New Delhi World Book Fair 2026 To Be Held from January 10–18 With Free Entry and A Salute To India’s Armed Forces
The New Delhi World Book Fair 2026 returns with free entry, hosting over 1000 publishers and 600 events from January 10-18, celebrating Indian military history.
The world’s biggest B2C book fair, The New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF), is back with its 53rd edition in the national capital. NDWBF 2026, organised by the National Book Trust (NBT), India, under the Ministry of Education, will be held from 10–18 January 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi and entry to the book fair has been made free for the first time. India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) is the co-organiser of the New Delhi World Book Fair 2026. The nine-day book fair will bring together 1,000+ publishers from over 35 countries, host 600+ events with 1,000+ speakers and is expected to attract over 2 million visitors.
The fair will be inaugurated by Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon’ble Minister of Education along with high-level dignitaries from Qatar and Spain.
Addressing a press conference at Constitution Club of India, Prof Milind Sudhakar said, “We have completed 75 years of Independence and to salute the Indian Armed Forces, our theme – “Indian Military History: Valour and Wisdom @75” – pays tribute to their contributions to nation building, defense and India’s unity. For the first time in history, we are making entry to the New Delhi World Book Fair 2026 free so we can accommodate as many visitors as we can. It shows NBT’s commitment to ensure the habit of reading is accessible to all.”
“We are starting the New Year with books in 2026. The scale of the book fair has grown monumentally this year. To expand the scope of the New Delhi World Book Fair even further and to invite Gen Z and connect them to the world of books, we have made entry to the book fair completely free. There are no charges for any activity within the book fair. We invite one and all to join us in celebrating the best of literature, culture and books,” said Shri Yuvraj Malik, Director, NBT-India.
“This book fair connects the old and new generations of Indians. For the older generation, a visit to the NDWBF brings back nostalgia and for the young generation, it offers a new experience to connect with books on such a large scale,” said Shri Premjit Lal, ITS, Executive Director, ITPO.
NDWBF Theme: “Indian Military History: Valour and Wisdom @75”
The central highlight of NDWBF 2026 is the Theme Pavilion titled “Indian Military History: Valour and Wisdom @75”, a 1,000 sq. metre immersive space honouring the courage, sacrifice and nation-building role of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force since Independence. Designed as a 360 degree experience, the Pavilion will feature 500+ books, curated exhibits, posters, documentaries and installations. Key attractions include replicas of the Arjun Tank, INS Vikrant and LCA Tejas, tributes to 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees and sessions on major wars and military operations from Budgaon 1947 to Operation Sindoor.
Over 100 theme-based events including panel discussions, book launches and talks by defence experts, authors and war veterans like Gen VK Singh, Lt Gen Satish Dua, Colonel SC Tyagi, Capt (Dr) Sunaina Singh, Air Marshal Vikram Singh, PVSM, AVSM, VSM (Retd), Sqn Ldr Rana TS Chhina, MBE (Retd), Director, USI-CMHCS, Maj Gen Ian Cardozo, AVSM, SM (Retd), Air Marshal Narayan Menon, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM (Retd) among others will be held, with a special focus on inspiring young visitors through stories of leadership, patriotism and service. Along with this, the fair will also feature special exhibitions celebrating 150 years of Vande Mataram and the life of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel @150.
Global Participation/Engagement
NDWBF 2026 will see strong international participation with Qatar as the Guest of Honour Country and Spain as the Focus Country. Speaking on Qatar’s participation as the Guest of Honour Country, His Excellency, Mr. Mohammed Hassan Jabir Al Jaber, Ambassador of the State of Qatar called the New Delhi World Book Fair “one of the most prominent cultural platforms in the world.”
“India and Qatar are two ancient civilisations united by rich history and legacy of diverse cultural heritage. Qatar believes that a book is not merely a vessel of knowledge, but a powerful medium that fosters human understanding, transcending geographical, cultural and linguistic boundaries. The book fair will be a vibrant space for meeting of ideas and we hope that Qatar’s participation will enrich the event,” he added.
