Hong Kong's Annual Book Fair, One Of The World's Largest, Has Opened For A Seven-Day Event, Attracting Book Enthusiasts From All Over

The excitement at Hong Kong's Convention and Exhibition Centre as book enthusiasts, both local and international, gather for the world's biggest book fair after borders reopened.

on Jul 21, 2023

Hong Kong's Annual Book Fair, One Of The World's Largest, Has Opened For A Seven-Day Event, Attracting Book Enthusiasts From All Over | Frontlist

On Wednesday morning, a large crowd of book enthusiasts, including foreign and mainland Chinese visitors, eagerly waited outside Hong Kong's Convention and Exhibition Centre for one of the world's biggest book fairs. Over 300 people were in line by 9am, some even carrying suitcases. This is the first book fair held in Hong Kong since all borders reopened. Ikki To, in his 40s, arrived at the venue at midnight and was the first in line outside the exhibition center in Wan Chai.

Someone who has attended every Hong Kong Book Fair since 2011 noticed that the crowd was much larger this year, almost double the size of last year's event which was affected by the pandemic. The annual book fair began at 10am and the organizers are anticipating visitor numbers to reach pre-pandemic levels of 1 million over the course of the seven-day event.

This year's fair will focus on children's and young adult literature, highlighting writers and illustrators from Hong Kong. It will take place from Wednesday to July 25, along with a sports and snacks fair. Admission to all three fairs is priced at HK$30. The timings are from 10am to 10pm on Wednesday and Thursday, 10am to 11pm on Friday and Saturday, 10am to 10pm on Sunday and Monday, and 9am to 5pm on Tuesday.