The New Delhi World Book Fair 2026 will be held from 10-18 January with free entry and a salute to the Armed Forces of India.

will inaugurate the fair Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Honorable Education Minister With high-level dignitaries from Qatar and Spain.

Addressing a press conference at the Constitution Club of India, Professor Milind Sudhakar said, “We have completed 75 years of independence and our theme to salute the Indian Armed Forces is- “Indian Military History: Valor and Intelligence@75” – Pays tribute to his contribution to nation building, defense and unity of India. For the first time in history, we are making entry to the New Delhi World Book Fair 2026 free so that we can engage as many visitors as possible. This reflects NBT’s commitment to ensure that the habit of reading is accessible to all.”

“We are starting the New Year in 2026 with books. This year the scope of the Book Fair has expanded significantly. New Delhi To expand the scope of the World Book Fair even further and to invite Gen Z and connect them with the world of books, we have made entry to the Book Fair completely free. There are no charges for any activities within the Book Fair. We invite everyone to join us in celebrating the best of literature, culture and books. “, said Shri Yuvraj Malik, Director, NBT-India.

“This book fair connects the old and new generations of Indians. For the older generation, a visit to NDWBF brings back old memories and for the younger generation, it provides a new experience of connecting with books on such a large scale,” said Mr. Premjit Lal, ITS, Executive Director, ITPO.

NDWBF Theme: “Indian Military History: Valor and Intelligence @75”

The central attraction of NDWBF 2026 is the theme pavilion titled “Indian Military History: Valor and Intelligence@75”A massive 1,000 square meter space honoring the courage, sacrifice and nation-building role of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force since Independence. Designed as a 360 degree experience, the pavilion will include 500+ books, curated exhibits, posters, documentaries and installations. Key attractions include replicas of Arjun Tank, INS Vikrant and LCA Tejas, tribute to 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees and sessions on major battles and military operations from Badgaon 1947 to Operation Sindoor.

Above 100 theme based events Defense experts, writers and war veterans like General VK Singh, Lieutenant General Satish Dua, Colonel SC Tyagi, Captain (Dr) Sunaina Singh, Air Marshal Vikram Singh, PVSM, AVSM, VSM (Retd), Squadron Leader Rana TS Chhina, MBE (Retd), Director, USI-CMHCS, Major General Ian Cardozo, AVSM, SM (Retd), Air Marshal Narayan Including panel discussions, book launches and talks by stalwarts. Menon, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM (Retd.) among others, with a special focus on inspiring the young visitors through stories of leadership, patriotism and service. Along with this, special exhibitions will also be celebrated in the fair. 150 years of Vande Mataram and life of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel@150.

Global Partnership/Engagement

NDWBF 2026 will see strong international participation Qatar as the guest country of honor And Spain as the focus country. Speaking on Qatar’s participation as the guest country of honour, His Excellency, Mr. Mohammed Hassan Jaber Al Jaber, Ambassador of the State of Qatar The New Delhi World Book Fair has been called “one of the world’s foremost cultural platforms”.

He said, “India and Qatar are two ancient civilizations united by a legacy of rich history and diverse cultural heritage. Qatar believes that a book is not just a vessel of knowledge, but a powerful medium that promotes human understanding beyond geographical, cultural and linguistic boundaries. The book fair will be a vibrant space for the meeting of ideas and we hope that Qatar’s participation will enrich the event.”

Jassim Ahmed Al Bunain, Director of Doha International Book Fair, said, “The cultural ties between India and Qatar run deep. The book fair will feature key publications from our Ministry of Culture in the Qatari pavilion, activities and live events. The events will also highlight the importance of the Indian diaspora in shaping this culture.”

Gregor Trumel, Director of the French Institute in India, also addressing the media, highlighted the importance of France’s participation and the dedicated French pavilion at the New Delhi World Book Fair 2026. He highlighted that 2026 has been recognized as the India-France Year of Innovation during the visit of the Honorable Prime Minister to France last year.

Additionally, publishers, authors and cultural institutions from Russia, Japan, Poland, France, Abu Dhabi, Iran, Kazakhstan, Hungary, Chile and other countries will participate through book launches, multilingual poetry evenings, cultural showcases, children’s literature sessions and discussions on topics such as AI, gaming, migration and heritage.

A 30-member delegation including authors, publishers and illustrators from Japan will participate in the India-Japan Publishers Meet and Greet at NDWBF 2026. The two-day national leadership dialogue, titled Reading India Samvad 2026, will bring together policy makers and education leaders to advance reading as a national priority to build an inclusive, future-ready reading ecosystem aligned with NEP 2020 and VIXIT. India@2047.

For the first time, 10 international book fair directors representing the Leipzig Book Fair, Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Seoul International Book Fair, Tuapse Fair and Exhibition (Turkey), Frankfurter Buchmesse, Book World Prague (Czech Republic), Gothenburg Book Fair (Sweden) and others will participate in NDWBF 2026.

NBT has also launched a Financial Assistance Program (NBT FAP) for both Indian and foreign publishers to pursue translation of Indian books into foreign languages.

Writers, Speakers and Cultural Evenings

The fair will host an impressive array of authors, speakers and public figures, including Piyush Mishra, Smriti Irani, Hema Malini, Kailash Satyarthi, Rahul Bhattacharya, Ricky Cage, Jaya Kishori, Durjoy Dutta, Hansa Yogendra, Shubhanshu Shukla, Shantanu Gupta, Luke Coutinho, Deep Halder, Nitin Seth and Shalini Pasi, among many others. Under the Festival of Festivals, many literary festivals will be organized including Bharat Literature Festival, Puri Literary Festival, Asian Literary Society, Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival, Nalanda Literature Festival, The Great Indian Book Tour. The evenings will be enlivened by international cultural performances as well as performances by Ricky Cage, Manganiars, Rekhta Foundation Poets and performances by the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force Bands.

children and family

Children’s Pavilion – Kidz Express (Hall 6) will offer storytelling, theatre, quizzes, arts and crafts, Vedic mathematics, book designing workshops, children’s author talks and dedicated creativity zone. The National e-Library (REP) will showcase 6,000+ free e-books through digital kiosks and QR-based downloads, promoting inclusive access to reading across different languages ​​and regions.

Publishing Industry and B2B Platform

Major industry platforms include CEO Speak, which brings together global publishing leaders and innovators to discuss ‘Decoding the future of publishing’ and the New Delhi Rights Table, facilitating rights exchange, translation and co-publishing between more than 70 Indian and international publishers. A designated writers lounge will facilitate the meeting of writers from different genres.

NDWBF 2026 has also partnered with industry stakeholders such as Canara Bank, Delhivery, Vidyasi, IIT Kanpur-Sathi, Bank of Baroda, FSSAI, Bisleri, Audible to further advance the reading culture in India.

Main features of the hall

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