France’s biggest book fair Livre Paris will not take place for a second year in a row due to persisting COVID-19 concerns, the organizers said.
The country’s main literary event had been held in Paris every March since 1981 but the French Publishers Association broke with that long tradition last spring after the pandemic began.
“Livre Paris 2021, which was initially set for March, was first delayed until the end of May due to the evolution of the COVID-19 epidemic. The decision to annul the fair this year was eventually made because it seemed impossible to mobilize thousands of people… at a later date,” a statement read.
Some 160,000 visitors, 3,000 authors as well as publishers, government officials and other stakeholders from 50 countries were expected to attend. The organizers said they hoped to celebrate the literary arts next year.