Island of Books

The Island of Books is the flagship event of Book Capital – a symbol of both the fact that our city will host small “islands” of book events this year, and the fact that the Crystal Theatre on Margaret Island will be the most important venue of our programmes on the last two weekends of May.

These events will be attended by printers, typographers, bookbinders, illustrators, book restorers, librarians, publishing professionals, antiquarian booksellers, as well as representatives of the major cultural institutions of the capital. Museums, archives, libraries, theatres, research institutions, universities, civil society organizations, influencers who promote reading, societies, creative communities have also joined the series of events. We also place emphasis on presenting adaptations and events of other fields of arts that use books as a source of inspiration and raw material.

Budapest citizens can choose from hundreds of events: theatre performances and concerts, all-day short film screenings, audience forums, readings, panel discussions, walks, craft activities, exhibitions, quizzes, game shows, unusual book events, family and children’s programmes, and discount book fairs. There will be experience-based book events for those who are just getting closer to reading: we will have events on robotics, activities using elements of escape rooms and role-playing games, outdoor or indoor detective games, and unusual craft activities.