The Amar Ekushey Book Fair-2026 will begin on February 20 and continue until March 15, Bangla Academy authorities announced on Wednesday.

The inaugural ceremony of the country’s largest annual literary event will be held at 11:00am, according to a press release.

The decision was finalised at an emergency meeting held at the Shaheed Munir Chowdhury Conference Room of Bangla Academy on Wednesday afternoon.

Bangla Academy Director General Professor Mohammad Azam, Cultural Affairs Ministry Secretary Md Mofidur Rahman, Dhaka University Proctor Professor Saifuddin Ahmed, representatives of publishing houses, and members of law enforcement agencies attended the meeting.

Earlier, authorities had announced that the 2026 edition of the Amar Ekushey Book Fair would be held from December 17 this year to January 17, 2026.

However, on September 21, the Home Ministry decided that the book fair should be organised after the upcoming national parliamentary election, scheduled for February 12.

Following the decision, the December schedule was suspended. Meanwhile, writers, poets, publishers and cultural activists had been demanding that the fair be held in February, the month deeply associated with the memories of the historic Language Movement.

Amid these circumstances, a final decision was taken on November 2, after the national election schedule, to organise the Amar Ekushey Book Fair-2026 in February.