News - Belgium, Brussels, Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria

The eighth edition of the Festival of Bulgarian Books in Brussels took place on 13 and 14 June 2026 at the GC De Markten Cultural Centre, in the heart of the Belgian capital. Established as one of the most significant cultural events for the Bulgarian community abroad, the festival once again brought together literature enthusiasts from Belgium and neighbouring countries, offering an opportunity to meet contemporary Bulgarian authors, discover new books, and take part in inspiring literary discussions.

The festival was organised by the Bulgarian Cultural Association in Belgium with the support of the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Brussels and with the kind assistance of the Permanent Representation of Bulgaria to the European Union and the Mission of Bulgaria to NATO. The Bulgarian publishing house ICU was a partner in the organisation of the event.

Ambassador Natalia Uzunova took part in the opening of the festival, welcoming participants and guests and highlighting the importance of Bulgarian books as a bridge between generations and as a key bearer of national memory, language, and cultural identity. Special guests at the ceremony were the children’s folk formation “Ha Tropenete” from Antwerp and children from the Bulgarian Sunday School “Ran Bosilek” in Brussels, whose performances brought a festive spirit and contributed to the rich cultural atmosphere of the event.

Over the course of two full days, visitors had the opportunity to meet Vasil Popov, Demetra Duleva, Nikolay Terziyski, Dimitar Rikov, Evgeni Cherepov, Krum Krumov and others. The authors presented their work, took part in literary discussions, met with readers, and delighted their audience with signed dedications and autographs.

At the accompanying book fair, visitors had the opportunity to discover and purchase books from leading Bulgarian publishing houses, including Janet 45, Znatsi, Ciela, Colibri, Lemur, SoftPress, Hermes, and Potayniche. The children’s literature stand also attracted great interest with its rich selection of books for young readers.

For a second consecutive year, the festival also hosted an international meeting of reading clubs, bringing together representatives of Bulgarian reading communities from different parts of Europe and providing a valuable opportunity for the exchange of ideas, best practices, and future initiatives aimed at promoting the Bulgarian literature and encouraging reading among Bulgarian communities abroad.

What began as an initiative of Tanya Staneva, Rada Gankova, and a group of like-minded members of the Bulgarian Cultural Association in Belgium has today become one of the most recognisable events dedicated to Bulgarian literature and culture among Bulgarian communities across Europe.

This year’s edition of the festival also received media coverage thanks to the journalist Ivan Ruslanov, from the Bulgarian National Radio, as well as the official photographer of the event Nevena Rikova,.