Naidu, Pawan To Inaugurate 36th Vijayawada Book Festival

VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan will inaugurate the 36th edition of the Vijayawada Book Festival, scheduled to be held at the Indira Gandhi Municipal Corporation (IGMC) Stadium here from January 2 to January 12, 2026. Several Ministers have been invited to the inaugural event, while Minister Nara Lokesh has been invited to attend the valedictory programme on January 12.

Vijayawada Book Festival Society (VBFS) president T. Manohar Naidu and secretary K. Lakshmaiah said the upcoming edition would be the largest so far, with around 300 to 350 book stalls—over 30 per cent more than last year. Leading publishing houses from across the country, including 21 new publishers, will participate, further enhancing the festival’s national stature.

They said the festival premises will be named after VBFS founder member Vadlamudi Vimala Devi. The main dais will be named after noted writer Dr B.V. Pattabhiram, while children’s activities will be organised under the banner of Jayant Narlekar.

As part of the festival, a Book Lovers’ Padayatra will be held on January 5 from PB Siddhartha Arts and Science College to the IGMC Stadium, with thousands of readers, writers and literary figures expected to participate.

The 10-day festival will also feature centenary birth anniversary celebrations of Mandali Venkata Krishna Rao, a memorial meeting for permanent VBFS member Kolluri, and a series of literary discussions and seminars on Rayalaseema, Uttarandhra, Coastal Andhra and Telangana literature, translation studies, children’s literature and contemporary literary issues.

The organisers noted that the Vijayawada Book Festival remains the only major book festival in the country with free entry for visitors.