World Book Fair to be closed on Wednesday over Delhi assembly elections

New Delhi: The ongoing New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF) will be closed on Wednesday on account of the assembly elections in the national capital, announced National Book Trust (NBT) on Tuesday.

Currently underway at Bharat Mandapam, the fair that began on February 1 is highlighting the journey of India as a Republic during the last 75 years, with "Republic@75" as its theme this year.

"We would like to inform you that the New Delhi World Book Fair 2025 will be closed on February 5 to encourage public participation in the Delhi Assembly elections. This closure will allow our visitors, staff and partners to cast their votes and fulfill their civic duty," said NBT, the organisers of NDWBF, in a statement.

The fair will resume on February 6 and will continue until February 9 with an extended time - from 10 am to 9 pm -- they informed.

Authors and speakers from 50 countries, including France, Qatar, Spain, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Columbia, are set to participate in NDWBF 2025, which has designated Russia as the focus nation.

Several literature festivals, including 'Brahmaputra Literature Festival', 'Prabhat Prakashan', 'Bharat Literature Festival', 'Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival', 'Penguin Dialogues' and the 'Great Indian Book Tour', are held parallelly as part of the fair.

The literary event has free entry for students in school uniform and senior citizens.