Over 4L people throng Kolkata Book Fair 2026 on Saturday; more than 11L visited fair between Jan 23 & Jan 26 alone

KOLKATA: Fifteen-year-old Sahana Mondal and her father had to jostle through a sea of book lovers before she could finally get her hands on ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’. Exhausted but happy, she stepped out of the English book pavilion and let out a sigh. “I came all the way from Andul. Saturday was the only day I could manage after my classes, but it’s too crowded,” she said.

Sahana was one among the more than four lakh visitors who thronged the 49th International Kolkata Book Fair at Boimela Prangan in Salt Lake on Saturday. A similar footfall was recorded on Republic Day. In fact, the fair witnessed an overwhelming turnout of over 11 lakh visitors between January 23 and 26 alone.

On Saturday evening, the fairgrounds were packed to the brim, with serpentine queues forming in front of popular stalls such as Dey’s Publishing, Patra Bharati and Penguin

India. The West Bengal Government pavilion also drew large crowds, with live Baul music adding to the festive atmosphere.

“I knew Saturdays would be crowded, but since we had office throughout the week, this was the only option,” said Achirangshu Mukhopadhyay, an IT professional browsing through books on tribal history. “We also wanted to avoid Sunday, as it’s the last holiday before the fair concludes on February 3.”

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Children’s Day will be celebrated at the ground from 4 pm onwards. As part of the programme, the children’s book ‘Boro Der Chotobela’ will be distributed free of cost in front of Guild House.