Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is set to inaugurate the Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2026 on Thursday, which will continue until March 15.
The prime minister will formally inaugurate the fair at 2pm as the chief guest.
The information was announced on Tuesday at a press conference held at the Abdul Karim Sahityabisharad Auditorium of Bangla Academy.
A total of 549 publishing houses are participating in this year’s event. Of them, 81 will be located within the Bangla Academy premises and 468 at the Suhrawardy Udyan venue. The total number of units stands at 1,018. Last year, 708 publishing houses participated with 1,084 units.
The written statement at the press conference was presented by Dr Md Selim Reza, member secretary of the organizing committee. Also present were Bangla Academy Director General Professor Mohammad Azam and Director Sarker Amin.
Regarding the schedule, the fair will remain open from 2pm to 9pm on regular days. No new visitors will be allowed to enter after 8:30pm. On holidays, the fair will begin at 11am and continue until 9pm.
The Little Magazine Corner has been set up under the trees adjacent to the open stage at Suhrawardy Udyan, where 87 little magazines have been allotted stalls. At the Children’s Corner, 63 institutions are participating with 107 units.
To ensure security and discipline, archways will be installed at entry and exit points. Police, RAB, Ansar and intelligence agencies will be on duty. CCTV cameras have been installed throughout the area. The fair will remain polythene-free and smoke-free.