Ekushey Book Fair from Feb 20

The Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2026 will be held begin on February 20 and will continue till March 15, 2026, opening at 11:00 am on the first day. 

The schedule was finalised at an emergency meeting on Wednesday, December 17, at 5:00 pm in the Shaheed Munier Chowdhury meeting room of Bangla Academy.

The high-level meeting was attended by key stakeholders, including Md Mofidur Rahman, Secretary of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs; Professor Mohammad Azam, Director General of Bangla Academy; other directors of Bangla Academy; Professor Saifuddin Ahmed, Proctor of Dhaka University; representatives from the publishing community; and officials from law enforcement agencies responsible for security and crowd management.

The decision sets the stage for one of the largest cultural gatherings in Bangladesh, which commemorates the language martyrs of February 21 of 1952 and celebrates Bengali literature, language, and intellectual life. 

Preparations for the month-long event – including stall allocations, security arrangements, and cultural programming – are expected to begin in the coming weeks.

The fair, held annually at the Bangla Academy and Suhrawardy Udyan premises in Dhaka, typically along the month of February but this year it was initially planned to earliarise in November considering political situation centring the 13th Jatiya Sangsad elections. Later that ideas was postponed now the organisers found it suitable to hold the fair after the elections. The elections will take place on February 12.

The fair draws millions of visitors, including students, authors, academics, and families from across the country. Organisers affirmed that this year’s edition will continue to uphold the spirit of Ekushey –  promoting free expression, literary excellence, and national identity.