"Mainzer Büchermesse unterwegs" celebrates 25 years of reading enthusiasm
On Saturday/Sunday, October 24/25, 2026, the 25th edition of the Mainz Book Fair will take place at the Academy of Sciences and Literature, Geschwister Scholl-Straße 2 (55129 Mainz). As a special program for this anniversary, the event series "Mainzer Büchermesse unterwegs" will start in May. This was developed in collaboration with long-standing participating institutions and publishers and brings together the core themes of the Mainz Book Fair with its events.
The program kicks off on Sunday, May 31, 2026, with the bookstore “Erlesenes & Büchergilde” hosting the 21st Book Breakfast in Mainz’s Neustadt district. It continues with the “World Record Reading” – the largest read-aloud event in a wave-style format at the MEWA ARENA in Mainz, featuring special activities for children and teens.
The program also extends beyond the borders of the state capital, Mainz, on select occasions: The Literaturwerk Rheinland-Pfalz-Saar e.V. invites you to two events in Bullay on the Moselle and in Montabaur, highlighting the regional influence of the Mainz Book Fair.
As a special highlight to conclude the program, this year’s Mainz City Writer, Sven Regener, will read at the State Theater 14 days before the fair.
Together with the institutions and publishers, the Department of Culture of the state capital Mainz presents a wide range of offerings to all interested parties and book lovers for the fair in October.
All dates of the event series at a glance:
Sunday, May 31, 2026, 11:00 a.m. at “Erlesenes & Büchergilde,”
(Neubrunnenstr. 17, 55116 Mainz)
21st Book Breakfast: We’re celebrating James Krüss’s 100th birthday!
Wednesday, June 10, 2026, 10:00 a.m. at the MEWA Arena
(Eugen-Salomon-Straße 1, 55128 Mainz)
World Record Reading – Largest Read-Aloud in a La-Ola Formation and Launch of the “Books in Motion” Campaign in cooperation with the International Gutenberg Society and the Bookworm Service
Saturday, June 13, 2026, 3:00 p.m. in Bullay on the Moselle
Literaturwerk RLP-Saar turns 50 and celebrates at the Authors’ Festival!
(https://literaturwerk.net/aktuelles/das-literaturwerk-rheinland-pfalz-saar-e-v-wird-50)
Saturday, June 20, 2026, 3:00 p.m. at the Kulturbunker Montabaur
A special kind of accessible reading
Wednesday, July 29, 2026, 6:00 p.m. at Treffpunkt Andernach
10 Years of the VHS Group “Schreiben!” with Gabriele Keiser
Friday, September 4, 2026, 5:00 p.m. at “Best of Mainz”
“Vice, Passion & the Mainz Spirit”: Crime Tour with P. Jackob
Saturday, September 26, 2026, 2:00 p.m. at “Best of Mainz”
“111 Places: Upper Town Meets Old Town” – City tour with S. Jung
Wednesday, October 7, 2026, 6:30 p.m. at the City Library
Brigitta Dewald-Koch reads “The Journey to Venice”
Saturday, October 10, 2026, 7:00 p.m. at the Mainz State Theater
The 2026 Mainz City Writer, Sven Regener, reads from his new novel “Frankie and Freddie”
Online: www.mainz.de/jubilaeum-buechermesse