With dozens of events celebrating books—from meetings with authors and workshops for children to breaking a Guinness World Record and a free downloadable poster to promote the holiday—members of the Reading Poland Coalition are preparing for this year's UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day celebrations. In large cities, smaller towns, and nationwide, books will be the center of attention on Thursday, April 23rd.
World Book Day, established by UNESCO in 1995, is the most recognized global holiday focused on promoting books and reading. On this day, debates, workshops, author meetings, and social campaigns will be held across Poland to celebrate literature and encourage active engagement with it. The many ways this can be done are demonstrated by activities prepared by entities associated with the Reading Poland Coalition – libraries, institutions, non-governmental and educational organizations – aimed at encouraging reading year-round.
The Universal Reading Foundation speaks daily about the importance of regular contact with literature. World Book Day is a unique opportunity to highlight that books are not just a pleasure, but a key tool for development. Therefore, the Foundation invites you to join the celebration and get involved.
in increasing access to books: to financially support the #KsiążkaChroni campaign, promoting reading as a tool for development and building mental resilience - so important in times of crises, screens
and the overload of information. This will soon be discussed in the #TataTeżCzyta2026 campaign.
Below is the program of events of selected entities, members of the Reading Poland dinner:
Municipal Public Library in Radom invites you to the competition for the title of Radom Polish Spelling Champion, hosted by Paulina Mikuła, on April 23, 2026, at 4:00 PM (category I – 13–17 years old) and 4:30 PM (category II – adults). Online registration is available at www.mbpradom.pl
After the dictation, at 5:30 p.m., there will be an author meeting with Maciej Marcisz and a book promotion entitled "Family Tapes" and "Zodiac Signs.".
Book Institute, As part of the pro-reading project, BookStadion, in cooperation with Wisła Kraków, is organizing an event for children – Book Day, which will take place on April 27th at the Wisła Kraków stadium. The program includes reading sports-related books by Wisła Kraków football players, a freestyle football show by the world champion in this discipline, and a tour of the stadium; competitions,
where children will have the opportunity to get books about their favorite heroes.
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On Book Day, libraries open their applications and the preparation program for the nationwide competition begins. Night of Libraries 2026, which this year is on October 16. From today on, every day on the interactive map on the website nocbibliotek.pl Libraries from all over Poland are posting their business cards and event programs – in the previous edition, there were as many as 1,642 of them! The organizer – the Center for Citizenship Education – invites all libraries: public, school, pedagogical, academic and others, and launches workshops – announcing the slogan of the 12th edition and the first workshop for libraries on May 29th at the International Cultural Center in Warsaw, webinars and inspirations on the "Półka" (Shelf).
with ideas." Literary stars are on the way, as well as, for example, an integration card game called "Flirting with a Doll" and packages with promotional materials – posters, bookmarks, bookplates. Join us!
Polish Chamber of Books has prepared a poster and bookmark designed by Piotr Depta-Kleśta, the author of the Szymborska Year poster. Anyone who wants to celebrate April 23rd can download and print the poster or post it on social media.
More information and links to download the poster: https://pik.org.pl/swiatowy-dzien-ksiazki-i-praw-autorskich/ A collectible poster from issue 1 with the author's autograph can be bid on at Allegro: https://allegro.pl/oferta/kolekcjonerski-plakat-autorstwa-piotra-depta-klesty-18502771076?dd_referrer= – Funds from the auction will be donated to the Universal Reading Foundation. The Chamber has also prepared bookmarks that will be distributed on April 23rd at small bookstores belonging to the PIK Bookstore Section – a list of them can be found here: https://pik.org.pl/sekcja-ksiegarska-pik/
Provincial Public Library and Cultural Animation Center in Poznań open from 12:00 to 16:00
The library's arcades (and in case of inclement weather, the lending library) will be open for business, where the Literary Café will be open. Librarians and seniors from the "It's Nothing Special, But Something Beautiful" course will be waiting for visitors, who will recommend their favorite books and share their reading discoveries. This is an opportunity for casual conversations about literature and find inspiration for your next read.
This evening, at 6:00 PM, an author meeting will be held in the library lobby. The guest speaker will be Maciej Duda, a literary critic, literary scholar, and psychotherapist. The conversation will focus on his latest novel, "Hunger.".
Branches of the Municipal Public Library in Lublin They have prepared a rich program: library lessons, art workshops, educational activities about the creation of books, reading aloud, competitions, and reading campaigns. The events are aimed primarily at children, but also at adults and seniors, emphasizing the role of books as a source of knowledge and inspiration.
IN Cultural Center in Lublin There will be a meeting with Grzegorz Jankowicz. The event will be devoted to his latest book, "Recreation. Essays on Potentiality.".
Choszczno Municipal Public Library, PEGAZ Bookstore and the "Modry Las" Golf Course„ invite you to a month of culture, celebrating World Book and Copyright Day. This cohesive program combines literature with music, art, and community experiences – consciously building a reading culture through emotions, relationships, and high-quality events.
Programme of events: https://mbpchoszczno.pl/index.php/2026/04/15/swiatowy-dzien-ksiazki-w-choszcznie-2026/
Union of Rural Communes of the Republic of Poland announces reading campaigns in municipal libraries, schools, and preschools, student book exhibitions, and special announcements about the benefits of reading. As well as school debates and talks with older students on copyright in the context of AI development. Among other things:
in Cegłowice The celebrations will begin on April 20 with a meeting for the youngest – as part of the Toddler Academy, during which there will be readings of book excerpts aloud, conversations about favorite characters and book-making workshops,
in Radwanice surprisingly: the celebration of World Book and Copyright Day will culminate in the spaces of the Cultural Center, during a theater performance entitled "Twelve Angry Men",
performed by actors from the University of the Third Age in Przemków. Behind the scenes, there will be a promotion of the local library's offerings specifically for seniors.
