The great turnout for the «Festival» events reflects its growing status on the cultural events map. After a week filled with intellectual sessions, poetry evenings, creative arts, and cultural and recreational activities, the events of the Sharjah International Book Festival concluded in its second edition yesterday evening amidst remarkable public attendance and the participation of an elite of thinkers, writers, publishers, creators, and artists. This year's festival was held under the slogan «A Woven Community of Stories,» celebrating Emirati literature and cementing its presence in daily life, weaving stories that inspire generations and bring members of society together around knowledge and shared cultural memory. The festival confirmed that it will continue its vision of celebrating Emirati creativity, supporting literature and creators, and opening doors for dialogue between generations and cultures, remaining an annual platform where stories are woven, and at its core, a noble message that solidifies culture and literature as a force capable of uniting society, enhancing identity, and spreading the values of knowledge and civilizational dialogue. The Executive Director of the Emirates Publishers Association, Rashid Al Qasimi, expressed his pride in the success achieved by the second edition of the festival, extending his sincere thanks and gratitude to Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, the Honorary Founder and Chairperson of the Sharjah Book Authority, for her continuous support and pioneering efforts in empowering the publishing industry and elevating the presence of Emirati literature. He affirmed that her vision was the cornerstone of the festival's success and establishing its position as an effective platform for promoting cultural movement, spreading a culture of reading, and supporting young Emirati literary and creative talents, in addition to providing a valuable platform for Emirati publishers to expand the reach of their publications to readers. He added that the second edition of the festival confirms the commitment to supporting the literary and intellectual movement and enhancing a reading culture among various segments of society, noting that the great turnout for the festival's events reflects its growing status on the map of annual cultural events in the emirate. The 2026 edition was distinguished by the diversity of its events, which included poetry evenings, intellectual seminars, and creative workshops, in addition to musical and theatrical performances, and a book fair and new literary publications with the participation of 42 Emirati publishers, in addition to reading sessions and shopping experiences, all of which received a wide reception from the public.
