11:30–12:00
Thessaloniki Book Fair Events Programme
Find out about the scheduled events of the 22nd TBF. The programme brings together a wide range of events covering contemporary publishing and intellectual production. Book presentations, discussions, tributes and activities for different audiences compose a complete picture of the exhibition. Explore the sections and discover the events that interest you.
Thursday 7 May 2026
10 events
11:30–12:00
12:00–13:00
12:00–13:00The Greek Book Market Today
13:00–14:00
13:00–14:00Overview of the Bulgarian publishing market: facts, figures, funding opportunities, and institutional support
14:00–15:00
14:00–15:00Children’s Books: trends, reading culture promotion, and opportunities for international collaborations
Zornitsa Hristova, Editor-in-Chief, Tochitza Publications; Dessislava Grozdanova, Editor-in-Chief, Fox Books Publications
15:00–16:00
15:00–16:00Buying and selling rights: literary agents and international trends
16:00–17:00
16:00–17:00The Spanish Phenomenon
José Manuel Anta, CEO of the Spanish Federation of Book Publishers; Phaedon Kidoniatis, Publisher (Eurasia Publications), Vice-President of the Federation of European Publishers (FEP)
17:00–18:00
17:00–18:00The Second Life of Books: Re-narrating the Past
Andreas Tsiliras, Cultural Manager and Publisher; Vassilis Gatos, Director of Research, Institute of Informatics & Telecommunications, NCSR Demokritos; Katerina Christopoulou, Co-founder, AI4doc
17:00–18:30
17:00–18:30Official opening of the Bulgarian National Stand – Guest of Honor at the 22nd Thessaloniki International Book Fair
18:00–19:00
18:00–19:00How can literature written in smaller or less widely spoken languages reach an international audience?
Simeon Aleksandar, Creative Europe Desk Bulgaria; Kostas Trakosas, Creative Europe Desk Greece; Hripsime Madoyan, Head of Publications (Antares, Armenia); Veronika Chaloupkova, Editor & Literary Agent (Argo Publishers, Czech Republic); Tere Irastortza Garmendia, Poet & Translator (Basque Country)
19:00–20:00
19:00–20:00Buying and selling rights across languages, countries, and cultures
Friday 8 May 2026
16 events
10:00–11:00
10:00–11:00Workshop with the illustrator Kapka Kaneva
11:00–12:00
11:00–12:00The Creative Europe Programme in the Greek Book Market: Publishers and authors from Greece, Slovenia and Sweden discuss their experience
11:00–12:00Workshop with the writer and publisher Zornitsa Hristova
12:00–13:00
12:00–13:00Artificial Intelligence: Research, and Development
13:00–14:00
13:00–14:00Challenges and New Legislations, Freedom of Expression
14:00–15:00
14:00–15:00Artificial Intelligence and Translation Rights To and From “Smaller” Languages
15:00–16:00
15:00–16:00Research and Reading Culture Promotion Tactics in Germany and Slovenia
Lisa Keil, Project Lead
16:00–17:00
16:00–17:00Bulgarian Literature in Greek: Challenges, Opportunities, and Strategies
17:00–18:00
17:00–18:00Translation Funding Tools
Jesús González González, Deputy Director General for the Promotion of Books, Reading, and Spanish Literature17:00–18:00Conversation with the Greek writer Ersi Sotiropoulos with her translator Marina Delivlaeva
18:00–19:00
18:00–19:00A Book in Every Home, Every School, Every Library
18:00–19:00Women voices in contemporary writing and going beyond the definition
18:00–20:00
18:00–20:00Do infants and toddlers need books?
Speakers: Maria Bouri, Pediatrician; Sissy Tsiflidou, Educator; Ava Chalkiadaki, Reading Policy Researcher, President of Diavazontas Megalono
19:00–20:00
19:00–20:00Can the BookTok community build a loyal readership?
19:00–20:00Literature Beyond Borders
20:00–21:00
20:00–21:00Artificial Intelligence and applied publishing practices
Saturday 9 May 2026
14 events
11:00–12:00
11:00–12:00Why Children’s Books are a Serious Business
Vangelis Iliopoulos, President of Greek IBBY, Author, Educator; Panos Christodoulou, Director of the Network for Children's Rights; Vasiliki Nika, Faculty Member, Laboratory Teaching Staff, Department of Primary Education – University of Athens, Translator; Grigoris Abatzoglou, Child Psychiatrist, Professor Emeritus of Child Psychiatry – Aristotle University of Thessaloniki; Elena Pataki, Publisher (Patakis Publications)11:00–12:00Screening: Ballad of the Self-Proclaimed Knight Zhelyazko and the Fire-Breathing Dragon; Dimcho and Viola
12:00–13:00
12:00–13:00Picturebooks in Children’s Literature
12:00–13:00Building Bridges Between Languages – Bulgarian and Greek
13:00–14:00
13:00–14:00Regional Bookstores: Cultural Hubs
Demi Koutsostamati, Little Bookstores; Eleni Provatidou, (To Mati bookshop in Katerini); Panagiotis Ioannidis (Anemos bookshop in Larisa); Evripidis Konstantinidis, (Konstantinidis bookshop in Thessaloniki)
14:00–15:00
14:00–15:00EUPL / European Union Prize for Literature & Translation
14:00–15:00Screening: Short films based on stories by Yordanka Beleva
15:00–16:00
15:00–16:00Sports, Cinema, Music: Gateways to Reading
16:00–17:00
16:00–17:00Buying and selling children’s rights: illustration, copyright, and licensing
16:00–17:00Novels adapted for the big and small screens
17:00–18:00
17:00–18:00Investing in reading; successful reading promotion initiatives by EURead members in Bulgaria, Sweden and Greece
Valentina Stoeva (Reading Foundation, Bulgaria), Lovisa Fhager Logothetis (Bonnier Family Foundation, Sweden), and Ava Chalkiadaki (Diavazontas Megalono, Greece)17:00–18:00What is Ex Libris? – History and Modern Applications – The Book as an Object of Memory and Personal Identity
Angeliki Bozou, Artist & Illustrator; Eleni Tsaldiri, Artist & Author; Lela Stroutsi, Illustrator & Author, Board Member of Greek IBBY
18:00–19:00
18:00–19:00Book Launch of the Greek translation of Ina Vulchanova's novel Crack-up Island
19:00–20:00
19:00–20:00Conversation with the writer Iana Boukova and the Greek poet Pavlina Marvin
Sunday 10 May 2026
6 events
10:00–11:00
10:00–11:00Screening: Ballad of the Self-Proclaimed Knight Zhelyazko and the Fire-Breathing Dragon Dimcho; Viola
12:00–13:00
12:00–13:00Conversation with the writer Alexander Sekulov and Svetlozar Zhelev
13:00–14:00
13:00–14:00“Libraries for Children! Why Today?’’
Irini Vokotopoulou (Velvendo Library), Petroula Voltsi (Library of Karabournaki, Kalamaria), Elena Korovila (Journalist, Book Press)13:00–14:00Conversation with the writers Todor P. Todorov and Christos Chomenidis
15:00–16:00
15:00–16:00Bulgarian myths and fairytales in Greek translation
16:00–17:00
16:00–17:00Screening: Short films based on stories by Yordanka Beleva
Fellows
Meet the publishing professionals participating in the TBF 2026 Fellowship Programme, coming from across the globe: publishers, editors, rights managers, licensing officers, literary agents, and scouts.
