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Bookfest Brașov, the city’s yearly book fair, took place from Thursday 8 to Sunday 11 October 2026 in the Aula of Transilvania University, Strada Iuliu Maniu 41A. Publishers sold new titles at fair discounts, with launches on Friday 9 and Saturday 10 October. The 2027 dates haven’t been announced.
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Dates and programme were checked on bookfest.ro on 10 October 2026. For other events in the city, see What’s on in Brașov.
Dates
The venue is the Aula „Sergiu Chiriacescu”, about 1.5 km north-east of Piața Sfatului. The fair is run by the Romanian Publishers Association (AER), which also organises the big Bookfest in Bucharest; 2026 is the 10th Brașov edition.
| Edition | Dates | Venue | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026, 10th | Thu 8 – Sun 11 October (events on 9 and 10 October) | Aula Universității Transilvania | Took place; see note below |
| 2025, 9th | Thu 16 – Sun 19 October | Aula Universității Transilvania | Took place |
| 2024, 8th | Thu 31 October – Sun 3 November | Aula Universității Transilvania | Took place |
| 2023, 7th | Thu 19 – Sun 22 October | Aula Universității Transilvania | Took place |
| 2027 | Not announced | Expected in autumn |
A note on the 2026 dates. AER’s calendar of 2026 fairs listed Bookfest Brașov for 8–11 October but marked the date as unconfirmed. The Brașov page of the Bookfest site showed 9–10 October in its header, and its programme listed events only on those two days. Humanitas, one of the main exhibitors, gave 8–11 October at the University Aula, according to Zile și Nopți.
Past dates: 2025, 2024, 2023. Since 2023 the fair has been held in October or the first days of November, from Thursday to Sunday.
Opening hours and entry
- Hours: the 2026 hours weren’t published. In 2025 the fair was open Thursday to Sunday, 10:00–20:00 (Bookfest).
- Entry: free, both to the fair and to the events, in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
- Paying for books: bring some cash in case a stand doesn’t take cards.
What’s there
Bookfest is a publishers’ fair: the stands belong to the publishing houses themselves, which bring their new titles and backlist at fair prices.
- In 2025 the fair offered more than 30,000 volumes at what AER called substantial discounts, from 18 publishers and organisations including Humanitas and Humanitas Fiction, Polirom, Litera, Corint, Nemira, Trei, Bookzone, Pilot Books, Niculescu – Oxford University Press and the Romanian Academy’s publishing house (Bookfest).
- In 2026 the full exhibitor list hasn’t been published. The programme names Humanitas, Humanitas Fiction, Litera, C.R.N. Lux et Ars and the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Press from Iași (programme).
- Children’s books have their own launches: in 2025 Humanitas Junior ran a Saturday-morning programme for young readers.
- Language: these are Romanian publishers, so almost everything on sale is in Romanian, including translations of international authors.
The 2026 programme
Most events are launches followed by a signing session. Highlights from the official programme:
| Day | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 9 Oct | 14:15 | Litera: Cătălin Ranco Pițu, Teroriștii din Decembrie 1989. Mituri și manipulări, in conversation with Adrian Lesenciuc |
| 15:00 | Humanitas: David Neacșu, Cartea inimilor | |
| 18:00 | Litera: Ecaterina Caradja Cantacuzino. O autobiografie, with Georgeta Filitti, Max Caradja Johnson and Anca Ianchiș | |
| Sat 10 Oct | 12:00 | Cristian Radu Nema presents his album PHOENIX – Povestea fără cuvinte, with Radu Paraschivescu |
| 12:30 | Humanitas Fiction: new translations of Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt, Arundhati Roy, Hanna Pylväinen, Akira Mizubayashi and Banana Yoshimoto | |
| 13:15 | Humanitas: Tudor Dinu, Cafea, tutun, dulceți. Deliciile Orientului în țările române | |
| 14:00 | Humanitas: Radu Paraschivescu, Noul ghid al nesimţitului (după douăzeci de ani) | |
| 14:45 | Humanitas: Alina Pavelescu and Șerban-Liviu Pavelescu, Istoria orbilor. România în război, 1940–1945 | |
| 15:30 | Humanitas Fiction: Mario Vargas Llosa, Garrett Carr, Melissa Panarello, Anna Mazzola and Paulo Coelho | |
| 16:15 | Humanitas: Cătălin Vasilescu, Placebo. Chirurgii în căutarea nemuririi | |
| 17:00 | Humanitas: Ioana Scoruș, Drumul spre sine | |
| 17:30 | University presses debate: academic books in the digital age |
The events are in Romanian.
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Getting there
- On foot: the Aula is about 1.5 km north-east of Piața Sfatului as the crow flies; allow 20–25 minutes.
- By bus: a single RATBV ticket costs 5 lei and is valid for 90 minutes; tap a contactless bank card on the validator. Our guide to getting around Brașov explains the tickets and apps.
- By Bolt or taxi: a ride of 3–4 km in Brașov costs about 15 lei with Bolt.
- By car: the paid zones, rates and ways to pay are in our guide to parking in Brașov.
Is it worth it?
If you read Romanian, yes. It’s Brașov’s main book fair of the year, with new books at fair discounts and well-known Romanian writers and historians in person, and it costs nothing to get in. Saturday has the fullest programme.
If you don’t, there’s little for you beyond a look at how Romanians buy books: the stock and the talks are in Romanian. On a rainy day in October you’ll get more out of our ideas for a rainy day in Brașov or the museums of Brașov.
Bookfest in other cities
AER runs Bookfest in several cities each year. The 2026 calendar from Bookfest:
- Timișoara: 19–22 March
- Bucharest: 3–7 June, the 19th edition
- Cluj-Napoca: 18–21 June
- Chișinău: 2–6 September
- Târgu Mureș: 24–27 September
- Brașov: 8–11 October
FAQ
When is Bookfest Brașov 2026?
From Thursday 8 to Sunday 11 October 2026, according to AER’s calendar and the publisher Humanitas. The book launches were on Friday 9 and Saturday 10 October. The 2027 dates haven’t been announced yet.
Where is it held?
In the Aula „Sergiu Chiriacescu” of Transilvania University, Strada Iuliu Maniu 41A. The fair has been held there every year since at least 2023.
Is entry free?
Yes. Entry to the fair and to its events was free in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
What are the opening hours?
The 2026 hours weren’t published. In 2025 the fair was open 10:00–20:00 every day, Thursday to Sunday.
Can I buy books in English?
The exhibitors are Romanian publishers, so expect almost everything to be in Romanian. If you’re looking for English titles, ask at the stands.
When is the next Bookfest Brașov?
The 2027 dates haven’t been announced. Recent editions have been in October or early November, so check bookfest.ro in late summer.
Sources
- Bookfest (Romanian Publishers Association, AER): 2026 calendar, 2026 Brașov programme, 2025 fair, 2024 fair
- Zile și Nopți: Humanitas at Bookfest Brașov 2026, 2023 fair
- Bolt: Brașov fare estimates; RAT Brașov: fares
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What changed
- Updated after the 2026 fair (8–11 October); the 2027 dates haven't been announced.
