THE 10TH INTERNATIONAL BOOK ARSENAL FESTIVAL CHANGES ITS DATES

Due to the long-term increase in the number of coronavirus patients in Kyiv and the continuation of the lockdown in the region, the organizers of the International Book Arsenal Festival have decided to change the dates of the event in 2021. Book Arsenal has been moved from May to June 23-27, 2021.

“Yesterday the lockdown was extended and we understand that its end date may be indefinite — the situation with the COVID-19 is threatening. With such instability, it’s impossible to plan such a large-scale event. We understand that we have two options — either to cancel the offline Book Arsenal this year or to try to save the festival. We’ve chosen the second one,” Olesia Ostrovska-Liuta, the Mystetskyi Arsenal Director, says.

In June, the Festival will retain its hybrid format: the book fair, curatorial events, awarding the winners of the Best Book Design Contest and the Antytvir Competition will take place offline at Mystetskyi Arsenal. Part of these events will comprise the Book Arsenal Online Program, which can be viewed from anywhere in the world. The Professional Development Programs for publishers and literary managers will be held online, including the Ukrainian Literature: Rights On! program, which aims to encourage translation of Ukrainian literature abroad.

Tickets for the 10th International Book Arsenal Festival will be sold exclusively online. The Festival provides for a time slot visiting — you can buy a ticket only for a certain slot and enter Mystetskyi Arsenal at a certain time. This will help avoid queues and crowds, which could be dangerous.

The start of ticket sales, as well as the 10th Book Arsenal program will be announced additionally.

The International Book Arsenal Festival was founded by Mystetskyi Arsenal in 2011 and has been held by the institution since then. Each year, it hosts more than 100 foreign guests, more than 200 publishers and cultural institutions, and more than 55,000 visitors.

In 2019, the International Book Arsenal Festival won The Literary Festival Award of The London Book Fair International Excellence Awards 2019. Its mission is to create such interactions between people, communities and institutions, when the combination of aesthetic experience and intellectual engagement in the context of the book enhances the ability of man and society.

The 10th International Book Arsenal Festival was scheduled for May 20-24, 2020, but did not take place due to the pandemic and lockdown.