This Book Fair will be different than usual, but it will be the second largest ever.
The Lisbon Book Fair was another major event in Portugal that had to adapt to the restrictions imposed by the pandemic. This year, it will take place between August 27 and September 13 – and the organization composed of the Portuguese Association of Publishers and Booklets (APEL) and the City Council of Lisbon have already revealed how everything will happen.
To ensure that this edition, the second largest ever, with 310 pavilions, 638 editorial brands and 117 participants, goes as well as the previous ones, APEL released this Thursday in the late afternoon the restrictive and preventive measures that will be taken to ensure the safety and well-being of those who want to visit the Lisbon Book Fair.
Although the event takes place in an open space, The Eduardo VII Park, next to the Marquis of Pombal, the use of mask will be mandatory inside the malls and within the exhibition areas, by visitors and also by exhibitors.
For everything to go well, APEL has established a maximum capacity of 3,300 people and the mandatory use of mask.
This year there will be a maximum capacity of 3300 people, so that the social distance of two meters between visitors is guaranteed. The staff will control over the days the two main entrances to the enclosure — which will be fully open, although it is possible to close the other accesses with bays and ribbons if the maximum capacity is almost reached.
Book presentations will take place in only three outdoor auditoriums —two of them new—called South, West, and East, with seating. There will continue to be autograph sessions, but showcooking initiatives have been cancelled. In total, about 800 activities (including children’s programming) are scheduled.
In addition, visitors won’t be able to bring home books to be autographed —they’ll have to be finished buying to make sure copies are disinfected.
However, you’ll be able to bring used books from home that you no longer want. The “Doe Seus Livros” initiative invites visitors to deliver works they have at home, and who do not want to store, in a specific pavilion near the south entrance of the enclosure. The books will be delivered to needy children supported by various institutions. Last year, more than 10,500 books were collected, including 2,500 textbooks.
The Lisbon Book Fair will operate between 12:30 and 22:00, and on Fridays and Saturdays will not close until midnight. Saturdays also open early at 11 am. On Sundays it will be open between 11 and 23 hours.
Hour H, with minimum discounts of 50 percent (for books released more than 18 months ago) will run Monday through Thursday between 9:00 p.m. and 10 p.m. (last hour of the day).
Admission, as always, is free, even if it is an atypical edition of the book fair — marking the 90 years since its inception. More info on the event and book deals check the official website.