Venue
Al Taawun Street, Al Khan, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
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Sharjah International Book Fair guide
The Arab world's great book market.
In short
The Sharjah International Book Fair usually runs for twelve days in early to mid-November at Expo Centre Sharjah, with dates announced in summer. Arabic titles lead, alongside English and many other languages, and authors meet readers in person. It suits readers, publishers and families; weekday mornings are busy with school groups, so afternoons suit independent visitors.
The Sharjah International Book Fair is the Arab world's great annual market for books, a fortnight in which publishers, writers and readers from across the region and beyond fill the halls of Expo Centre Sharjah. Arabic titles sit at its heart, with English and many other languages close behind.
It matters beyond the bookstalls. The fair helped make Sharjah a byword for publishing in the Gulf, it is where many Arab authors meet their readers face to face, and its rights trade decides which books cross into other languages. For a visitor it is the easiest way to see the region's literary life in one place.
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Key Facts & Stats:
Date: Tuesday, 3 November 2026 – Sunday, 15 November 2026
Starts: 6:00 PM
Where: Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Venue: Expo Centre Sharjah
Held: Every year
Type of event: Cultural Events, Exhibition, Fair
Nearest airport: Sharjah (SHJ) · 2 flight routes
Currency: UAE dirham (AED)
Time zone: UTC+4, no daylight saving
Language: Arabic; English widely used
Map
Getting around
Hotels near the venue fill up around the event dates.
Carrying the books you buy
Discounts are common and the temptation is real.
- Bring a strong tote, or a small folding trolley if you expect to buy in quantity.
- Leave space and weight allowance in your checked luggage; low-cost flights out of Sharjah count every kilo.
- Keep a list of titles you are looking for, since the halls are large and publishers are spread out.
Sharjah's dress code
Sharjah enforces strict public decency rules, and the fair is a family event full of school groups. Cover shoulders and knees, avoid see-through or very tight clothing, and save beachwear for elsewhere. The same standard applies in the surrounding streets and malls, so dress for it from the moment you leave the hotel. Loose, light fabrics are the comfortable answer, since you will be walking between halls and outside in the warm November sun.
Getting books signed by authors
- Read the next day's events calendar the evening before and note the stage and time for any author you want to meet.
- Arrive at the signing a little early with your copy already bought, as queues form before the author sits down.
- Avoid weekday mornings if you can, when the school visit programme fills the aisles.
- Ask before photographing authors or other visitors, particularly women and children.
What happens on the day
- Weekday mornings
School visits
The halls belong to school parties on the fair's dedicated visit programme, and the aisles fill with children and teachers.
- After lunch
Quieter browsing
The school groups leave and the pace eases, a good time to walk the six halls before the evening sessions.
- Late afternoon and evening
Talks and signings
The comfortable hours for adults who want to sit in on a panel or queue for a signature.
- Weekends
Family days
No school timetable; the halls fill with families from across the Emirates.
- 7 to 9 November 2026
ALA/SIBF Library Conference
Librarians and delegates share the halls with ordinary visitors on these days.
Registering online and planning your visit
Start with the paperwork. Every visitor signs up in advance through the fair's official site, on a dedicated tickets and registration page, and it takes a few minutes to do from home. Do it before you leave, not in the queue outside Expo Centre Sharjah.
Next, work out which days suit you. The fair publishes its calendar of talks, signings and workshops ahead of each day, so a quick look the night before tells you which author is on which stage and when. Writers you care about deserve a fixed slot in your plans; the halls themselves can be browsed at any time. If you are combining the fair with sightseeing, give it two separate afternoons. The book halls are large, and buying slows you down.
Book a hotel early. The fair overlaps with a busy stretch of the UAE's winter season, and the fair's own visitor page links to accommodation and to UAE visa information. Trade visitors should note that publishing professionals have conferences of their own around the public days, so check which programme your badge covers before fixing flights.
The fair's growth since 1982
The first Sharjah fair, in 1982, had only a handful of publishers, and the Ruler of the emirate, Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, bought up the books himself. He has remained its patron ever since, and the Sharjah Book Authority now organises it. The growth is hard to overstate. By 2023 the fair had 2,033 exhibitors from 109 countries over its 12 days, along with more than 1,700 cultural events and 130 theatre performances.
Arabic publishing is the core. Publishers from the Emirates, the wider Arab world and further afield bring new releases, often discounted, and English titles are easy to find alongside them. Novelists, poets, scholars and public figures from across the region take part in panel discussions, and signing sessions run through every day of the fair.
Behind the public halls sits a serious trade fair. Agents and publishers meet to buy and sell translation and publishing rights, and professional sessions deal with libraries and translation. For a visitor the result is a rare chance to see the Arab book world at full scale in one building, in one of the few places where it gathers every year.
Getting there
Flying in
Sharjah International Airport, the base of Air Arabia, is about 13 km from the city and roughly 20 minutes from the fair by car. From Bangladesh, see Dhaka to Sharjah flights or Dhaka to Dubai flights. Check entry rules on our UAE visa page.
