Alexandria’s Last Book Fair Weekend: BA, Chatby, and Food
How to do the final weekend of the BA book fair before 20 July 2026
The 21st Bibliotheca Alexandrina International Book Fair runs from 6 to 20 July 2026, making this the last weekend to catch one of Alexandria’s biggest cultural fixtures before it closes on Monday. The fair is being held in cooperation with the General Egyptian Book Organization and the Egyptian and Arab Publishers Association, with activities spread across the BA Plaza and the BA Conference Center. According to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the fair opens daily from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm, except on Fridays from 2:00 pm to 10:00 pm.
This year’s edition is not a small side event. The BA said the 2026 fair includes 410 cultural events with more than 1,000 speakers from Egypt and abroad. The fair’s 21st edition also honors Egyptian filmmaker Daoud Abdel Sayed as its Personality of the Fair, a detail that gives this year’s program a clear Egyptian arts angle rather than a purely bookselling one.
Start with the fair itself: where to browse first
If you only have half a day, begin outdoors in the Plaza, where the browsing energy is strongest and where BA highlighted Pavilion No. 1 as a key book-sales point for its latest cultural and scientific publications. This is the easiest place to get the quick-hit book-fair experience: publisher tables, discounted finds, BA releases, and the kind of serendipitous walk-through that makes Alexandria’s fair feel more relaxed than the Cairo mega-circuit.
Then move into the Conference Center for the events side. Even if you do not build your day around a single talk, this is where the fair’s scale becomes obvious. BA said the 2026 cultural program ranges across literature, poetry, theatre, radio drama, and public discussions on contemporary issues. In other words, the final weekend is not just for shopping bags full of books; it is for catching the atmosphere of a working cultural institution in peak summer mode.
A practical timing tip
Go early if your priority is book-buying, and later in the day if your priority is people-watching and events. Because the fair stays open until 10:00 pm, it works particularly well as a late-afternoon Alexandria outing that rolls straight into dinner in Chatby or along the nearby Corniche.
Which BA spaces to visit while you are there
The smartest way to do the final weekend is to treat the book fair as the anchor, then turn the rest of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina into a proper cultural crawl. BA’s visitor information makes clear that the library is much more than one event hall: it also offers guided visits, museums, exhibitions, the Planetarium Science Center, and on-site bookshops.
1) Take a guided tour of the Main Library
If you have friends or family visiting Alexandria, the guided tour is the best entry point. BA offers tours in Arabic, English, and French, and states that visitors need a Main Library admission ticket to join. The guided visit is the easiest way to understand the building as more than a landmark on the Corniche: you get the history of the revival of the modern library, an introduction to its collections, and access to the exhibitions and museums folded into the wider experience.
2) Prioritize the museums
The BA says it houses four museums: the Sadat Museum, the Antiquities Museum, the Manuscripts Museum, and the History of Science Museum. For an Alexandria weekend itinerary, these are worth prioritizing because they turn your fair visit into something more layered than a simple browse-and-leave trip. If you have never been, the mix of manuscripts, archaeology, and modern political memory gives the BA an identity that feels distinctly Egyptian rather than generic-international.
3) Do not skip the permanent exhibitions
The BA’s exhibitions are one of the easiest things to overlook when the fair is busy, but they are a major reason to stay longer. The library says it has 16 permanent exhibitions. Especially relevant for a local Alexandria-focused visit are Impressions of Alexandria: The Awad Collection and The World of Shadi Abdel Salam Exhibition. If your ideal cultural day means leaving with both a new book and a stronger sense of Alexandria’s visual and intellectual history, this is where to spend the extra hour.
4) Stop at the bookshops and gift shop
BA officially operates two bookshops, including one at the entrance of the Main Building and another inside the Planetarium Science Center, alongside a gift shop. That makes them useful for visitors who want something more curated than the fair tables alone, especially if you are after BA publications or Alexandria-themed gifts rather than a general publisher haul.
5) Add the Planetarium Science Center if you are with children
For families doing the fair on the final weekend, the Planetarium Science Center is the obvious add-on. BA positions it as a hands-on science destination within the same broader complex, which helps make the outing work for mixed groups where not everyone wants to spend hours moving between book stalls and cultural panels.
Where to eat around Chatby after the fair
Because the Bibliotheca Alexandrina sits in Chatby on the Corniche, your easiest post-fair plan is to keep lunch, coffee, or dinner close rather than crossing half the city. Nearby dining options regularly listed close to the BA include Branzino Fish Restaurant, Houda El-Gondol, and the on-site The Chain Cafe & Restaurant. For a quick pause without leaving the complex, The Chain is the most straightforward option. For a fuller Alexandria-style meal, seafood nearby makes more sense.
Best strategy by mood
- Need something fast between events? Stay inside or directly beside the BA complex and keep it simple with coffee or a light bite.
- Want a proper Alexandria lunch? Head to a nearby seafood spot after your fair round, especially if your day started early.
- Doing the fair near sunset? Save the meal for after your BA walk and turn it into a Corniche dinner plan.
Chatby works best when you do not overcomplicate it. The area’s advantage is proximity: book fair, library, exhibitions, sea air, then food within a short radius.
A final-weekend itinerary that actually works
- Late morning: Arrive at the BA and start with the Plaza book stalls.
- Midday: Move into the Conference Center to catch part of the cultural program.
- Early afternoon: Join a guided library visit or do one museum plus one permanent exhibition.
- Coffee break: Stop at the BA café or bookshop area.
- Late afternoon to evening: Finish with a walk outside the complex, then dinner around Chatby or on the nearby Corniche.
Why this weekend matters
The final weekend matters because this fair closes on 20 July 2026, and the BA has made this edition unusually substantial in both scale and programming. With 410 events, over 1,000 speakers, a major official collaboration with Egypt’s publishing bodies, and the spotlight on Daoud Abdel Sayed, the 2026 edition is more than a shopping stop. It is one of the clearest July reminders that Alexandria still knows how to turn culture into a full-day city outing.
If you are wondering what to do in Alexandria right now, this is the answer: spend the final weekend at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina International Book Fair, use the chance to finally explore the BA spaces you usually rush past, and end the day the Alexandrian way, with the sea still in view and a meal waiting nearby in Chatby.