Paris Book Festival — readings and signings

Paris’s main spring book gathering ran April 17 to 19, bringing author talks, readings and signing lines back under the Grand Palais glass roof. (festivaldulivredeparis.fr) (grandpalais.fr) Organizers said the 2026 edition assembled more than 1,200 authors, 450 publishing houses and 14 countries around a program of talks, readings and dedications, the French term used for book signings. (grandpalais.fr) The official program listed more than 300 events, while the Grand Palais described a lineup of meetings, signings and live experiences spread across the main hall and the Salon Seine family space. (festivaldulivredeparis.fr) (grandpalais.fr) This year’s edition centered on travel and made comics the guest of honor, with two exhibitions and a larger spotlight for bande dessinée, the French comics tradition. (festivaldulivredeparis.fr 1) (festivaldulivredeparis.fr 2) The festival also widened beyond standard author panels. The Friday program added a public “Nocturne Culinaire,” mixing literature with food and table arts, while children’s activities in the Salon Seine included art workshops, writing sessions and games. (festivaldulivredeparis.fr) (grandpalais.fr) Specific sessions showed how broad the schedule was. On April 17, the program included a 9 a.m. reading workshop with Sophie Carquain, a “Blind test livre audio” event on audiobooks, and a 5 p.m. discussion with Laurent Gaudé and Marie Pavlenko on war and identity. (festivaldulivredeparis.fr 1) (festivaldulivredeparis.fr 2) The event also kept a trade focus alongside the public festival. Professional sessions on April 17 and 18 covered carbon accounting in publishing, the Filéas sector tool, and ecological pressures across the book supply chain, from production to bookselling. (festivaldulivredeparis.fr) (festivaldulivredeparis.fr) Paris tourism officials described the festival as a showcase for French and international publishing, built around new releases, conferences and signings in central Paris at 9 avenue du Général Eisenhower in the 8th arrondissement. (parisjetaime.com) By April 23, the 2026 edition had already ended, but the official site was still pointing readers to the full program and reporting a turnout of 121,000 festivalgoers over the three days and late-night opening. (festivaldulivredeparis.fr)