Organised by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), part of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT), the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair continues to take place until May 28, featuring a diverse cultural programme with over 2,000 main events and 700 activities presented by exhibitors and partners, to form an overall cultural, literary, artistic, and educational diversity comparable to that of a cultural festival whose events last for a full week of sessions, seminars, dialogues, discussions, workshops, and live and cinematic performances that meet the aspirations and interests of visitors of various tastes and ages.

The Fair's largest edition in its history is distinguished by the diversity of its events, which will be presented across five main programmes: the cultural programme "INSPIRE", the creative arts programme "CREATE", the children and youth programme "LEARN", the professional programme "DEVELOP", and the exhibitors and partners programme "EXPLORE".

INSPIRE: Cultural Programme

The cultural programme will be a great source of inspiration and a rich resource, with various cultural and literary seminars, including the Guest of Honour "The Republic of Türkiye" and the Focus Personality "Ibn Khaldun", as well as a number of debates and poetry evenings, and opportunities to meet famous names in the Arab and international world of books, and obtain signed copies of books, a once-in-a-lifetime experience, as well as the launch of the "Podcast from Abu Dhabi" for the first time at the Fair.

The cultural programme "INSPIRE" will feature a number of not-to-be-missed sessions like “Sustainability According to the Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan”, part of  the sustainability programme, which comes in line with the UAE’s announcement of 2023 as the Year of Sustainability, “The Impact of Ibn Khaldun on the Global Thought”, discussing the great impact of his writings on global thought, and a session titled “The Century of Turkish Literature from West to East”, exploring last century’s Turkish literature. It will also host a session about the “Science Fiction Works Exchange Symposium & Arabic Copyright Signing Ceremony of The Wandering Earth", focussing on the reality of science fiction literature in China and the prospects of Arab-Chinese cooperation in this field, in addition to “An Evening in the Company of Nizar Qabbani and Nazik al-Malaeka” to celebrate their centenary of birth, and “The Epic Sagas of the East Never Die… A Contemporary Reading of Gilgamesh” investigating whether Gilgamesh was initially a real person or a fictional character created by myths and heroic epics.

CREATE: Arts and Creative Programmes

This year, the Fair features seminars and workshops that provide a one-of-a-kind experience in everything related to creativity, from sketching to cinema and from photography to culinary arts, where visitors will immerse themselves in a unique experience of creativity that fills the place.

Among the activities that the art programme "CREATE" will witness is a workshop on the “Taste of Türkiye by the Guest of Honour”, in which participants will have a unique opportunity to learn from a culinary expert about the characteristics of Turkish food. Also, a session about “The Art of the Rababa”, during which they talk about the art of rebab and perform some interesting clips. In addition to a workshop on “The Art of Designing Chibi Anime Characters”, which introduces the art of anime and how to draw characters in the Chibi style, as well as screenings of short films in the "Black Box Cinema" and possibilities to publish own comic books and graphic novels for visitors at the “Sandstorm” booth, the first dedicated comic book studio in the UAE, which was founded to support local talents, in addition to many other artistic events.

LEARN: Children and Youth Programmes

Because learning is one of the Fair’s main themes this year, the Children and Youth Programme is designed to take care of everything related to children's culture, through activities that stimulate their enthusiasm and contribute to their growth and development within a valuable entertainment and educational framework.

One of what the “LEARN” program includes is an interactive "Spend Some Energy" event to teach how to take care of our planet and make it more dependent on clean energy, and full of jokes and funny singing sessions “Hello Mr. Jam!”.

“The Importance of Arabic Content Online – Wikimedians” is another session on the LEARN programme’s agenda that delves into the significance of having trustworthy and accessible information in the Arabic language in the digital world, and “Being Together” session is one more on the list that educates attendees on how to understand and embrace individual differences with empathy and kindness.

The "Children's Oasis" offers a delightful environment full of fun and exciting activities, performances, and artistic workshops, as well as reading sessions that combine literature and culture, beside the "Alpha" corner which offers young visitors innovative visual and interactive activities designed to help them broaden their horizons and learn more about their world.

DEVELOP: Professional Programmes

The Fair’s development workshops provide opportunities for writers and publishers to sharpen their abilities and learn more about the publishing industry from notable industry experts.

Among the activities included in the professional programme are the “Agenda for the China-Arab Civilization Dialogue – China-Arab Publishing Culture Exchange and Cooperation Forum” for publishing cooperation between Arab and Chinese publishers, and a workshop on “How Do You Publish a Translated Work?” that explains how to choose books for translation and publication.

The programme also includes a workshop about “How to Publish an E-Book?” which provides solutions to the challenges of digital publishing, and a session on “AI and the Future of Publishing” on the relationship of technologies to publishing and the impact of artificial intelligence on the future of electronic and audiobooks, as well as workshops that help you improve your creative writing skills, and many more.

EXPLORE: Partners and Exhibitors Programmes

The “EXPLORE” programme sheds light on governmental partnerships around us, in addition to creating opportunities to meet writers and engage with them in constructive conversation, and building memories at book signings for unforgettable experiences.