Book Festival Read! The time is 24,000 visitors and you will be in … (Antwerp)

Until 2019, the Antwerp Fair hosted a book fair every year. When the organization went bankrupt, there was a fear of waiting for a successor. In the fall of 2021, two book festivals finally open: Boektopia in Kortrijk and Lees! in Antwerp.

Boektopia, spanning over three days, attracted 11,000 visitors, read on! 24,000 over the counter in a week. “Lees’ visitor count! Said Nadine Franks from Liz! “In terms of public attendance, the virus certainly played tricks on us, but the visitors were full of praise for the wide aisles and space between the stands,” he added.

reading promotion

Visitor Made on Lees! mm differently from a traditional book fair. Eight themed areas drawn by the library, an auditorium for children and an open structure. “The open spaces provide points for rest and allow visitors to browse books in peace. The children’s hall was also very popular. Spread over four halls, the next edition will be larger, the width is wider, but we want to preserve the open space. The themed areas will also remain, and will be completed in the next edition areas for foreign languages ​​and educational books.

The second version of the read! In 2022 from October 29 to November 6. Before that, two days will be organized exclusively for schools on October 27 and 28. “Reports have shown that young people have difficulty understanding reading. Because we take the promotion of reading very seriously, we are proposing a program designed for primary education (October 27) and secondary education (October 28).”

Glimpses of the first version of read! It was to visit Meilandjes, Samson and Marie and view Prehang’s performance. With an emphasis on experience, the connection between music and language will be explored further in 2022. We think more about Slam Poetry and theatre.