Alicante Book Fair Returns With News and Uncertainties for 2024
The Alicante Book Fair will come back in 2024 with several updates and a few unknowns. One guaranteed change is the venue at Seneca Space and a major modification to the fair’s duration. The event will be five days long, half as long as in previous editions. Local and provincial authors, who were hoped to be included in the general program, now depend on the future organizer. The share of Alicante authors in the program has decreased in the last two editions.
The change comes from a new call opened by the Culture Department of the Alicante City Council. The contract covers the annual organization of the event, handling programming, management, coordination, promotion, and execution of the Alicante Book Fair 2024, with a budget of 36,489 euros including VAT, approved by the Local Executive Board last week.
The management of the Alicante Book Fair goes out to tender for a third time. The first tender was issued in 2021 and awarded to the Malaga company Makyre, the sole bidder at that time. It was repeated in 2022 and extended into 2023. In the first year under Makyre, there were concerns about the number of Alicante authors included in the official program, triggering discontent from many authors who published a manifesto against the fair’s organization.
To address this, 40 percent of the writers at the fair were originally required to be local, with 30 percent born or resident in Alicante and 10 percent from the province. The remaining 60 percent was to come from established national publishers. The 40 percent local requirement is removed from the 2024 specifications. Instead, the organizing company must submit a proposal featuring at least ten author presentations at the central stand, including authors from Alicante or residing there, but without a fixed percentage target.
No Minimum or Maximum Requirement
When asked about the change, Nayma Beldjila, the Cultural Counselor, stated that the percentage has been removed but writers from Alicante must be present. It is expected that about 60 percent of authors may still come from Alicante, though no minimum or maximum is set. The councilor also emphasized that each company’s proposal will be evaluated as projects are submitted for the fair. The removal of a fixed percentage does not mean Alicante authors are no longer required, only that the exact quota is not specified in the contract.
Booksellers’ Demands and Scheduling
Although the precise date remains unspecified in the tender documents, the text indicates the fair will run five days, likely in April, beginning on the afternoon of a Wednesday and ending on Sunday. The dramatic reduction from ten days to five has drawn concern from publishers and booksellers. They observed that attendance was low through the previous edition and felt that a ten-day format was excessive for a smaller market.
Alicante Book Fair Looks Shadowed by Budget and Location Issues
Among the demands in the new call is the obligation for the organizing company to program at least three street events such as theatre, music, dance, puppetry, magic, or staged readings. These activities will take place in Seneca Square, addressing prior complaints that the fair activity and promotions were concentrated in Seneca Space, with the audience positioned outside the main venues. The change aims to bring a more dynamic presence to the square and better integrate the stands with public space.
History shows that the fair moved from May to April in recent years, with later editions occurring in June or July. The choice of Seneca Space, after some bookstores rejected the Paseo Gadea location, appears to be final. Organizers will provide daily media updates and distribute citywide promotional materials to engage the public, including 2,000 posters or brochures and a special event at the city center.
The 2022 edition photo caption notes the fair taking place in Seneca Square, underscoring the ongoing visual association with the space (Source: City Archives).
Budget and Participation Outlook
Technical specifications are open to interested companies or organizations, with bids accepted until January 22. The base tender budget stands at 36,489.97 euros, about 30,157 euros excluding VAT, a small increase from previous editions while the event length is halved. The core concern remains attracting more bookstores and publishers from both the province and beyond, considering Alicante’s population approaches 350,000. In the prior edition, only 19 stands were present, with four being bookstores and four publishers, while the rest consisted of corporate stands including the Ministry of Defense.
The fair’s evolution continues to stir debate among locals and industry players about the best way to promote reading, support regional authors, and balance commercial interests with cultural accessibility for residents and visitors alike. Future developments will be shaped by the tender results, the selected organizer’s vision, and the ongoing feedback from authors and booksellers across the region. (Source: City Council Records)