Bologna Children’s Book Fair: The 2026–27 Grand Tour
Appointments in London and Frankfurt: promoting the Fair’s transmedia initiatives at Brand Licensing Europe and the preview of the IBBY Italia Choice 2026 at the Frankfurter Buchmesse.
Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF) has launched a new season of its Grand Tour with the aim of promoting the best of its initiatives worldwide and bolstering ties with international industry professionals in the run-up to its 64th edition, at BolognaFiere from 5 to 8 April 2027.
The global tour, which is supported by ITA – the Italian Trade Agency, has now become an integral part of the fair’s identity and mission. Once again this year, BCBF is accompanied by BolognaBookPlus (BBPlus), the event for general publishing, organised in collaboration with the Italian Publishers’ Association (AIE), and by Bologna Licensing Trade Fair/Kids (BLTF/Kids), the section that focuses on the relationship between the worlds of publishing and licensing.
BCBF’s participation at Brand Licensing Europe in London from 6 to 8 October forms part of this strategy. The London event is Europe’s leading trade fair for licensing and brand extensions, and an international hub for companies, content owners, agents, licensees, retailers and professionals in the creative industries.
BCBF’s aim in London is to expand the international reach and consolidate the position of the Bologna Licensing Trade Fair/Kids as the leading hub for licensing rights and opportunities in children’s publishing and content, boosting its visibility amongst international operators and encouraging the involvement of new exhibitors, partners and stakeholders ahead of its 20th anniversary edition next year.
From 7 to 11 October, the Fair will return to the Frankfurter Buchmesse, the world’s largest generalist book fair. Bologna Children’s Book Fair will be participating with its own stand which will host a networking event to present the 2027 editions of BCBF, BBPlus and BLTF/Kids.
The stand will also feature a preview of the exhibition IBBY Italia Choice 2026 “Just One More Story”, the annual selection showcasing the best Italian publications for children and young people released over the past year (June 2025 to June 2026), divided into the following sections: early years books, picture books, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, comics, graphic novels, and “books about books.”