Pune Children’s Book Fair 2026 from April 30: 100 Stalls, Free Entry for Students, Parents, Teachers

Pune, 20th April 2026: A five-day Pune Children’s Book Fair will be held from April 30 to May 4 at Ganesh Kala Krida Rangmanch, aiming to cultivate reading habits among children during the summer vacation through engaging literary and cultural activities.

The event is being organised jointly by the National Book Trust, Pune Book Festival, Pune Municipal Corporation, Samvad Pune, and Samarth Yuva Foundation. The fair will be open to students, parents, and teachers, offering free access to innovative workshops and cultural programmes.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, Rajesh Pande, trustee of the National Book Trust and chief organiser of the Pune Book Festival, said the initiative is designed to introduce children to literature, arts, and culture in an enjoyable way. “The aim is to ensure children develop an interest in reading while learning about literature and culture during their holidays,” he said.

Pande added that the fair is unique in the state and seeks to expose children to a wide range of books while encouraging them to become lifelong readers. He emphasised the role of parents and teachers in shaping children’s reading habits, noting that a special exhibition of children’s literature across multiple languages has been curated for them.

Citing last year’s response, Pande said the previous edition saw participation from around 55,000 to 60,000 children, with 75 stalls dedicated to children’s literature. “This year, the number of stalls has been increased to 100, and a wider range of literary and cultural activities has been planned,” he said.

The fair will feature exhibitions, cultural performances, rural and adventure games, and a food festival showcasing diverse cuisines.
Samvad Pune head Sunil Mahajan said the event will include a variety of engaging programmes such as children’s Geet Ramayan, an exhibition of covers from youth magazines, a children’s literature writing competition, poetry sessions, puppet shows, street play workshops, interactive sessions with authors, and theatre workshops.

He urged citizens to actively participate in the fair with their children to promote literary culture. “Registration can be completed by scanning the QR code provided by the organisers,” Mahajan added.

Prasad Mirasdar of Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad was also present at the press conference.