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International Kolkata Book Fair: Boi Mela in Salt Lake
A winter fortnight when all of Kolkata comes out to buy books
The International Kolkata Book Fair, the Boi Mela, is a winter fair for readers rather than a trade fair: about two weeks of publishers' pavilions, little magazines, talks and crowds. It runs from late January into early February at Boi Mela Prangan in Karunamoyee, Salt Lake, close to the Karunamoyee and Central Park metro stations. Next fair: 22 January – 3 February 2027.
The fair has been run by the Publishers and Booksellers Guild since 1976 and is a general public book fair rather than a trade rights market, which is why the attendance and the street-level atmosphere are what distinguish it.
The Publishers and Booksellers Guild announces each edition between August and November of the year before.
The legend
The Frankfurt Book Fair is the model, but Kolkata's publishers plan theirs differently: not for rights deals, but for readers.
On 5 March 1976 the Publishers and Booksellers Guild opens the first fair. Many publishers doubt it will work and stay away.
But the public comes: the second fair, in 1977, draws 196,000 people. In 1984 it becomes international.
In 1997 a fire sweeps through the fair, yet three days later it reopens. Since then smoking and open flames are banned on the grounds.
Today it is called the world's largest book fair for the public, and in 2027 it becomes the first in India to hold its 50th edition.
Meaning
Theme country
Each fair has a theme country. In 1997 the French pavilion echoed the Louvre, and Jacques Derrida opened the fair.
Saraswati Puja
The fair usually overlaps with Saraswati Puja, the feast of the goddess of learning, when many families honour books and do not touch them.
Customs
Striking the gong
By custom the fair is declared open with a stroke of the gong.
Little magazines
Artists, children and the "little magazines", Bengal's small literary journals, each have their own corner.
Every single day
Many Kolkatans go to the fair every day it runs: between the stalls there are picnics, singer-songwriters and candy floss.
Two minutes' silence
Before the annual awards the fair keeps two minutes' silence for Jatin Sheel, a visitor who died on the day of the 1997 fire.
Words of the festival
বইমেলা
boimela
"book fair", the city's Bengali name for its fair
লিটল ম্যাগাজিন
little magazine
a small independent literary journal, with its own pavilion at the fair
গ্রন্থমেলা
Grontho Mela
a 1980s state fair; grontho is an old word for book. Merged into the book fair in 1992
ময়দান
Maidan
the vast park in central Kolkata where the fair was held for decades
True or myth
❌ Myth. It is a fair for readers: no publishing, distribution or translation deals are done here.
✅ True. It is held at the start of February to overlap with most Kolkatans' payday.
❌ Myth. It moved from the Maidan to the Milan Mela ground near Science City, and since 2018 it has been held in Salt Lake.
What the fair is like
The fair is organised by the Publishers and Booksellers Guild, which opened the first one in 1976; it became international in 1984. Its model was the Frankfurt Book Fair, but no rights deals are done here: it is a fair for the public, and Wikipedia describes it as the world's largest non-trade book fair. A recent edition had more than 1,000 stalls.
Each year has a focal theme country with its own pavilion, and foreign publishers and cultural institutes take part alongside Bengali and English-language publishers. Two corners are worth looking for. The Little Magazine pavilion gathers Bengal's small independent literary journals, and the Children's pavilion is aimed at young readers. Between the stalls there are talks, book launches, singers and food stalls; many Kolkatans come every day the fair runs.
The fair usually overlaps with Saraswati Puja, the feast of the goddess of learning. On that day many Hindu families honour books and do not touch them.
Getting there
Since 2018 the fair has been held in Salt Lake, at the ground that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee renamed Boi Mela Prangan (also listed as the Central Park Mela Ground, Karunamoyee). Two stations of the Green Line (East–West Metro) are next to it: Karunamoyee and Central Park, the second and third stops from Salt Lake Sector V towards Howrah. See the Kolkata metro guide for the network.
Tips for a visit
The practical details change slightly each year; the Guild's website posts the current ones.
- Hours — In recent editions the fair has been open from noon to 8 pm.
- No smoking, no flames — After a fire swept through the fair in 1997, smoking and open flames were banned on the grounds.
- Crowds — The fair is very busy, and the UK Foreign Office (FCDO) advises taking care of belongings in crowds and on public transport.
- Where to stay — Salt Lake and the rest of the city are both well connected by the Green Line; see where to stay in Kolkata.
From the Maidan to Salt Lake
For decades the fair stood on the Maidan, the great park in central Kolkata. In the 1980s and early 1990s the state government ran a rival fair, the Grontho Mela, which was merged into the book fair in 1992. In 1997 a fire destroyed over a third of the fair, yet it reopened three days later; it still keeps two minutes' silence for a visitor who died that day. In 2004 the Calcutta High Court moved public fairs off the Maidan to protect the green, and the book fair spent the following years at the Milan Mela ground near Science City before settling in Salt Lake. By custom it is declared open with a stroke of a gong.
FAQ
When is the Kolkata Book Fair?
Next: 22 January – 3 February 2027. It runs for about two weeks from late January into early February; the Guild announces each edition several months ahead.
Where is the International Kolkata Book Fair held?
At Boi Mela Prangan (Central Park Mela Ground) in Karunamoyee, Salt Lake, where it has been held since 2018.
What is the nearest metro station?
Karunamoyee and Central Park on the Green Line (East–West Metro) are both next to the fairground.
What are the fair's timings?
Recent editions were open daily from noon to 8 pm.
Is it the world's largest book fair?
It is often called the world's largest book fair for the public: Wikipedia describes it as the largest non-trade book fair. Trade fairs such as Frankfurt are larger in other ways.
Sources (6)
Facts checked: 21 October 2026. Prices and hours are approximate; check locally.