The Leipzig Book Fair attracted 313 000 visitors in 2026, a new high that surpassed the 296 000 attendees who visited in 2025. This is the first time the fair has crossed the 300,000‑visitor mark.
The event ran for four audience days. During that time, the official count recorded more than 3,000 activities across more than 300 reading venues in Leipzig, combining the Book Fair itself, the Manga‑Comic‑Con and the Reading Festival Leipzig. Organizers listed 2,044 exhibitors from 54 countries in 2026, an increase from 2,040 exhibitors from 45 countries the previous year.
The focus theme for the fair was “Danube – Under Current and Between Worlds” foregrounding literature from the Danube region.
Director Astrid Böhmisch praised the fair’s success, noting that 2026 reaffirmed Leipzig as a forum for debates on literary, societal, and cultural‑political subjects. She highlighted the fair’s growing attraction as a powerful magnet for readers and publishers alike. Publishers, she added, see the Leipzig Book Fair and the broader Reading Festival Leipzig-as Europe’s largest reading festival-as central platforms for marketing and promotion.