Kolkata Book Fair to Mark 50th Edition in 2027 with ‘Vande Mataram’ as Theme

The International Kolkata Book Fair will celebrate its 50th edition from January 22 to February 3, 2027, with the 150th anniversary of ‘Vande Mataram’ as its central theme. Israel is being considered as the theme country, while organisers also plan automated stall allocation for publishers.
on Sep 08, 2026

International Kolkata Book Fair Will Celebrate 50th Edition in 2027 with “Vande Mataram” as Theme

International Kolkata Book Fair will commemorate its 50th anniversary in 2027, and the event organizers have revealed that the 150th year celebration of “Vande Mataram” will be the theme of the special edition of the event.

This literary event will be held between January 22 and February 3, 2027.

The revelation regarding the theme of the event was made in the first press conference of the upcoming event. The organizers have also thought about Israel as the theme country, but this idea is still pending government approval.

Many organisational changes are anticipated in the 2027 edition of the fair. One of such changes is a stall allocation system which will enable the publishers to make their requests digitally. The organisers claim that the system will make the allocation of stalls more similar to the way it is done in other major international book fairs.

The fair will be organised by the Publishers and Booksellers Guild, EZCC, and NBT. A 24-member committee made up of members of the government of West Bengal will be involved in preparing for the fair.

Among other topics discussed at the meeting is the participation of Bangladesh in the fair. Bookstores of Bangladesh have not participated in the last two editions of the fair and their participation in 2027 is not clear yet. According to the organisers, participation of Bangladesh would require clearances from Union ministries of external affairs and home affairs.

The Golden Jubilee edition will also be taking place amid attempts to make the fair more inclusive towards publishers, printers, and booksellers. It has been argued that making the fair more Indian in its essence and reaching out to more parts of the publishing industry could have been an issue under consideration when organizing the fair.

This Golden Jubilee edition of the International Kolkata Book Fair will see the marriage of the literary legacy of five decades along with organizational attempts. The adoption of Vande Mataram as the theme of the year is expected to make this historical song take center stage in the fair of 2027.