Book Arsenal 2026 drew around 27,000 visitors in Kyiv

The 14th International Book Arsenal Festival ended in Kyiv, drawing around 27,000 visitors to Mystetskyi Arsenal one week after Russia’s mass attack damaged cultural institutions, schools and residential buildings in the Ukrainian capital.

Held for the fourth time during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the festival lasted three and a half days and combined a book fair, exhibition projects, a professional programme and more than 240 events, including public discussions, lectures, presentations, author and poetry readings, conversations, workshops, music events, performances and autograph sessions.

Due to air raid alerts and security risks, several events were cancelled or shortened, while some took place in shelters in an informal setting. Among such events were poetry readings on the second day of the festival, participants and visitors of which were moved to the shelter because of an air raid alert. Ihor Mitrov, Ukrainian poet, writer, serviceman; Valeriy Puzik, writer, artist, journalist, and serviceman; Artur Dron, poet and serviceman, the author of “Hemingway Knows Nothing”; and Taira Paievska, paramedic, volunteer, and former Russian captive were participants of these readings.

This year’s festival featured stands by 111 large and 25 small publishing houses, the book.ua bookstore, as well as military and volunteer initiatives. 12 graphic artists presented their works at the Illustrators’ Fair, while 15 exhibition projects were shown across the festival space. The Mala Gallery of the Mystetskyi Arsenal also served as a Book Arsenal venue, hosting the exhibition “Photos to Remember. Yours, AН”, presented by the Laboratory of Contemporary Art.

Book Arsenal 2026’s Focus Theme was “Bear Your Freedom”, curated by journalist, human rights activist and war veteran Maksym Butkevych. The Writer’s Program was curated by writer, military serviceman and volunteer Andriy Lyubka. The festival also included the Main Program, Kids Program, Professional Program and Performative Program, as well as Special Programs, including the Curatorial Program of Iryna Slavinska, the Special Teens Program from LitLab Teens and the Youth Council of the Mystetskyi Arsenal, the Curatorial Program of Liuba Morozova, and the Theatre of Veterans and Festival of First Plays Special Program.

Organisers also described military, veteran and charitable initiatives as an integral part of the festival. This year’s programme included the Theatre of Veterans and the Festival of First Plays as a special programme, while military and volunteer initiatives also presented their stands at the festival. According to Book Arsenal, the festival is among the most important cultural events that actively support charitable fundraising.

More than 230 guests took part in the event programme, including writers, translators, poets, philosophers, media professionals, publishers, educators, cultural studies scholars, artists, military servicemen and servicewomen, and public and cultural figures — from Ukraine, Poland, France, the United States, Canada, Germany, Moldova, Belgium, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and the United Kingdom. The events that drew particular attention featured Nobel laureate Olga Tokarczuk from Poland, philosopher and cultural studies scholar Slavoj Žižek from Slovenia, Ukrainian poet, writer and translator Serhiy Zhadan, and Ukrainian writer and literary scholar Oksana Zabuzhko.

The festival was also attended by Ukrainian public officials, including First Lady Olena Zelenska who visited Book Arsenal on the first day. Other visitors included Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, Minister of Culture Tetiana Berezhna, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, former President Petro Poroshenko and other guests. Former President Viktor Yushchenko took part in the discussion “Ukraine. The World of Trypillia: Discovering a Great History” as part of the Main Programme.

In 2026, the Book Arsenal Fellowship Program was held for the third time. Eight foreign publishers, agents and rights managers from Czechia, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Egypt, Georgia and Peru visited the festival. The programme is designed to introduce international book professionals to the Ukrainian book market and strengthen direct contacts with Ukrainian publishers. During the festival, 115 B2B meetings took place with the participation of 31 publishing houses and 5 literary and graphic agencies.

Book Arsenal also presented its traditional “New Books Showcase 2026” project, featuring the latest publications and implemented in cooperation with Chytomo since 2015. More than 150 volunteers joined the work of this year’s festival, helping both the team and visitors. The 15th Book Arsenal will take place from May 27 to 30, 2027.

As reported earlier, around 30,000 people visited Book Arsenal in 2025, 35,000 in 2024, 28,000 in 2023 and 36,000 in 2021. The festival did not take place in 2022 because of the start of the new phase of Russia’s war against Ukraine, or in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Related: “Everything is translation” — focus theme of the 13th International Book Arsenal Festival announced

Photo: Book Arsenal Facebook page (Andrii Tsykota, Yevhenii Zavhorodnii, Valeriia Landar, Serhii Khandusenko, Anastasiia Baklazhko, Anastasiia Telikova)