One of the central themes of this year’s fair will be the 35th anniversary of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The exhibition will feature about 500 exhibitors from 23 countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Brazil, Venezuela, Vietnam, Iran, North Korea, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Cuba, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, UAE, Pakistan, Palestine, Russia, Serbia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye, and Uzbekistan.

Participating countries will be allocated exhibition space to showcase significant publications, photographs of landmarks, monuments, and other sites. A separate booth will be dedicated to the Year of Belarusian Woman, with the program being developed in collaboration with the Belarusian Women’s Union. Daily presentations dedicated to each CIS state will also take place at the fair.

With the support of the Education Ministry, an educational quarter will be organized featuring a wide range of authors of educational and enlightening literature, book presentations, workshops, and interactive and educational platforms. Four zones are prepared for visitors in the educational quarter. The first is dedicated to publishing activities, the second to scientific and methodological support, and the third to supplementary education for children and youth. The fourth zone will be the most dynamic — it is for and about young people. This year, a new competition has been added — a poetry marathon where participants are invited to write poems about women.

Collective regional booths will also be presented, featuring publishing houses, printing plants, libraries, and regional branches of the Union of Writers of Belarus, showcasing book publishing from across our country. Each regional writers’ organization will also announce the results of various creative competitions.

Among the key events of the fair are the international symposium of writers The Writer and Time with participants from near and far abroad countries, which will take place on 17 March, and the awards ceremony for the winners of the national competition The Art of the Book, which will be held on 20 March.

During the fair, a special «poetry bus» will operate, departing from the Sports Palace. Along the way, passengers can listen to classics and contemporary poets; some authors will be present and read their poems personally. For convenience, the entire hall layout has been changed, routes from the Nemiga metro station to the exhibition complex have been established, with transport departing every 15-20 minutes. Visitors to the fair can look forward to a large food court, a children’s area, and an entertainment zone.

The book fair will continue through 22 March.