9th Opole Book Festival – A Record-Breaking Edition with Literature at Its Heart
From June 6 to 8, 2025, the city center of Opole once again transformed into a vibrant Literary Town, hosting one of Poland’s most significant cultural events – the 9th Opole Book Festival. This year’s edition broke records in terms of attendance, invited guests, and accompanying events, reaffirming the festival’s status as a key fixture on the national literary calendar.
Held across Plac Wolności, the Franciscan Garden, and the Municipal Public Library, the festival featured over 600 events, including author talks, panel discussions, workshops, debates, concerts, and exhibitions. More than 150 authors and 140 publishing houses from all over Poland took part in the event. Notable guests included Remigiusz Mróz, Andrzej Sapkowski, Graham Masterton, Katarzyna Grochola, Szczepan Twardoch, Jakub Żulczyk, Karolina Korwin-Piotrowska, Vincent V. Severski, Ewa Woydyłło-Osiatyńska, and film director Juliusz Machulski.
The festival celebrated literature in all its forms – from fiction and nonfiction to books for children and young adults. Special areas were designed for younger readers, featuring creative workshops and activities, while the Young Adult stage attracted a large audience of teenage literature fans. Highlight events included the symphonic concert “Music in Books” and themed crime river cruises on the Odra.
The event was organized by the Fabryka Inspiracji PL Foundation, with strategic support from the City of Opole, the Municipal Public Library, and numerous institutional and business partners. The festival was initiated by Opolgraf – a printing house based in Opole – which has long been active in promoting literature, culture, and reading in Poland.
The 9th edition of the Opole Book Festival confirmed that Opole is not only a city of music festivals, but also a thriving center of literary culture. High attendance, a rich program, and exceptional guests proved that the desire for direct contact with books, authors, and the written word is stronger today than ever before.
