Reiterating what it said in June, the Frankfurt Book Fair has confirmed that the fair will proceed with live, in-person events, this October 20-24. The in-person fair will be augmented by online offerings.
To protect the health of fairgoers, the total number of people allowed on the fairgrounds will be limited to 25,000 a day. According to fair organizers, entrance to the fairgrounds will only be permitted to individuals who are vaccinated, who have recently tested negative or who have recovered from Covid-19.
Professional participants from more than 60 countries have registered to attend the fair and 41 national collective stands will represent countries around the world, ranging from Argentina and Bulgaria, to Switzerland and Taiwan. Canada, the guest of honor, will be represented with stands for both the English and French-language publishing sectors. Future guests of honor will also host stands and these include Spain (for 2022), Slovenia (for 2023) and Italy (for 2024).
Several large publishers from the U.K. and the U.S., including Penguin Random House and HarperCollins, have announce their intent to keep employees home. Interest from other U.S. publishers in attending the fair remains lukewarm.
