Cairo · Egypt
Cairo International Book Fair
Africa’s largest book fair and one of the biggest anywhere by attendance. A readers’ event on a national-holiday scale.
Next dates
21 Jan – 3 Feb 2027
96 days away
Venue
Egypt International Exhibition Center, New Cairo
Typical slot — confirm
Author access
Authors are not the intended visitor
Floor
Public
Arabic · English
The fair
The Cairo International Book Fair, usually in late January at the Egypt International Exhibition Center in New Cairo, draws millions of visitors. It is a public, retail and cultural phenomenon more than a rights fair. For an author it is unmatched as a window onto Arabic-language reading — and a poor venue for an unsolicited English-language pitch.
Advice for visiting authors
- Go if you want to understand Arabic publishing as a public culture. Do not go expecting acquisition meetings.
- Professional Arabic rights business is more concentrated at Sharjah and, internationally, at Frankfurt.
Address
Egypt International Exhibition Center, New Cairo, Egypt
Typical late-January to early-February window; confirm on the official site.