Finding the venue
Expo Centre Sharjah is on Al Taawun Street in Al Khan, close to the Dubai boundary and directly opposite Al Arab Mall, a useful landmark for taxi drivers.
From Dubai
The distance is small but the road between the two cities clogs badly at commuting times. Cross by taxi around midday, which lines up with the quieter afternoon hours inside, and leave before the evening jam or after it has cleared.
Driving
A UAE car rental makes sense if you are heading up the coast or inland as well; in town a taxi spares you the parking.
Where to stay during the festival
The hotels below start with the ones we list in Sharjah. The others are in Dubai. The next edition runs from 4 November to 15 November 2026. Book as soon as your dates are fixed, since rooms close to the festival are the first to go.
Dubai
Jumeirah Burj Al Arab5-star hotel
No reviews yet
from$1,600.00/ night
- Free WiFi
- Airport shuttle
- Swimming pool
7 Rooms available
Book Now
Dubai
Rove Downtown3-star hotel
No reviews yet
from$81.00/ night
- Free WiFi
- Airport shuttle
- Swimming pool
3 Rooms available
Book Now
Sharjah
The Chedi Al Bait, Sharjah5-star hotel
No reviews yet
from$140.00/ night
- Internet – Wifi
- Swimming pool
- Parking
3 Rooms available
Book Now
Weather and what to pack
November is when the UAE turns pleasant. At Sharjah International Airport the 1991 to 2020 normals give an average high of 31.4°C and a low of 18.1°C, with only 6.9 mm of rain on about two days of the month.
Afternoons are still warm outside, but evenings are comfortable for walking between the fair and the Corniche or the old souks.
Worth packing
- Comfortable shoes for six halls of browsing
- A light layer for air-conditioned halls
- A sturdy tote bag or small wheeled case for books
- Your registration QR code on your phone
- Clothes that cover shoulders and knees, as Sharjah has a decency code in public places
Flights to Sharjah for Sharjah International Book Fair
The busiest routes into Sharjah (SHJ).
FromTo DAC SHJ DhakaSharjah FromTo CGP SHJ ChattogramSharjah Available airlines2 airlines- Air Arabia
- Biman Bangladesh Airlines
Car hire in Sharjah
Airport transfer to Sharjah International Book Fair
Met at arrivals at Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) and driven door to door to Expo Centre Sharjah.
- Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) → Expo Centre Sharjah
- 20 km · 25 min
Restaurants and food in United Arab Emirates
Places to eat in United Arab Emirates before or after the celebrations.
Erth
Al Hosn, Al Hosn Cultural District, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Cuisine:EmiratiModern Middle Eastern
- Dine-in
- Outdoor seating
At.mosphere
Level 122, Burj Khalifa, Downtown Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Cuisine:Modern EuropeanFrench-inspired
- Dine-in
- Bar
Ravi Restaurant
Shop 245, 9th Street, opposite Union Cooperative Society, near Al Satwa Roundabout, Al Satwa, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Cuisine:PakistaniPunjabi
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
- Outdoor seating
Al Ustad Special Kabab
Al Musalla Road, near Al Fahidi, Bur Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Cuisine:IranianPersian
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
Trèsind Studio
St. Regis Gardens, The Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Cuisine:Progressive IndianTasting menu
- Dine-in
- Counter seating
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
General
A national pavilion and a full programme. It and programme present Omani writers, poets, thinkers and artists along with the country's literary heritage, which makes this edition a good moment to discover Omani writing.
Yes. Arabic publishing is the core, but English titles are widely available and many stands discount them, with other languages represented too.
The fair's awards include Best Emirati Novel, Best Arabic Novel and prizes for international fiction, non-fiction and publishers. Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, who chairs the Sharjah Book Authority, presents them.
Yes. The fair's phone line inside the UAE is 800 BOOKS (800 26657), and general questions can go to info@sibf.com.
Timing & weather
It runs from 1 to 3 November 2026, just before the public fair opens. It is a trade event for publishers and literary agents and centres on matchmaking for rights deals.
Getting there
Storytelling sessions and creative workshops for young readers run through the fair, and in recent years illustrators have led workshops on comics, manga and anime. The venue also has a children's play area.
Booking
The organisers counted 1.4 million visitors in 2025, coming from 206 countries, a sign of how far the fair's audience now reaches beyond the Emirates.
Yes. Its translation grant, launched in 2011, has an annual fund of US$300,000 and has backed more than 500 translated books so far.
Sharjah held the title for 2019, and the book fair was one of the main reasons the emirate was chosen. The title recognised decades of investment in publishing and reading.
Schools register through a dedicated school registration form on the SIBF website, which is why weekday mornings are so busy with student groups.
Stay & facilities
Yes. The centre has prayer rooms, along with smaller meeting rooms used for seminars and a children's play area, spread around its six exhibition halls.