Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF) is preparing to launch its 2025/26 Grand Tour, the fifth edition of the tour of major book fairs around the world. This initiative began in 2021 thanks to the support and collaboration of ITA-Italian Trade Agency and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Not only does the tour offer opportunities to expand and consolidate the fair’s network of international contacts through meetings with stakeholders, strategic partners and key industry operators, but it also serves to enhance its outlook by encountering new stimuli to transform into new proposals and activities for the public of the fair.
Also for this edition of the tour, BCBF will be flanked by BolognaBookPlus (BBPlus), the initiative specifically for generalist publishing organised in collaboration with the Italian Publishers Association (AIE), and by Bologna Licensing Trade Fair/Kids (BLTF/Kids), focussed on the relationship between the worlds of publishing and licensing.
After the preview at GamesCom in Cologne and the first stage in Toulouse, the Bologna Grand Tour is then headed for the Frankfurter Buchmesse (from 15 to 19 October), where, as it does every year, BCBF will be presenting a selection of the best international illustration. The next stop is the China Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair (from 14 to 16 November), co-organised by BolognaFiere, an annual opportunity to engage with one of the world’s most flourishing publishing markets, before continuing on to the Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara (from 29 November to 7 December), a touchstone for the entire Latin American and Spanish-speaking publishing world. The tour will then move on to Die Spielwarenmesse (from 27 to 31 January 2026), the world’s leading international toy fair, held every year in Nuremberg. For the first time, the Bologna Children’s Book Fair will be featuring in Spielwarenmesse with a stand and a small delegation of Italian publishing professionals, as well as an in-depth panel discussion that will explore the possible synergies between visual storytelling for children and the world of toys. The penultimate stop is at the Festival International de la Bande Dessinée d'Angoulême (29 January to 1 February 2026), one of the world’s most prestigious comic book events and a valuable opportunity to promote the Comics Corner, the BCBF business area created in 2022 to respond to the constant growth of the comics sector. The tour concludes in February in New York, where BCBF will present an exhibition of children’s books exploring the themes of the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals. This reflection on sustainability will feature a selection of excellent titles from around the world, and will include a special focus on recent Italian production, in connection with the Sustainable Development Goals Book Club, of which BCBF is a partner.
Follow these pages to discover all the events and exhibitions at each stop!
Three world-class events for the book industry, managed by BolognaFiere and focussing on the international trade in rights and licences, taking place in parallel in Bologna, a city where culture and style converge and business relationships are forged.
Bologna Children’s Book Fair is the world’s leading trade event specifically for children’s publishing and content. With 1,500 exhibitors and over 31,000 visiting professionals from more than 100 countries, the coming edition will be its 63rd. Every year, BCBF attracts an international public of publishers, agents, developers, illustrators, authors, booksellers, librarians and other professionals involved not only in the book sector, but also in multimedia and content licensing for children and young people.
BolognaBookPlus is the initiative for professionals in the field of generalist publishing, launched in 2021 by BCBF/BolognaFiere in collaboration with the Italian Publishers Association (AIE). The aim of the initiative is to broaden the horizons of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, reaching a wider public in the publishing sector thanks to exhibition spaces, training activities, conferences and awards for book design.
Bologna Licensing Trade Fair/Kids is the leading Italian and European event focused on brand licensing for children, teenagers and young adults. The event aims to foster relationships between the publishing world and the consumer goods industry. BLTF/Kids is also expanding its scope to include the integration of different media, hosting two key BCBF initiatives: the TV/Film Rights Centre and the new Games Business Centre. The event, which held its 18th edition in 2025, is an integral part of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF).
BolognaFiere S.p.A. is one of the leading international trade fair organisers, with a portfolio of over 100 events held each year, either directly or in partnership, at the Bologna Exhibition Centre and in 10 countries across Europe, Asia and America. The events cover a wide range of sectors, from art to publishing, cosmetics to agri-food, and design.
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