This weekend, Gdynia will become the capital of reading. From 20 to 22 February, Polsat Plus Arena Gdynia will host the 2026 Book Fair – a new event in the city's calendar, inaugurated in the year of the city's 100th anniversary. The fair will combine a wide range of publications with an extensive literary, workshop and industry programme. Around 120 events are planned, including nearly 50 meetings with authors, debates and book signing sessions at publishers' stands.
The Gdynia Book Fair is aimed at both literature lovers – from the youngest to adults – and people professionally involved in the book market and culture.
For three days, Gdynia will be transformed into a port of literature. Both people representing the publishing industry and readers will have the opportunity to take part in a free event, during which we will invite authors, publishers and, of course, residents, tourists and visitors to our city to lectures, workshops and meetings with authors. Among those present will be Mark Brzeziński, former US ambassador to Poland, Zygmunt Miłoszewski, Aleksandra Boćkowska, Tulia Topa and Zbigniew Rokita. A whole cast of wonderful authors, from fiction, novels and non-fiction to the Young and New Adults festival, i.e. people who write for young people and children. What will also be important for us is a stand that will be entirely devoted to history, identity, and contemporary narratives about our city, about Gdynia, emphasises Mariusz Bzdęga, managing director for culture and community activities.
Friday, 20 February will be a day aimed mainly at school and kindergarten groups and industry circles. Educational workshops and meetings for representatives of the publishing market are planned, and the first open literary meetings will begin in the afternoon.
We know that many classes from grades 1-3 of our primary schools have already signed up to participate in meetings with authors, to engage with literature and learn about the creative process. We are very pleased that we can implement this educational aspect, the development of reading and interest in books, among our children, says Maja Wagner, Head of the Culture Department at the City Hall.
Saturday and Sunday will be marked by an intensive programme of author appearances. Meetings with authors of fiction, reportage, crime novels, fantasy, comics and youth literature will take place simultaneously on two stages and in the conference room of Polsat Plus Arena Gdynia at 8 Kazimierza Górskiego Street.
Meetings with authors
One of the most interesting elements of the Fair's programme will be the Crime Zone, where readers will have the opportunity to meet the most popular authors of this genre. Among the invited guests are Wojciech Chmielarz, Zygmunt Miłoszewski, Maciej Siembieda, Piotr Borlik and Jarosław Szczyżowski. Ryszard Ćwirlej will present his new book, 'Grobowa cisza' (Grave Silence), and Bartosz Szczygielski will present 'Czarne ptaki' (Black Birds). The meetings will be devoted not only to new books, but also to the work on the plot, the realities of investigation and the behind-the-scenes of writing bestsellers.
Fantasy will be strongly represented, with the participation of Marta Kisiel and Paulina Hendel, among others, as well as reportage and non-fiction – guests will include Marek Łuszczyna, author of the book 'Bękarty Polski' (The Bastards of Poland), which addresses issues that are also important from the perspective of the history of Pomerania after World War II. The reportage section will also be complemented by Tomasz Sianecki, Dorota Karaś, Marek Sterlingow and Tomasz Słomczyński.
On the 100th anniversary of Gdynia
A special place in the programme is reserved for a literary block prepared on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Gdynia and a broader series of meetings devoted to the city and the region. This is a series of events focusing on the history, identity and contemporary narratives of Gdynia and Pomerania. Among the invited guests are Ewa Graczyk, Urszula Morga, Aleksandra Boćkowska, Agnieszka Gajewska, Artur Gębka, Kacper Kowalski and Paweł Sołtys. Another important item on the agenda will be a meeting with Aleksandra Tarkowska, author of books on the history of Gdynia and the Tri-City, and Tomasz Słomczyński, journalist and reporter, whose books ‘Kaszebë’ and 'Sopoty' won first place in the ‘Costerina’ Kashubian and Pomeranian Literature Competition 2022 and 2023.
The Fair's programme also includes meetings with foreign authors representing the literature of Central and Eastern Europe. Readers will have the opportunity to meet authors from Ukraine and Latvia – Kateryna Kalytko, Inga Gaile and Luize Pastore. The event also included a meeting with one of the most important contemporary literary and civic figures in Central and Eastern Europe – Maxim Znak, a Belarusian lawyer, poet and bard, author of the book ‘Zekameron’.
The Fair will feature a wide range of publishers, institutions and initiatives related to the book market, including cultural institutions and entities and organisations operating in Gdynia, actively involved in the development of reading, education and cultural life in the city – nearly 150 institutions and entities.
The fair will also feature educational events and workshops. Participants will be able to take part in literary workshops organised by the Wolne Lektury Foundation, active reading classes prepared by the Emigration Museum, as well as demonstration workshops on documentary filmmaking as part of the ‘Starter to Culture’ programme. The workshop programme is aimed at both younger participants and secondary school students.
The diverse and rich programme of the Gdynia Book Fair is accompanied by a specific motivation – encouraging reading, because, as statistics show, this varies in Poland.
Reading in Poland is a challenge, and I think that a great advantage of this programme is that it is aimed at different groups of readers. There is something for everyone, whether you are a mature reader, interested in reportage and non-fiction, or open to fiction and fantasy. The Fair is also aimed at young adults. We are very keen to involve young people in culture and, in this case, in reading, says Dominik Aziewicz, chairman of the City Council's culture committee.
Exhibitors in Gdynia
Dozens of publishers representing all literary genres – from large publishing houses to self-publishers, comic book publishers and antiquarian booksellers from all over Poland – will present themselves on the main floor of the hall. Among them are:
- Agora,
- Czarna Owca,
- Dom Wydawniczy Rebis,
- Grupa Helion,
- Księży Młyn Dom Wydawniczy,
- Kwiaty Orientu,
- Muza,
- Marginesy,
- Media Rodzina,
- Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne,
- Prószyński i S-ka, Publicat,
- Tajfuny,
- Wydawnictwo NieZwykłe,
- Wydawnictwo Napoleon V,
- Wydawnictwo Czarne,
- Wydawnictwo Dwie Siostry,
- Wydawnictwo Filia,
- Wydawnictwo Iskry,
- Wydawnictwo Kobiece,
- Wydawnictwo Literackie,
- Wydawnictwo Mięta,
- Wydawnictwo KDW,
- Wydawnictwo BIS,
- WydawnictwoSzara Godzina,
- Wydawnictwo Zakamarki,
- Znak.
At the stand under the banner of Księgarnie Świat Książki, you will find offerings from publishers such as:
- Świat Książki,
- Bellona,
- Wydawnictwo Olesiejuk,
- Fabryka Słów,
- Purple Books,
- Czerwone i Czarne.
Gdynia Book Fair 2026
- Polsat Plus Arena Gdynia, 8 Kazimierza Górskiego Street
- 20–22 February
- Opening hours:
- 20 February, 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.,
- 21 February, 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.,
- 22 February, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.