238,000 visitors attended Frankfurt Book Fair 2025

The 77th Frankfurt Book Fair (15–19 October 2025) continued the book fair’s growth trajectory. As of the last afternoon of the fair, 118,000 trade visitors and 120,000 private visitors from 131 countries visited the fair, more than in the previous year. Overall, 4,350 exhibitors were present in the exhibition halls. 

Juergen Boos, director, Frankfurt Book Fair, remarked, “We can look back on five successful and intense days.” He continued, “Frankfurter Buchmesse remains on course for growth. Once again, we have had more visitors and more exhibitors than in the previous year. Our strength lies in the fact that Frankfurt brings together book professionals and literature lovers from all over the world. We combine a marketplace with a festival of literature.”

Karin Schmidt-Friderichs, chairwoman of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association, observed, “Over the past five days, we have seen a tremendous enthusiasm for reading, especially among young visitors.” She added, “At the same time, key issues of our time were discussed, such as how to deal with artificial intelligence and politicians’ responsibility in this regard. This unique combination of business and culture, reading festival and discourse makes the book fair a place that has a far-reaching impact on society.”

Frankfurt Calling, the cultural-political programme of the fair, brought together international perspectives on the new Centre Stage every day of the fair. Among others, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa and former NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg discussed digital disinformation in the age of social media and AI. “We are in the last two minutes of an information Armageddon,” Ressa said. Stoltenberg emphasised, “We have a responsibility to support the independent press.”

Book-to-Screen Day 2025 underscored the growing importance of content development among publishers, agencies, game studios and the film and series industry. Over 500 participants discussed successful adaptations during panels, pitchings, and matchmaking events. The session on 22 Bahnen (22 Lengths) with Caroline Wahl was particularly popular. The strong response showed that the interaction of books, films and new narrative formats is becoming more intense. 

“Humans and/or machines?” That was a question explored from all angles at the book fair: practical, ethical and political. At trade programme events, the discourse surrounding AI in publishing was solution-oriented and optimistic. On the Innovation Stage, for example, new licensing models and more efficient workflows made possible by AI were discussed. 

In contrast, the focus at Word – A Stage for Literature and Translation was on questions of regulation and fair remuneration. That is where translators – working with and without AI – gave visitors a glimpse behind the scenes. 

At the Education Forum, the discussion highlighted media education’s importance in the age of AI as a key skill for the future. And on the Centre Stage, a major question was posed, namely, “Who controls reality?” Melissa Fleming (Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications at the United Nations) warned that those who understand how to use algorithms to their advantage can amplify voices, distort narratives, and thus shift our shared reality.

From contemporary literature and indigenous storytelling traditions to courageous literary and journalistic voices speaking out on socio-political issues, the programme organised by the 2025 Guest of Honour, the Philippines, provided a showcase in Frankfurt for the creativity, courage and resilience of Filipino authors and illustrators.

On the days it was open to the general public, authors and fans came together everywhere to interact. The enthusiasm for stories was palpable throughout the exhibition grounds. The event’s convention character was particularly evident in Hall 1.2 and the Festhalle, where numerous book signings produced long queues. Some fans secured their places early on with folding chairs. The book fair became the centre of a vibrant reading culture.

On 19 October, the Philippines’ appearance as Guest of Honour came to an end with the handover of the GuestScroll to the Czech Republic, Guest of Honour at Frankfurt Book Fair 2026, which will present the country’s literature and culture under the motto “Czechia: a Country on the Coast”.

The 78th Frankfurt Book Fair will take place from 7 to 11 October 2026.