Halle liest mit — Reading Festival for the Leipzig Book Fair

When Leipzig reads, Halle reads along

Every March, parallel to the Leipzig Book Fair, Stadtmarketing Halle (Saale) GmbH organizes its own reading festival: Halle liest mit. In 2026, the format will enter its 13th edition and distribute around 22 events with approximately 25 authors across twelve reading locations throughout the city.

The idea is clear: when the entire literary world is in Leipzig, Halle should offer something independent in contrast to the hustle and bustle — readings with time, space for discussions, venues with atmosphere. Instead of a large stage format, it's more of a personal chamber format, but with top-class guests.

Twelve reading locations — from the city library to the Moritzburg Museum

Halle liest mit uses an exciting mix of urban and cultural spaces: the Literaturhaus, the Stadtbibliothek (City Library), the Volksbühne am Kaulenberg, the Stadtarchiv (City Archive), the Moritzburg art museum, bookstores, cafés, and occasionally unusual venues such as the Halloren salt mine or a Saalschiff (a type of boat).

Halle in Leipzig — Book Fair Lounge

Parallel to the reading festival in Halle, the city presents itself at the Leipzig Book Fair (March 19–22, 2026) in the hallesaale* Lounge in Hall 5. Local publishers, cultural institutions, and authors introduce themselves — in the previous year, over 15,000 fair visitors visited the hallesaale* stand.

Halle as a city of literature

Halle has a strong literary tradition: August Hermann Francke, Christoph Martin Wieland, Friedrich Schleiermacher worked here; the Literaturhaus on Bernburger Straße has been an important place for discourse on contemporary East German literature for years. Halle liest mit builds on this tradition and makes it accessible to a broad audience. The festival is part of the national campaign "Culture in all colors".