Beijing Book Fair 2026 — Opening Weekend
- The Beijing Book Fair features around 2,000 bookstores offering readings, launches, and cultural programming this season. - The fair opens Saturday April 25 and runs through May 17 with public events over the run. - Multiple venues across Beijing host events; more information at globaltimes.cn.
Beijing’s Spring Book Fair has opened as a month-long, citywide event, with more than 2,000 bookstores joining programs through May 17. (globaltimes.cn) The 2026 fair officially opened on Saturday, April 18, not April 25, according to Beijing municipal listings and state media reports. Organizers said this is the first time the annual event has been extended to a full month. (english.beijing.gov.cn) Four main venues are hosting the opening stretch: Chaoyang Park in the east, Nanyuan Forest and Wetland Park in the south, Shougang Park in the west, and Yuanmingyuan Ruins Park in the north. The spring book market at those sites runs from April 18 to April 26 before programming shifts into malls and universities through May 17. (globaltimes.cn) (global.chinadaily.com.cn) The fair is themed around turning Beijing into a “city of books” in spring, with physical bookstores serving as the main delivery network rather than a single exhibition hall. The city government said the event is designed as a large public cultural program built around neighborhood bookshops. (english.beijing.gov.cn) This year’s edition also ties into China’s national reading campaign, which peaks around World Book Day on April 23. Global Times reported the fair opened ahead of the national reading season, while other reading events across China began this week. (globaltimes.cn 1) (globaltimes.cn 2) Programming goes beyond book sales. Global Times said this year’s highlights include “film + reading” events, along with readings, author appearances, new-book launches and exhibitions distributed across participating stores and venues. (globaltimes.cn) The scale marks a shift from earlier formats centered on shorter, venue-based fairs. China Daily and the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles said the first phase lasts nine days in the four parks, followed by three more weeks of bookstore events in commercial centers and campuses. (global.chinadaily.com.cn) (e.cflac.org.cn) For visitors, the opening weekend is the most concentrated part of the calendar: the four flagship sites are already running, and the wider network of bookstore events will continue across Beijing until Saturday, May 17. (globaltimes.cn) (english.beijing.gov.cn)
