The Caribbean's biggest literary party just wrapped up another record run. The 28th Santo Domingo International Book Fair closed this month with 714,322 visitors and preliminary book sales topping RD$97 million, according to Culture Minister Roberto Ángel Salcedo, who announced the figures at the Eduardo Brito National Theater.
This year's edition ran from September 24 to October 4 at the Juan Pablo Duarte Cultural Plaza, with Dominican writer José Mármol as the honoured author and Panama as guest country of honour. Panama brought more than books — its delegation staged music, film and food programming, giving the fair a fuller festival feel.
The scale is what stands out. The fair packed in more than 700 activities: conferences, panel talks, book launches, recitals, workshops, film screenings and theatre. Behind the scenes were over 70 international writers, 32 international publishers, 21 Dominican publishers and 44 local bookstores — a genuinely international book trade event in the heart of the Caribbean.
Access was a big theme. The Bono Libro initiative handed out 7,000 free books to students, and the closing ceremony honoured bookseller and researcher Juan Emilio Báez Melo with a "Lifetime Achievement in Books" award, complete with a RD$300,000 prize.
Plans for next year are already set: the 2027 fair will run September 12 to 26, stretching to a full two weeks for the first time. That longer format makes it easier to plan a trip around — you could catch a few talks and panels in the morning, explore the Colonial Zone in the afternoon, and still have time for the beach.
For travellers, this is one of the better-kept reasons to visit Santo Domingo outside the high season. September is shoulder season, so hotel rates are lower and crowds thinner, and the fair gives you a packed cultural programme that costs little or nothing to attend. Most activities are in Spanish, which is worth knowing — but many, especially film screenings and live performances, travel well without the language. If you're a reader, a writer, or just someone who likes a city buzzing with events, timing a trip to the fair is a smart move.
