The 33th Book Festival begun on Friday, June 6 with new stands and increased participation of publishers in Thessaloniki.

This year the Book Festival is part of the city’s celebrations as European Youth Capital for 2014. It will be accompanied by various cultural events, with the participation of the publishers and also the fair’s guests.

During the press conference, the President of the Publishers’ Union of Northern Greece, Babis Barbounakis noted that, “it is a happy coincidence that the Book Festival returns to this reconstructed seafront promenade. As proved by previous events, the readers of Thessaloniki and Northern Greece, people of all ages, have developed close ties with the Book Festival. They come here, they get informed, they have discussions with writers, poets and publishers and participate in parallel events. They combine their visit to the festival with a pleasant stroll at the beach. This year, the signs are encouraging, pointing to a new record attendance. Moreover, despite the financial crisis many important books were published in the past year, which proves the authenticity of books.”

Over 250 publishers from all over Greece will participate in this year’s festival which will last until Sunday the 22nd of June.