Abu Dhabi International Book Fair

The 33rd ADIBF 2024 – which runs 29 April to 5 May at ADNEC under the slogan ‘Where the World’s Tales Unfold’ – will be showing 1,350 publishers from 90 countries (12 of them represented for the first time), 375 local exhibitors (publishers, distributors, government entities), and more than 2,000 associated activities covering various cultural and knowledge fields (including the third running of a series of debates modelled on the Oxford style, the first examples of that in the Arab world).

Egypt is the Guest of Honour this year for its “role as a beacon of knowledge, culture, and art that has influenced the cultures and knowledge of the masses with creative content across various fields”. The Fair also celebrates the first Arab author to win the Nobel Prize, the late Naguib Mahfouz, as the Focus Personality for this year – his best known novels, Cairo Trilogy and Children of Gebelawi were banned in Egypt until recently. The Focus Personality programme includes critical readings, lectures and seminars, and a dedicated pavilion.

Also returning is a Professional Programme designed to support Arab and international publishers. This year’s edition will highlight the impact of AI on the publishing world and creative industries; there will also be a Copyright Exchange Forum, the Abu Dhabi Fellowship Programme (Abu Dhabi Connect), and the New Opportunities Centre. The Fair will also adopt a new initiative to support digital technologies and statistics in the Arab world, with a special focus on artificial intelligence, offering advanced workshops to build Arab publishers’ skills in this field.

New this year is an Arabic Content Forum for Children and Adolescents, a dedicated forum for photography as part of the Arts Corner titled ‘Image as Language’; a dedicated Cinema Corner with screenings and creative workshops; an Arabic Content Forum for Children and Adolescents; a dedicated forum for photography as part of the Arts Corner titled ‘Image as Language’, and a popular book market named after the Al-Azbakiya Wall Book Market in Egypt.

Extras for visitors include one free visit per person to the Qasr Al Hosn and Louvre Abu Dhabi museums, discounts from audiobook publishers, and savings of up to 25 percent on book prices. Tickets are free, but you’re advised to prebook via the website.