Barcelona, guest of honor at FIL 2025

Barcelona is the guest of honor at the 2025 Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL), the most important publishing event in Latin America and one of the most significant in the world, second only to the Frankfurt Book Fair in terms of business volume. The event begins today and runs until December 7. This designation recognizes the efforts of the Barcelona City Council, in collaboration with the private sector, to promote literature and culture in the city.

Ten years after being declared a City of Literature by UNESCO, Barcelona takes center stage at the 39th Guadalajara International Book Fair, the most important book fair in Latin America. From November 29 to December 7, the city will occupy a central place at this event, a recognition that reinforces its role as one of the world's leading publishing capitals.

For nine days, Barcelona will once again be at the center of international cultural interest across the Atlantic, after having been the guest city at the Buenos Aires Book Fair in 2019. The 2025 FIL will bring together nearly 750 writers from 49 countries for more than 2,000 to 3,000 activities. A selection of over 60 prominent figures from Barcelona's literary scene will represent the city during the event.

Barcelona will present its own program showcasing the literary scene fostered by the City Council through its cultural policies and support for the publishing sector, in which the city is a leading force. Publishers, authors, literary agents, libraries, and bookstores form a robust ecosystem that projects Barcelona internationally. The city's creative and cultural richness will be represented in each of the thematic areas at the FIL: science, children's programming, thought, performing and visual arts, film, and professional development.

The ICUB, driving force behind cultural policies

The municipal activities promoted by the Barcelona Institute of Culture (ICUB)—through initiatives such as the Barcelona Film Commission; festivals like BAM, Grec, Barcelona Distrito Cultural, and Música Mercè; and creative hubs like Fabra i Coats—consolidate the cultural strength of a city recognized worldwide. The synergies fostered by the City Council with the publishing sector, bookstores, the CCCB (Centro Cultural Barcelona), the Institut de les Lettres Catalanes, the Institut Ramon Llull, the Ateneu Barcelonès, and other entities form one of the city's fundamental cultural pillars.

The 2025 FIL (International Book Fair of Barcelona) will rediscover a city with a long and vibrant literary tradition, committed to the cultural well-being of its citizens. Municipal policies focus their efforts on the right to read, write, and express oneself orally. The Barcelona Library Master Plan 2030, which fosters encounters between authors and readers, reinforces a unified literary ecosystem.

Barcelona: city of reading, literature and books

The literary festivals—BCNegra, Barcelona Poesía, Festival 42, Món Llibre, Kosmopolis, Litteratura, among others—all bearing the Barcelona brand, are a hallmark of the city's project to stimulate and protect all stakeholders in the sector. The Diada de Sant Jordi, a globally recognized celebration of books and literature; the Vil·la Joana writers' residency; and the ongoing programming of its unique network of libraries, bookstores, writing schools, and professional associations make Barcelona a true city of books.

The City Council's promotion of literary heritage, along with its participation in international programs and projects, reflects the robust health of this strategic sector. The council remains a central driving force and plays a prominent role in the city's international projection. Its presence at the 2025 Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL) will also be an opportunity to promote international economic development through the program. Barcelona Business Bridgeas well as to strengthen ties with Mexico, a country with which Barcelona has maintained a close relationship since the Republican exile and the Latin American boom, when the city became the literary center of the continent and a welcoming city for its writers.

Promoting reading through the library network, supporting literature with the Montserrat Roig and Carme Montoriol Grants within the Barcelona Crea Grants, along with literary festivals and the work of Barcelona Llibres as a public publisher, contribute to building the city's cultural project.

As guest of honor, Barcelona will occupy a prominent place on the international literary scene and strengthen its global profile, fostering new cultural, economic, and research ties with Mexico. The scale of the 2025 FIL (International Book Fair) is key to promoting the city's assets: after the record-breaking 2024 edition, with over 900,000 visitors and 2,000 industry professionals, this year's event presents a unique opportunity.