Pune Book Festival 2026: 12–20 December, Fergusson College

The Pune Book Festival 2026 is set for 12 to 20 December at the Fergusson College ground on FC Road; the dates were announced by the organisers at the close of the 2025 edition, so check for confirmation as December approaches. Organised by the National Book Trust, it has become one of the largest book fairs in India in a very short time. The 2025 festival, held from 13 to 21 December, reported 12.5 lakh visitors, more than 60 per cent of them young readers, about 30 lakh books sold and a turnover above ₹50 crore, up from roughly 25 lakh books the year before. Three Guinness World Records were set during that edition, and a citywide reading hour, 'Shantata… Punekar Vachat Aahet', drew tens of thousands of participants in the run-up. On the ground you will find rows of publishers' stalls in Marathi, Hindi, English and other Indian languages, author interactions and book signings, and cultural programmes. Marathi publishers are strongly represented. Readers have a second date this season: the 100th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan has been approved for 28 to 31 January 2027 at Savitribai Phule Pune University. The Fergusson ground is about a kilometre from Deccan Gymkhana metro station.