Leipzig Book Fair

Spring Meeting of the Book Industry

The Leipzig Book Fair is the grand spring festival of German-language literature. While Frankfurt is more organized as an industry fair in autumn, Leipzig belongs to the public: for four days, around 280,000 visitors flock through the halls of the Leipzig Trade Fair, listen to readings, meet authors, discuss books, and browse new releases. The 2026 edition from March 19 to 22 will be the second since its full-format return after the Corona breaks.

Focus on the Danube 2026

Each year, the Leipzig Book Fair dedicates itself to a focus literary region. In 2026, the Danube will be the centerpiece: under the guiding theme 'Undercurrent and Between Worlds,' authors from Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Serbia, Romania, and Bulgaria will be presented. The focus aims to highlight the literary richness of this European river basin and promote translations from less-known languages.

Leipzig liest — Europe's Largest Reading Festival

A hallmark of Leipzig is 'Leipzig liest': the reading festival held parallel to the fair distributes around 3,000 events throughout the city — in bookstores, cafés, libraries, schools, the Gewandhaus, and churches. Over 300 reading locations turn the city center into a literary stage, featuring over 3,500 participants.

Manga-Comic-Con and Cosplay

The Manga-Comic-Con takes place parallel to the Book Fair. It makes the Leipzig Trade Fair attractive to many families: cosplayers in elaborate costumes characterize the scene in the halls, publishers present Japanese and Western comics, and artists sign at the Artist Alley.

Prizes and Awards

Traditionally, the Leipzig Book Fair Prize is awarded at the opening in three categories: Fiction, Non-Fiction/Essays, and Translation, by an independent jury. In 2026, Katerina Poladjan received the prize for Fiction ('Goldstrand'), Marie-Janine Calic for Non-Fiction ('Balkan-Odyssee'), and Manfred Gmeiner for Translation.

Saxony, Leipzig, and Reading

Leipzig has been a city of books for centuries: publishers like Reclam, Brockhaus, and Insel worked here, Germany's first bookstore was founded here, and the German National Library with its German Museum of Books and Writing is located here. The Book Fair is not just an industry event but an identity marker for the city and an important economic factor — for hotels, gastronomy, and culture throughout Saxony.