Over 20,000 books will be on display
Making a long-awaited comeback, the Portimão Book Fair returns from June 20 to July 6 with a new format and a picturesque outdoor setting by the old fish market (Antiga Lota), along the town’s riverside area.
Once considered one of the best book fairs in Portugal, the event is breaking from tradition by opening daily from 10am to midnight, allowing visitors to explore 18 open-fronted exhibition stands. Over 20,000 books will be available, ranging from novels and comic books to cookbooks, sold by some of Portugal’s top publishers, including LEYA, Bertrand and Penguin. Many titles will be recent releases, and several will be presented in the Algarve for the first time.
The fair is organised by Promobooks.net and the municipal council of Portimão and is promising more than just books. The program also includes autograph sessions, lectures, author talks, themed debates, wellness activities and live music.
Confirmed guests include a wide range of authors. Among those confirmed so far are Fátima Lopes, Pedro Chagas Freitas, Maria Francisca Gama, Rosário Alçada Araújo, Susana Amaro Velho, Hugo Gonçalves, Isabela Figueiredo, Tiago R. Santos, Susana Romana, Inês Franco, Márcia Gamito, Ana Barragão, Célia Correia Loureiro, Rita da Nova, Mafalda Santos, Fábio Ventura, Luísa Sobral, João de Melo, Filipa Fonseca e Silva, Ana Luísa Pais, Filipa Amorim, João Tordo, Rute Cancela, Bruno M. Franco, and Lourenço Seruya.
Highlights include Q&A sessions with Maria Francisca Gama and João Tordo, as well as debates tackling topics such as screenwriting in Portuguese TV, women in contemporary literature, and mental health in the creative process.
Children won’t be left out either. Special storytelling sessions, yoga classes, and Zumba for kids are also on the agenda.
Admission is free.
