading promotion initiatives, and discounted book schemes to widen access to knowledge.
Attendance has risen steadily following the fair’s relocation to the Egypt International Exhibitions and Conferences Centre in New Cairo, with recent editions posting record visitor numbers and reinforcing the event’s status as a mass cultural gathering with regional reach.
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