The 50th edition of the Chennai Book Fair, organised by the Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India (BAPASI), will be held from January 7 to January 19, 2027, at the YMCA Ground in Nandanam, Chennai.
The logo and website for the Golden Jubilee edition were unveiled at a ceremony in Chennai. The website, chennaibookfair.com, was also launched at the event.
The Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, J.C.D. Prabhakar, unveiled the Golden Jubilee logo and launched the website. A. Loyola Mani, Chairman, Tamil Nadu Textbook Corporation, and Kavitha, Chennai District Library Officer, also addressed the gathering.
BAPASI President,R.S. Shanmugam delivered the welcome address, while S. Vairavan, Secretary, BAPASI, proposed the vote of thanks. A video highlighting 50 years of the Chennai Book Fair was also screened.
Global literary focus
BAPASI has planned several initiatives for the Golden Jubilee edition, including inviting Nobel Prize-winning authors in literature as special guests.
The association also plans to invite representatives of Tamil associations from different countries to bring together the global Tamil community at the book fair. The initiative is aimed at highlighting Tamil language and culture internationally while encouraging reading among younger generations living abroad.
Another initiative will recognise multilingual scholars, particularly senior creators and writers aged above 60, for their contribution to different Indian languages.
Book Fair ambassadors
BAPASI also plans to appoint students from schools and colleges as Book Fair Ambassadors to increase participation among younger readers.
The ambassadors will be encouraged to promote book fair events through social media while helping create greater awareness of reading and the Golden Jubilee edition among students.
Shanmugam said the Chennai Book Fair has emerged as a major platform for showcasing the Tamil language and literature to the world.
“The Chennai Book Fair stands as the largest book fair in Asia in terms of visitor turnout and book sales. It serves as a vital platform for powerfully showcasing the excellence of the Tamil language to the entire world through books,” he said.
He added that the Golden Jubilee year would feature new events aimed at readers, students, young people, teachers, creators, writers, entrepreneurs and publishers.
50 years of Chennai Book Fair
The Golden Jubilee edition marks five decades of the Chennai Book Fair and is expected to bring together publishers, booksellers, authors, readers, students and literary organisations.
BAPASI said the special initiatives planned for the 50th edition are intended to expand the book fair’s reach beyond its traditional audience and strengthen its connection with younger readers and the global Tamil community.
The association also thanked the Tamil Nadu Government for its continued support for the Chennai Book Fair and called for participation from different sections of society in the Golden Jubilee celebrations.
With the logo and website now launched, preparations for the January 7-19, 2027 edition will focus on bringing together publishers, readers and literary communities for the 50th year of one of Chennai’s major annual cultural events.