November 5, 2023
Today at
17:49
The third edition of the Boektopia book festival in Kortrijk attracted 47,000 visitors, 70 percent more than last year. 105,000 books were sold.
In recent days, 47,000 book lovers went to Kortrijk Xpo, where the book was central for nine days. Fans of podcasts, lectures or even cooking demonstrations also got their money’s worth with more than a thousand activities.
Boektopia is the successor to the Antwerp book fair and was created after organizer Boek.be went bankrupt in the wake of the corona crisis. The organization speaks of a great success. ‘We have 70 percent more visitors than last year. The opening weekend turned out to be a harbinger of what was to come. Word of mouth has been particularly important, we notice that there is a very positive vibe around Boektopia,” says director Patrick Boeykens.
“Flemish people clearly want to read more again,” says chairman of Boektopia Jo Dupré. ‘And we like to encourage that, not only with a fascinating and varied range of books, but also through all kinds of activities. Boektopia is a nine-day experience.’
When making a purchase, visitors received a book voucher of 10 euros that they can spend in the bookstore. “This means that their entrance ticket has been almost fully refunded and we are creating a literary wave in Flanders,” says Dupré. No fewer than 105,000 books were sold during the book festival, more than double last year. Boektopia will return to Kortrijk again next year with a fourth edition.
