Taking place simultaneously in São Paulo was A Feira do Livro (The Book Fair), which in its fourth edition has already earned a spot in the city’s official cultural calendar. What sets it apart? The fair is held in a square across from the iconic Pacaembu Stadium, which closed the event with a soccer match featuring Brazilian authors.

During 10 days, the Rio Book Biennial—one of the largest literary events in Brazil—welcomed 740,000 visitors, a 23-percent increase compared to 2023. More than 6.8 million books were sold by the more-than 700 publishers exhibiting at the event.

Some Strong Jumps in Book Sales Reported

Major houses like Companhia das Letras (part of Penguin Random House) and Grupo Record reported sales increases of around 65 percent compared to the show’s last edition. Rocco, the Brazilian publisher of Harry Potter and Clarice Lispector in Brazil, reported growth of 62 percent, while HarperCollins Brasil says that it doubled its revenue over that of 2023.

More than 130,000 student from public and private schools are said by the fair’s organizers to have visited, an effort supported by an investment of 16 million Brazilian real (US$2.9 million), 15 percent more than last year. These funds come from the Rio de Janeiro municipal education department and other regional partners.

This year’s bienniale emphasized immersive experiences to engage readers, with literary-themed escape rooms and even a Ferris wheel.

“The success of the immersive programming at this year’s biennial,” says Dante Cid, president of the Brazilian Association of Book Publishers (SNEL), “shows that literature must reach people through diverse approaches.

“That’s why the bienniale is such a powerful force in Brazil’s literary landscape. It played a crucial role in securing Rio’s World Book Capital title and continues to be a vital tool for expanding the country’s reading culture.”

Meanwhile, São Paulo’s fourth edition of A Feira do Livro do Pacaembu reports that it welcomed 80,000 attendees in nine days—up from 64,000 in 2023. Known for its open-air, free-access format and robust author lineup, the fair featured Brazilian and international writers and performed well in book sales for publishers. Grupo Autêntica, for example, saw a 140-percent increase in sales compared to the previous year.

Both events stood out for their size, programming, and positive sales results. But they’re not alone—smaller literary festivals are growing across Brazil. In São Paulo, bookstores are increasingly partnering with cafés and cultural spaces to host literary circuits and poetry walks.

Next on the calendar is the Paraty International Literary Festival (FLIP), which opens at the end of July. Set in a historic coastal town, the festival has long played a central role in Brazil’s publishing ecosystem.

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More from Publishing Perspectives on UNESCO’s World Book Capital is here, more on book fairs and trade shows in the book publishing industry is here, and more on Brazil and its book business is here.