Hundreds of thousands of book lovers are expected the 32nd annual Hong Kong Book Fair (HKBF), which in pre-COVID days could attract more than 1 million attendees. Which is pretty impressive considering the city’s population is only bout seven times that.
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Convention + Exhibitions
To paraphrase Mark Twain, news of the death of books has been greatly exaggerated. At least that is what the massive attendance figures at Hong Kong’s annual Book Fair seems to suggest.
At a time when bricks and mortar bookshops are closing their doors right and left – and when more and more bibliophiles are switching from paper to digital formats – the strong attendance is a bit surprising.
While attendance has dropped owing to COVID-19, the number book-lovers attending the Hong Kong Book Fair in previous years sometimes exceeded one million attendees! And that included many overseas visitors, who will be few this year owing to travel restrictions.
“The enduring success of the Hong Kong Book Fair is a sure sign of Hong Kong people’s thirst for knowledge and appetite for a good story,” says Benjamin Chau, Deputy Executive Director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.
“The Book Fair has become a not-to-be-missed summer event for the public and for the industry.”
The theme of the event this year is “History and City Literature”. And the popular Eight Seminar Series has been revived. In addition, acclaimed local and overseas writers will speak at a series of virtual and in-person seminars.
Hong Kong Book Fair Tips
If you haven’t been to the Hongkong Book Fair before, here are a few tips:
- Arrive early – the crowds will amaze you;
- Avoid weekends – it only gets worse;
- Bring a suitcase with wheels – that’s what everyone else does;
- Examine the maps first – you’ll want to plot our course;
- Have books delivered – a delivery service to addresses throughout Hong Kong is available.
The Hong Kong Sports and Leisure Expo and the World of Snacks will run concurrently with the Hong Kong Book Fair.
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Where
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, 1 Expo Drive, Wanchai, Hong Kong. Fair Website: Hong Kong Book Fair
The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre is within a short walk of the newly opened Exhibition Centre MTR Station on the extended East Rail Line. It is also a five to 10 minute walk from the Wanchai MTR station of the Island Lin.. It is a short taxi ride from Admiralty, Central, SoHo, Sheung Wan, Western, Causeway, Happy Valley, and other points on Hong Kong Island.