SIBF 2025 to kick off on November 5 with over 1,200 events, celebrity guests

Celebrity appearances, workshops, cooking sessions — and of course, a whole lot of books! The 44th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF 2025) opens on Wednesday, November 5, 2026, under the patronage of Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.

The much-anticipated fair will bring together more than 250 authors, creatives, and intellectuals from 66 countries to lead over 1,200 cultural, artistic, and creative events.

The theme this year is ‘Between You and a Book’. Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority at Expo Centre Sharjah, the 12-day fair runs until November 16 and hosts over 2,350 publishers — including 1,224 Arab and 1,126 international ones — offering millions of titles to visitors.

Here are some of the events, activities and special appearances you can expect at SIBF this year.

Guest of honour: Greece

Every year, the fair welcomes a different guest of honour. This year SIBF will highlight Greece, in recognition of its longstanding cultural and intellectual legacy.

The programme includes 58 Greek publishers and cultural institutions showcasing 600 titles. More than 70 Greek participants, including authors, poets, translators, illustrators, academics, musicians and librarians, will take part as well.

 At its pavilion, Greece will host an exhibition titled ‘Greek Literature: The Long Journey’, which highlights the role of Greek writers, poets, and philosophers in shaping national identity and their influence on global literary and cultural heritage.

Visitors can also enjoy a roaming theatre show, a musical-theatrical performance inspired by Greek poetry, interactive workshops, joint sessions with Emirati creatives, and live sessions at the Cookery Corner.

Cultural Personality of the Year

Egyptian writer and playwright Mohamed Salmawy will be honoured as the Cultural Personality of the Year in this edition, in recognition of a literary career spanning over five decades.

Salmawy is regarded as one of the most prominent literary figures in Egypt and the Arab world, known for his impactful plays, novels, and journalism, as well as his advocacy for Arab cultural causes.

Will Smith to mark his debut

SIBF 2025 will see some Hollywood star power, with actor Will Smith set to hold a session on Friday, November 14. He will discuss his three-decade career in writing, film, music, and entrepreneurship, sharing insights on persistence, artistic growth, and creative vision.

Arab and international actors, authors and speakers

Actors Khaled El Sawy and Dhafer L’Abidine will take part in a session titled ‘From Acting to Writing: Artists Share the Story’ on Saturday, November 8 at 7pm in the ballroom at Expo Centre Sharjah.

SIBF 2025 will also host a distinguished group of Arab writers and speakers with notable literary achievements, including Issa Yousef, Director of the Sharjah Archaeology Authority; Dr. Sultan Al Ameemi, Chairman of the Emirates Writers and Authors Union; Dr. Zahi Hawass; Dr. Hamad bin Seray; actor and producer Ahmed Al Jasmi; Egyptologist Dr. Wasim Al Sisi; Egyptian author and speaker Mo Gawdat; Kuwaiti writer Taleb Al Refai; and Kuwaiti novelist Abdulwahab Al Rifai.

Attending the 44th Sharjah International Book Fair are also some of the world’s leading thinkers and authors who have shaped contemporary cultural and intellectual discourse, including Professor Carlo Rovelli, novelist Paul Lynch, Indian author Bano Mushtaq, Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Indian content creator Prajakta Koli, British psychologist Dr. Julie Smith, and authors Mira Sethi and Lisa Dillman.

Thriller Festival

The Thriller Festival, in its fourth edition this year, will be held at SIBF 2025 from November 8 to 11 in collaboration with the Thriller Festival New York, featuring 13 authors and experts in crime, mystery, and psychological thrillers from North America, South Asia, Europe, and Africa.

Among the guests are Canadian author Jennifer Hillier, American authors Chris Pavone and Daniel J. Miller, Nordic crime writers Ragnar Jónasson and Eva Björg Ægisdóttir, British author Araminta Hall, Indian author S. Hussain Zaidi, Pakistani author Omar Shahid Hamid, and Mirna Al Mahdi.

The festival will present an interactive theatrical performance titled ‘Murder at the Majlis’, written by American University of Sharjah graduate Bhoomika Ghaghada and directed by Tarun Shyam. Performed by AUS students, the show invites the audience to solve a crime live during the performance.

1,200 events

With something for everyone, SIBF 2025 will feature more than 1,200 events, including panel discussions and sessions over 12 days. Of these, 300 events fall under the cultural programme, delivered by 66 international speakers from 19 countries, 62 Arab speakers from 20 countries, and 30 Emirati participants. Ten countries are being featured for the first time: Iceland, Jamaica, Nigeria, Mali, Chad, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea, Senegal, and Vietnam.

750 workshops

The fair will host 750 workshops, including exclusive ticketed sessions across disciplines such as translation, creative writing, screenwriting, and publishing.

Some of the workshops are:

• What Do Translators Really Do?

• Creative Writing

• From Final Draft to Finished Book

• Five and a Half Steps to Pilot Writing Success

• String Art

• Music Box

• Embroidered Stories

• Preparing Balanced Lunches

• Tasty Snacks

• Food Allergies

Children’s workshops include:

• Mini Library

• Mini Café

• Make Your Own Frame

• Let’s Go Tufting Together

• Build Your Own House

Tickets can be purchased through the official registration page: https://registration.sibf.com/sessions?type=paid.

Poetry evenings

The Poetry Cafe will present poetry evenings in Arabic, Greek, English, Russian, Urdu, Punjabi, Malayalam, and Tagalog. Participants include Saudi poet Saeed Al Mana, Qatari poet Hamad Al Braidi, Greek poet and translator Danae Sioziou, Canadian poet Saara Ali, and Emirati Urdu poet Dr. Zubair Farooq.

Also performing are Russian poets Maxim Zamshev and Mikhail Levantovskiy; Pakistani poets Ataul Haq Qasmi, Dr. Tahir Shahir, and Syed Suleman Gilani; Indian poets Surendar Sharma, Syed Ijazuddin Shah and Rehman Khan; Malayalam poet K. Satchidanandan; and Filipino poet Luna Sicat Cleto.

What's new this year?

Some events are set to mark their debut at SIBF 2025:

1. Pop-Up Academy: This attraction will host sessions led by influencers and specialists in literature, media, art, and technology.

2. UK’s Poetry Pharmacy: This stall offers bilingual Arabic-English “prescriptions” of poetry.

3. Podcast Station: Visitors can catch regional shows including ‘Asmar’, ‘Jolan’, ‘Karakpodcast’, ‘Kirsi Al Ithnayn’, ‘Takhayyal’, and ‘Arab Cast’.

Live cooking sessions

The Cookery Corner will host 35 live sessions led by 14 chefs from around the world, including Hisham Asaad, Fadi Kattan, Philip Khoury, Hawa Hassan, Ashia Ismail-Singer, Susana Villasuso, Mama Wafaa, and Diaa Al Hanoun.