Leipzig liest (Leipzig reads) – Europe's largest reading festival

When Leipzig Book Fair begins, the whole city reads: Leipzig liest [Leipzig reads] brings literature to hundreds of venues across Leipzig and combines the fair with the city to create a unique, large-scale reading festival.

Authors, publishers and many other speakers present new books, discuss current topics and engage with their audience through readings, talks, interactive sessions or concerts. Alongside well-known cultural venues, unusual locations are also regularly transformed into special reading venues.

Leipzig Book Fair creates a festival that brings literature to life throughout the city, far beyond the exhibition grounds.

How Leipzig liest came about

The Leipzig liest reading festival has been linked to Leipzig Book Fair since the early 1990s.

Following German reunification, the Book Fair sought new ways to forge stronger links between books and literature and the city and its audience. The first independent Leipzig Book Fair after reunification took place in April 1991 and attracted just under 25,000 visitors at the time. It was clear that the ‘dusty book fair’ had had its day; the Book Fair needed to become an unforgettable event for literature.

The Bertelsmann Club is regarded as the initiator of Leipzig liest. With organisational support from the city and the trade fair, the project was launched for the first time at the 1992 Book Fair: 80 authors read from their works and took part in discussions at nearly 160 venues across Leipzig – a resounding success.

Today, Leipzig liest is inextricably linked with Leipzig Book Fair. Every year, the reading festival brings around 3,000 events to hundreds of different venues in Leipzig and its area. It provides publishers and authors with a major platform for their new releases, whilst visitors can experience literature live in a wide variety of formats and at unique locations.

As a result, during the Book Fair, Leipzig becomes a city full of stories.

Be part of Leipzig liest as an exhibitor

Exhibitors at Leipzig Book Fair and Manga Comic Con have the opportunity to contribute to Leipzig Book Fair’s literary programme by organising their own events. Event registration opens in autumn, once you have been accepted as an exhibitor. You can find all the information you need on registering events for Leipzig liest in the exhibitors’ section.

The programme of Leipzig liest

The Leipzig liest programme forms part of Leipzig Book Fair’s programme of events. There, you can search specifically for events in the city, filter by topic and many other criteria, and put together your own personal programme highlights.

The Leipzig liest programme is published on our website four weeks prior to the event (available in German).