From February 27 to March 2, 2025, the largest annual international literary event in the Baltic region, the Vilnius Book Fair, will be held at the Lithuanian Exhibition and Congress Centre, LITEXPO. Over the past quarter-century, the fair has evolved into Lithuania’s foremost literary celebration for readers, becoming a true cultural hub that annually attracts tens of thousands of book lovers. As the upcoming Vilnius Book Fair approaches, visitors are invited to explore the history of this event and discover some lesser-known facts about this long-standing tradition.
- Celebrating 25 Years
The 2025 Vilnius Book Fair will mark its 25th edition. The Baltic Book Fair was first held in 1999 at LITEXPO, rotating through the Baltic capitals each year. In Vilnius, it garnered tremendous interest, and in 2000, the fair became a standalone event, initially held in just one LITEXPO hall. - A Special Date
In the early years, some readers wondered if a warmer season would be better for the fair. However, February was chosen deliberately, aligning the Vilnius Book Fair with the global calendar of book fairs. - Keeping Up with Readers’ Needs: Introduction of Online Book Sales
The fair has introduced both literary and technological innovations to the literary community. For instance, at the 1999 Baltic Book Fair in Vilnius, visitors could buy the first Lithuanian e-book on a CD, and in 2002, the publisher Vaga launched online book sales, a first for Lithuania. Recently, the fair has focused on the growing popularity of e-books and audiobooks. - Internationally Renowned Authors at Vilnius Book Fair
Each year, the Vilnius Book Fair hosts dozens of international authors, although it was challenging to invite foreign writers more than 20 years ago. Some initially viewed the trip as an exotic adventure, as they were eager to see a less familiar part of Europe. Over the years, globally renowned authors have visited, including John Irving, Herbjørg Wassmo, Joanne Harris, Colleen McCullough, Alessandro Baricco, Melvin Burgess, Jostein Gaarder, Frédéric Beigbeder, and many others. - The Music Hall Celebrates a Decade
Since 2015, the Music Hall has been an integral part of the Vilnius Book Fair. This is Lithuania’s largest music fair, organized by the neighboring rights association AGATA, and it invites visitors to live concerts, meetings with music industry representatives, and discussions about the music business. - Record Attendance: 72,000 Visitors in Four Days
As an event that brings the reading community together, the Vilnius Book Fair attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year. The first standalone fair in 2000 became the literary event of the year, drawing around 30,000 people. A record was set in 2020, with more than 72,000 visitors. - Youth Readers’ Hall
The Vilnius Book Fair has brought together book lovers of all ages for 25 years, fostering new generations of readers. For young readers and teenagers, there’s a dedicated Youth Readers’ Hall with a Library Zone, creative workshops, labs, and a stage for events. - Hundreds of Cultural Events
Organizers say that what began as a book-selling event has grown into a cultural extravaganza with a program ten times richer than in 2000. Today, the fair offers more than 500 cultural events, including book presentations, discussions, author meet-and-greets, concerts, readings, and other activities. - Longstanding Tradition of Literary and Music Awards
Many Lithuanian publishers schedule their annual plans around the Vilnius Book Fair. The fair has become a benchmark for the literary community’s new year, celebrating the previous year’s best books and authors. Awards presented at the fair include the Jurga Ivanauskaitė Prize, the Vilnius Club Awards, the Book Art Competition Awards, and nominations from IBBY and the Lithuanian Literature and Folklore Institute’s Creative Dozen. - “Kukutis Goes to the Fair”
The 25th Vilnius Book Fair will greet readers with the slogan “Kukutis Goes to the Fair.” Created by poet Marcelijus Martinaitis, Kukutis is one of the most beloved figures in modern Lithuanian poetry, embodying human complexity and the longing for inner freedom. Lolita Varanavičienė, head of the Tyto alba publishing house and a longtime organizer of the fair, says that not only readers and writers come to the fair, but book characters themselves seem to join in.
The 25th Vilnius Book Fair, “Kukutis Goes to the Fair,” will take place from February 27 to March 2, 2025, at LITEXPO. Ticket sales will start 100 days before the event, on November 19. The fair is organized by the Lithuanian Publishers Association, AGATA, and LITEXPO.
