The vibrant city of Ahmedabad is set to host a grand cultural confluence as the Ahmedabad International Book Festival 2025 prepares to open its doors on November 13. This 11-day literary extravaganza, a joint initiative by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and the National Book Trust, will transform the Sabarmati Riverfront Event Centre into a paradise for bibliophiles and food enthusiasts alike.
A Grand Assembly of Publishers and Stalls
Spanning an impressive area of over one lakh square feet, the festival boasts a massive scale with participation from 111 publishers from across India. States and union territories including Bihar, Haryana, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi will be represented through 300 book stalls. The event will also feature a start-up exhibition and a dedicated Commonwealth Games arena, creating a diverse and dynamic environment.
Thematic Zones and Interactive Experiences
The book festival is intelligently segmented into distinct thematic zones to cater to different interests. According to Deputy Municipal Commissioner Jayesh Upadhyay, the first zone is the Children's Corner (NCCL Pavilion), designed to spark young imaginations with daily interactive sessions. These will include storytelling, puppet theatre, Mandala art, dance-drama, and creative recycling workshops.
The second zone, Gyan Ganga, will host daily writing and design studios. Attendees can participate in workshops focusing on poetry, drama, film scripts, essays, and biographies. Furthermore, hands-on sessions for terracotta art, fabric puppetry, oil painting, and metal embossing will provide a creative outlet for all ages.
The third dedicated space is the AMC School Board Centenary Pavilion, which will be abuzz with inter-school competitions from morning to evening. These contests will include quizzes, storytelling, fancy dress, panel discussions, impromptu speeches, and book reading competitions, making it a major attraction for students and educators.
Food, Films, and Cultural Galore
Running concurrently with the book fair is the four-day Food for Thought Fest 2025. This culinary journey will feature cuisines from countries such as Nepal, Spain, and the Netherlands, alongside a wide array of delicacies from across India. Organizers describe it as a unique gathering of thoughts and tastes.
Adding to the entertainment quotient, a children's film festival will screen four to seven globally acclaimed films daily between 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm. The evenings will come alive with cultural performances by renowned artists like Kirtidan Gadhvi, Ankit Trivedi, and the Sandeep Christian Orchestra. A Mushayra (poetic symposium) and a special Shaurya Samvad (discussion) with Lt Gen (Retd) K J S Dhillon and retired IPS officer K Vijaykumar are also on the agenda.
Every evening will witness book launch programmes and diverse literary events. Students will get a unique opportunity to interact with eminent thinkers and authors such as Acharya Prashant, Gurcharan Das, Nitin Sethi, and Kulpreet Yadav. Live sessions on cutting-edge topics like artificial intelligence, crime journalism, and the Gandhi-Mandela legacy are planned to inspire the youth.
An Innovation Zone will further engage visitors by offering live masterclasses, content-writing workshops, and even on-the-spot internship opportunities with publishers, bridging the gap between learning and practical experience.
