Budapest International Book Festival

31st Budapest International Book Festival – a new venue, new opportunities. The 31st Budapest International Book Festival will take place from October 1-4, this time at the HUNGEXPO Budapest Congress and Exhibition Center.

This year, German-language literature will be at the heart of the festival. Germany, Austria and Switzerland will be the festival’s countries of honour, and at the invitation of the German Federal Foreign Office, the Frankfurt Book Fair will also join the guest-of-honour programme.

The festival’s guest of honour and candidate for the Budapest Grand Prize will be Irish writer, poet and playwright Colm Tóibín. To mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Ireland and Hungary, a number of contemporary Irish authors will also be welcomed to Budapest.

Main programmes by day

Thursday, October 1

The opening day of the festival, featuring the opening of publishing stands and book presentations.

• ELTE HTK / Stand C65:
  12:00 – Anna Dalos book signing
  15:00 – Katalin Juhász and Zsolt Nagy book signing

The festival’s featured German-language literature programmes will also begin on this day.

Friday, October 2

• 15:00 – “For Me, Reading – A Lifetime” – a panel discussion with László Földes “Hobó” and Petra Gubik.
• Napkút Publishing House:
  15:00–16:00 – Károly Orbán: Before the Collapse – book signing
  17:00–18:00 – Lajos Reuter: Camping Table Music – book signing

Presentations, discussions and book launches featuring German, Austrian and Swiss authors.

Saturday, October 3

• 15:00 – “For Me, Reading – The Book Enchants” – a discussion with Gábor Zacher, Soma Hajnóczy and Frederik Cornelius.
• FSZEK creative workshop: 10:00–14:00, for children and adults.
• Napkút Publishing House book signings:
  13:00–14:00 – Tibor Nagykutasi
  15:30–17:30 – Péter Csaba
  17:30–18:30 – András Brúnó Elter

A wide range of German-language author events will continue throughout the day.

Sunday, October 4

• ELTE HTK / Stand C65:
  14:00 – Géza Pálffy book signing
  15:00 – Balázs Ablonczy book signing
• Napkút Publishing House:
  11:00–13:00 – Péter Csaba
  13:00–14:00 – Ádám Berki
  15:00–16:00 – Balázs Reke book signing

The closing day of the festival, featuring further book presentations, signings and international programmes.

Date: October 1–4, 2026
Venue: 10 Albertirsai Road, Budapest, 1101
Admission: Free for all programmes

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