Cairo International Book Fair Closes 57th Edition

The 57th Cairo International Book Fair will conclude its activities on Tuesday evening, February 3, 2026, after nearly two weeks of cultural, literary, and artistic events hosted at the Egypt International Exhibition Center. The fair opened on January 21 and drew wide public and professional participation from Egypt and abroad.

According to the official programme, the closing day will begin at 6:00 pm in the main hall at Plaza 1 with the distribution of the Cairo International Book Fair awards across their various categories. At 7:30 pm, events will move to the Manara Hall, where the Naguib Mahfouz Award will be presented, sponsors will be honoured, and the official handover of the next edition’s guest of honour will take place. The evening will culminate in the official closing ceremony, held this year under the title “Sing, Cairo.”

Dr Ahmed Magued, Executive Director of the fair, said the closing ceremony will feature a rich programme of cultural and artistic performances, alongside the honouring of winners of the inaugural Naguib Mahfouz Prize for Arabic Novel. He stressed that the award reflects the fair’s commitment to supporting Arab writers and encouraging literary creativity while advancing the quality of Arabic fiction.

Throughout its 57th edition, the fair placed special emphasis on celebrating Naguib Mahfouz as its Personality of the Year. This tribute was reflected in an extensive cultural programme that included intellectual and critical seminars, film screenings, and the visual exhibition “Naguib Mahfouz Through the Eyes of the World,” which offered diverse artistic interpretations of the Nobel laureate’s life and literary legacy.