KUWAIT CITY, Nov 16: The National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) announced Sunday the launch of the 48th Kuwait International Book Fair, set to open next Wednesday under the patronage of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. The event will run from November 19 to 29 at the Kuwait International Fairgrounds in Mishref and will feature 611 publishing houses from 33 countries.

At a press conference held at the Mishref fairgrounds, Aisha Al-Mahmoud, Assistant Secretary-General for Culture at NCCAL, said the 48th edition of the fair coincides with Kuwait’s designation as the Arab Capital of Culture and Media for 2025.

Al-Mahmoud highlighted that Oman is the guest of honor this year in recognition of its cultural contributions. She also announced that Mohammad bin Al-Zubair, retired advisor to the Sultan for Economic Planning Affairs and founder of Bait Al-Ummal, has been named the fair’s cultural figure for his distinguished role in promoting Arab culture.

The fair will host events across three cultural platforms. The Cultural Café offers an expanded space for Arab cultural dialogue, addressing topics such as thought, translation, awards, and creativity. The Culture Pavilion reflects modern cultural diversity, presenting contemporary perspectives on philosophy, media, arts, language, and heritage. The Children’s Culture Pavilion provides an interactive educational environment combining creativity, knowledge, and technology for young visitors.

Al-Mahmoud also announced the launch of the Kuwait International Book Fair Award for Unpublished Works and the Best Review Competition for the World Creativity Series, alongside the Creative Students Award, all debuting at this year’s fair. Full program details will be available on NCCAL’s social media platforms.

Fair Director Khalifa Al-Rabah said the event carries the slogan “Capital of Culture… Homeland of Books” and outlined the exhibition layout: Hall 5 is dedicated to Arab publishing houses, Hall 6 to Kuwaiti, Gulf, and international publishers, and Hall 7 to government agencies, regional organizations, and public benefit entities. The exhibition lobby is allocated for children’s book publishers.

Al-Rabah noted that the fair will showcase 287,000 registered book titles, including 35,066 new titles. He also highlighted the participation of 84 publishing houses in the Arab Publishers Professional Program, aimed at developing the regional publishing industry, and the “I Am the Author” project, which encourages children to write.

To enhance visitor experience, the exhibition offers a 25% discount on all books, automated information centers, interactive screens, and the ability to search the fair’s website via mobile phones or QR codes located at participating publishers’ booths.