THE 60TH BOLOGNA CHILDREN’S BOOK FAIR
Still rocking at 60!
March 6 and 7 in Piazza Nettuno in Bologna: video mapping BCBF 2023
Our incredible adventure began on 4 April 1964. That day saw not only the birth of a wonderful fair, but also the start of a great, infinite friendship between Bologna and the children’s book community.
The setting for that first edition, and a couple of the subsequent ones, was Palazzo Re Enzo, opposite the statue of Neptune: a declaration of love that was not just symbolic but a tangible beginning of the important and indissoluble bond between the book fair and the city
And then there is Salaborsa, on the opposite side of the square, one of the most important public libraries at international level, with a wonderful children’s section, housing the complete collection of BCBF prize-winning books since 1966 and now also home to IBBY Italia (International Board on Books for Young People) the non-profit organisation that promotes children’s literature worldwide.
The Bologna Children's Book Fair is a unique fair also because it has a unique city around it: beautiful, lively, friendly, and, above all, with an exceptional vocation for children’s education and culture.
On this, our 60th birthday, we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all the publishers, all the professionals, all the friends of the Bologna Book Fair and the city of Bologna, which has always welcomed, supported and shared in the challenges and important opportunities for common growth: they are the real protagonists of this wonderful story, of these new chapters that are added year after year, of the inexhaustible excitement that is renewed at every edition.
On the evenings of Monday 6 and Tuesday 7 March (from 7.30 pm to 00.30 am), the Salaborsa façade will be illuminated and brought to life thanks to an original video mapping show that BCBF, in partnership with Bologna Welcome, will present to citizens, tourists and all the exhibitors and visitors from over 100 countries who have come to Bologna to enliven the Fair and the city during this week dedicated to publishing and content for children.
We look forward to seeing you!