The 44th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) will run from November 5–16, 2025, at Expo Centre Sharjah under the theme ‘Between You and a Book’. Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), the event will host 2,350 publishers and exhibitors from 118 countries, reaffirming its standing as one of the world’s largest and most diverse book fairs.
This year’s edition features more than 1,200 events with 250 participants from 66 countries. Ten nations, including Iceland, Jamaica, Nigeria, Mali, and Vietnam, will join for the first time. Greece has been named Guest of Honour, presenting a cultural programme with 70 writers, poets, and artists, and a national pavilion inspired by ancient Greek architecture. The pavilion will display 600 titles from 58 publishers and host workshops, performances, and culinary events celebrating Greek heritage.
SIBF 2025 will also launch the Pop-Up Academy, an interactive platform with 24 sessions led by creators and specialists in literature, art, media, and technology.
At a press conference, Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, CEO of the SBA, said this year’s theme celebrates the personal bond between readers and books, describing it as a space for dialogue and self-discovery. The cultural programme will include over 300 sessions with 158 guests from 40 countries, including 30 Emirati writers. Workshops in Arabic and English will cover publishing, creative writing, and media arts.
Running alongside the fair, the 15th Sharjah Publishers Conference (November 2–4) will host 30 workshops and networking sessions for international publishing professionals. The 12th Sharjah International Library Conference (November 8–10), organised with the American Library Association, will bring together more than 400 participants to discuss library innovation and reading promotion. -WAM