Jan Śniegoń Municipal Public Library in Wisła On April 23rd, we invite all readers to join us in celebrating World Book and Copyright Day. The library team, with 23 roses and 23 books, will be waiting for anyone who wants to join in celebrating this beautiful holiday. The first 46 visitors on that day will receive a rose or a book.
City of Wroclaw invites everyone to participate in the reading campaign "Wrocław's Reading Record – Fifteen Minutes with a Book." An attempt will be made at Wrocław's Market Square to break the record for the number of people reading at the same time and in the same place. Each participant will receive a personalized number, a commemorative bookplate, and discounts at Wrocław bookstores. Details of the campaign are available here: https://literatura.wroclaw.pl/facebook-event/czytelniczy-rekord-wroclawia-kwadrans-z-ksiazka/.
Author meetings will be held throughout the afternoon. in Wrocław bookstores
and libraries, for example, at Branch 44, there will be an author's meeting with Filip Zawada. The event is co-organized by Music and Literature Club, Tadeusz Różewicz Municipal Public Library in Wrocław
and the Wrocław House of Literature.
April 23 in branches MBP in Wrocław you will be able to get free family vouchers
for visiting the Pan Tadeusz Museum. Vouchers will be awarded to people who rent a ticket on April 23rd.
at least one book and give the slogan: "Wrocław Czyta Pan Tadeusza".
Word. Memory. Różewicz, or Tadeusz Różewicz's poetry in the urban space – MBP in Wrocław places quotes from its patron's poems in public spaces. Five quotes from the poet's poems will appear in over 30 locations across Wrocław – including around Wrocław's Market Square,
on Oławska and Świdnicka streets, at Grunwaldzki Square, Psie Pole, Jagodna, Popowice and Krzyki.
Wrocław House of Literature On World Book Day, we invite you to the launch of a new series of meetings entitled "City of Literature Speaks," which will demonstrate how literature can support us in achieving the UNESCO Sustainable Development Goals – providing diagnoses, suggesting solutions, and offering hope that change is possible. On April 23, a meeting will be held with Paulina Małochleb, author of the book "I Have Muscles from Love. On Motherhood," about the social aspects of motherhood.
April 18 House of Books Foundation in Poznań organized bookbinding workshops in its space. During the six-hour meeting, participants learned how to assemble a book themselves under the expert guidance of Wiktoria Dębińska. The "Give Books at the Book House Another 50 Years" competition, which began on March 12, is scheduled to conclude on April 23rd. By announcing it as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations, the Foundation wanted to support the Bookowski bookstore, a small boutique located within the Book House. As part of the competition, participants simply need to explain why a book is the best gift. The Raczyński Library and the Voivodeship Public Library joined the initiative as prize sponsors.
Poznań Publishing House in cooperation with Koleje Wielkopolskie has prepared a special pro-reading campaign as part of the Publishing House's 70th anniversary celebrations. On April 23rd, approximately 10,000 books will be distributed to passengers across Greater Poland on the regional carrier's trains. Travelers will receive books from various genres – both novels and non-fiction. The initiative, under the slogan "Close the screen, open a book," aims to promote reading and encourage people to reach for a book as the best travel companion. On April 23rd, a campaign on LED screens will also appear in Poznań's urban spaces, jointly implemented by Wydawnictwo Poznańskie and the Poznań Book Fair. The displayed slogans will encourage residents to reach for a book.
for a book and remind people of the value of reading in everyday life, as part of the celebration of World Book Day.
„"Reading Poland" is an informal coalition of individuals, institutions, non-governmental organizations and companies united by the awareness that the future of Poland depends on reading. The coalition was formed several months before the pandemic and emphasizes its dream of creating conditions for the full development of every child in Poland. You can read more at www.czytacapolska.pl.
The following organizations participate and have participated in the work of the Coalition:
Institutions: National Library, National Centre for Culture, Book Institute, Ministry of National Education, Gdynia Cultural Centre, Wrocław House of Literature, Krakow Festival Office, Goyki 3 Art Incubator; Education Development Centre, University of Białystok, Gdańsk House of Literature, Zamość Academy of Culture
Local governments and local government organizations: Gdańsk, Lublin, Łódź, Kraków, Strumień, Warsaw, Wrocław, Zabrze, Zakopane, Union of Polish Metropolises, Read agglomeration, Union of Rural Communes of the Republic of Poland, Poznań Nursery Complex
Libraries: WBP Olsztyn, WBPiCAK in Poznań, MBP Zabrze, MBP Wrocław, MBP Choszczno, MBP Dąbrowa Górnicza, MBP Zakopane; MBP Wisła, MBP Radom, MBP Kielce, Library in Mieścisko
Business: Mamania Publishing House, Nowa Era Publishing House, Mamy To Bookstore, Legimi, Lubimyczytac.pl, Poznań International Fair; Agora Publishing House for children, Poznań Publishing House, Rossmann
Foundations and associations: Universal Reading Foundation, CzasDzieci Foundation, Edico Foundation, Center for Civic Education, Capital of the Polish Language Festival, School of Education of the University of Warsaw and the Polish-American Freedom Foundation, Polish Chamber of Books, Association of Literary Translators; Comenius Foundation for Children's Development, Book House Foundation in Poznań
Education system units: Metis Regional Methodological and Educational Center, Educational Psychology, Primary School No. 33 in Katowice, Secondary School No. 7 in Wrocław.
