Colombo International Book Fair opens tomorrow

The Colombo International Book Fair 2022 will be held from 16 to 25 September despite the hiatus last year, the Sri Lanka Book Publishers’ Association said.

While the hours have been cut down to 9am till 7pm (from 9am till 9pm earlier) the fair will have all the normal features, said Samantha Indeewara, President of the Sri Lanka Book Publishers’ Association.

He added that the decision to go ahead with the fair was taken at short notice, and that the organizers anticipate a good turnout despite the current economic crisis.

While 110 stalls in the area known as the western car park will be absent this year, none of the participants have been ousted; they will all be housed in other spaces. These measures have been taken to keep the stall prices at the same amount as in 2020, so readers will not have to ultimately pay exorbitant prices at their end.

The Cultural Department will host events in the evenings on the main stage while a variety of entertainment options from children’s activities will be also hosted.

The Sri Lanka Police and private security guards will ensure security while a body of volunteers, mostly university students, will ensure smooth operation. Shuttle buses will operate in Colombo as before.

The Swarnapustaka Award for the best Sinhala novel published in 2021 will be awarded on 10 September and the winning novel will be awarded a total of 8,50,000 Rupees.

Mr. Indeewara reiterated that this will be the ‘final opportunity’ for readers to purchase books at prices from prior to the increasing of paper prices. Despite the relaxing of Covid precautions in general he urged visitors to observe safety measurements as before.