Book Launches, Poetry & Literary Festivals in Kolkata

Kolkata takes its reading seriously enough to hold the world's best-attended book fair. The International Kolkata Book Fair, at Boimela Prangan in Salt Lake in recent years, runs from 22 January to 3 February 2027 and marks its 50th year. January is also literary-festival month: in 2026 the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival was held on 9–11 January and the Kolkata Literary Meet on 22–26 January, both at the Alipore Museum; their 2027 dates had not been announced when this was written. Through the rest of the year, the Oxford Bookstore on Park Street hosts launches and readings, the Coffee House and the stalls of College Street keep the adda going, and Bengali publishers release new titles for Poila Boishakh. Poetry readings, recitation evenings and spoken-word open mics are held at cafés, clubs and cultural centres every week.