“The cultural relations between India and Qatar are deep. At the Qatari Pavilion at the book fair, activities and live events will feature key publications of our Ministry of Culture. The events will also highlight the importance of the Indian Expat community in shaping this culture,” said Jassim Ahmed Al Buainain, the Director of the Doha International Book Fair.
The Director of the French Institute in India, Grégor Trumel also addressed the media highlighting the importance of France’s participation and the dedicated French Pavilion in New Delhi World Book Fair 2026. He highlighted that 2026 has been recognised as the India-France Year of Innovation during the Hon'ble Prime Minister’s visit to France last year.
Apart from this, publishers, authors and cultural institutions from countries including Russia, Japan, Poland, France, Abu Dhabi, Iran, Kazakhstan, Hungary, Chile among others will participate through book launches, multilingual poetry evenings, cultural showcases, children’s literature sessions and discussions on themes such as AI, gaming, migration and heritage.
A 30-member delegation from Japan including authors, publishers and illustrators will participate in a India-Japan Publishers’ Meet and Greet at NDWBF 2026. A two-day national leadership dialogue called Reading India Samvaad 2026, will bring together policymakers and education leaders to advance reading as a national priority to build an inclusive, future-ready reading ecosystem aligned with NEP 2020 and Viksit Bharat@2047.
For the first time, 10 international book fair directors representing the Leipzig Book Fair, Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Seoul International Book Fair, Tüyap Fairs and Exhibitions (Türkiye), Frankfurter Buchmesse, Book World Prague (Czech Republic), the Gothenburg Book Fair (Sweden) and more will participate in NDWBF 2026.
NBT has also launched a Financial Assistance Programme (NBT FAP) for both Indian and foreign publishers to pursue translation of Indian books in foreign languages.
Authors, Speakers & Cultural Evening
The Fair will host an impressive line-up of authors, speakers and public figures, including Piyush Mishra, Smriti Irani, Hema Malini, Kailash Satyarthi, Rahul Bhattacharya, Ricky Kej, Jaya Kishori, Durjoy Dutta, Hansa Yogendra, Shubhanshu Shukla, Shantanu Gupta, Luke Coutinho, Deep Haldar, Nitin Seth and Shalini Passi, among many others under the Festival of Festivals. Under Festival of Festivals, a number of literature festivals will be organised including Bharat Literature Festival, Puri Literary Festival, Asian Literary Society, Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival, Nalanda Literature Festival, The Great Indian Book Tour among others. Evenings will come alive with performances by Ricky Kej, Manganiyars, Rekhta Foundation poets, and performances by the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force Bands, alongside international cultural showcases.
Children and Families
The Children’s Pavilion – Kidz Express (Hall 6) will offer storytelling, theatre, quizzes, art and craft, Vedic Maths, book designing workshops, child author interactions and dedicated creativity zones. The Rashtriya e-Pustakalaya (ReP) will showcase 6,000+ free e-books through digital kiosks and QR-based downloads, promoting inclusive access to reading across languages and regions.
Publishing Industry & B2B Platforms
Key industry platforms include CEO Speak, bringing together global publishing leaders and innovators for discussions on ‘Decoding The Future of Publishing’ and the New Delhi Rights Table, facilitating rights exchange, translation and co-publishing among 70+ Indian and international publishers. A designated Authors’ Lounge will facilitate the meeting of authors of various genres.
NDWBF 2026 has also partnered with industry stakeholders such as Canara Bank, Delhivery, Vidysea, IIT Kanpur- SATHEE, Bank of Baroda, FSSAI, Bisleri, Audible to take forward reading culture in India.
Hall Highlights
- Hall 2: Indian Languages Publishers & Lekhak Manch
- Hall 3: Indian Language Publishers & New Delhi Rights Table
- Hall 4: Guest of Honour Country, Focus Country & International Pavilion
- Hall 5: Theme Pavilion, Authors’ Corner & General/Trade Publishers
- Hall 6: Children’s Pavilion & Educational, Humanities and Spiritual Books
- Amphitheatre-I: Cultural Programmes
With its scale, diversity and free public access, NDWBF 2026 promises to be a landmark cultural event, celebrating books, ideas and dialogue while nurturing India’s growing reading culture.
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