The second Paris Book Festival attracted 102,000 visitors from Friday to Sunday, almost half of whom were under 25 thanks to the Pass Culture and a partnership with the TikTok application, announced its organizers. Organized at the ephemeral Grand Palais near the Eiffel Tower, this year’s festival had Italy as guest of honor.
The Festival succeeded in 2022 to the Paris Book Fair, created in 1981 and which no longer corresponded to the wishes of several publishers, because of its gigantism at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, a huge exhibition center.
The last of the 39 editions under the old format had attracted, in March 2019, 160,000 visitors. The first edition of the Festival, in April 2022, with a deliberately lower gauge, fell to 90,000 visitors.
Last year, entries were free to allow the festival to revive. This year, the event has returned to paying entries, 5 euros, but only for those over 25.
More than 90,000 books were sold in three days, for a turnover up 32% compared to 2022, the organizers said in a press release.
The general manager, Jean-Baptiste Passé, underlined “the tremendous influx of people under 25, who represent nearly 50% of visitors”.
The festival puts this down to the partnership with the Chinese application TikTok, “which has helped to amplify the communication of the event with this age group”, as well as on “the use of the Pass Culture”.
The next edition will take place from April 12 to 14, 2024.
