Book lovers are invited to the world of literature and music during the 30th Book Expo Thailand, which kicks off today and runs daily from 10am to 9pm until Oct 19, at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center’s Hall 5-7, LG floor, Ratchadaphisek Road.
Held under the theme “Melody Of Books – Have You Read? Have You Heard It?” by the Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand (Pubat), this year’s event features special prices on more than 2 million books, including 2,000 newly-released titles, across over 900 exhibition booths representing 400 publishing houses.
They are divided into six zones — Fiction and Literature; General Books; Old Books; Children’s and Educational Books; Comics and Teen Books; and Non-Book Items and Board Games.
The event is elevated from a traditional book fair into a dynamic space where reading meets rhythm, offering a multi-sensory cultural experience through a line-up of over 100 curated programmes including exhibitions, seminars and engaging activities.
Among the highlights is the “View ’til Touch” exhibition that takes visitors to explore the connection between books that have become songs and songs that have inspired books. They are invited to listen to musical interpretations of written texts and compose music from books using the AI-based program Suno.
The highly popular Author’s Salon is back with a stage for meaningful and informal dialogue between writers and readers, while the “Read For The Blind” exhibition introduces mobile applications designed for the blind. Interested visitors can record their own voice as part of an audio-book production experience.
Presented for the first time at the book expo is Chao Khun Thong And Friends, a special performance that combines live music with puppet theatre. It will be staged on Saturdays and Sundays, and on Oct 13. There are also puppet-making workshops and voice acting lessons for aspiring young performers.
A reading zone called Hiroba: The Picture Book Playground, is also open to everyone to sit, read and enjoy picture books in a relaxed atmosphere. Children and families can enjoy storytelling sessions and simple crafts, free of charge.
Also, the event features the debut of three major national competitions designed to elevate the culture of reading. The National Debate Competition is open to secondary school students to show off their critical thinking and public speaking on Oct 13 at noon.
The National Storytelling Competition will see finalists from seven regional book fairs compete to be crowned as the country’s most outstanding storyteller on Oct 14 and 16 at 10am, while the Songwriting Contest will highlight the winning song used to promote this year’s expo.