Book festivals are incredibly important for nurturing a love of reading and storytelling in our communities. They bring together authors, readers, and publishers in lively celebrations of literature.

These events offer a chance to discover new books, meet favourite authors, and participate in discussions and workshops. More than just a place to buy books, book festivals create an atmosphere where people can share their ideas, connect with diverse voices, and explore different cultures through stories.

The 1st Baku Book Festival is one of such exciting events that brings the literary world to life in Azerbaijan.

Co-organized by the Public Union "Azerbaijan Publishers Association Public Union (ANAIB)" and Azerbaijan Culture Ministry in the Palace of Hand Games, the festival offers a great chance for readers to broaden their horizons.

Books by modern writers are presented at the festival, which aims at promoting the Azerbaijani literature.

The event brought together young people, including schoolchildren and students as well as book enthusiasts.

The festival is held under the slogan "Into the New Year with New Books!". Over 30 publishing houses, including ANAIB members, are participating in it. The festival also features stands of local newspapers and magazines.

ANAIB Chairman Shamil Sadig welcomed the guests of the festival. He expressed his gratitude to the attendees and shared details about the preparation process for the festival.

People's Poet Sabir Rustamkhanli, Rector of the Turkish Üsküdar University Nazife Güngör, Chairman of the Public Council under the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry and director of the Ataturk Center in Azerbaijan, Academician Nizami Jafarov, member of the Azerbaijani Parliament Fazil Mustafa, Chairman of the Azerbaijan Press Council Rashad Majid and Honored Artist of Azerbaijan Rafig Hashimov addressed the event.

In their remarks, they emphasized the importance of books and reading, and their role in the development of society.

During the festival, visitors can enjoy thousands of books with discounts of up to 90 per cent, presentations and autograph sessions of famous writers and poets, meetings with popular personalities, poetry hours, as well as reading fairy tales aloud for children.

The 1st Baku Book Festival is open to visitors daily from 10:00 to 20:00 until December 22.