Book Fair is all the rage! Two days of packed stands and exciting sales.

Lines to enter the largest stands , those in the green pavilion, but also those in the blue and yellow pavilions, which were overflowing. Lines to buy a coffee and have it standing up because the tables have all been occupied for hours. Lines to enter the rooms , to get a dedication , to pay for the book you've purchased, and even to go to the bathroom. The 49th Buenos Aires International Book Fair is a sensation, and thousands of people arrived between yesterday, the Labor Day holiday, and this Friday, a non-working day , like never before this year.

While it's true that last Saturday, April 26, the fairgrounds were packed thanks to free admission starting at 8 p.m. for the Night of the Fair, yesterday and today the massive influx continued throughout the day . Today, the arrival of visitors was not only constant but noticeable, with lines at the main entrance on Santa Fe and Sarmiento Avenues and at the turnstiles.

Juan Manuel Pampín is president of the Argentine Book Chamber and also of Corregidor Publishing , which has a colorful stand in the green pavilion. " There are really a lot of people . Yesterday the fair was packed, and the day before too. I think this long weekend will be packed," he told Clarín .

Pampín was heading to La Rural when he spoke with Clarín and was receiving messages from the people he was about to share an activity with: everyone was commenting on the large crowds. However, in his role as editor, he qualifies things a bit: " That doesn't mean sales are spectacular . Of course, if there are more people, there are more purchases, but business is still weak because we're no strangers to a 50% poverty rate in the country. People first have to pay their rent, their electricity, their gas bills, they have to be able to eat, and then only then will they buy a book ."

At the Corregidor stand, among other new releases, are The Machine for Being Happy by Cuban Marcial Gala for $32,000; Spinetta: A Flight to Infinity by Eliana Pirrillo and Jorge Battilana for $22,300; Crazy Enough: A Biography of Marcelo Bielsa by Ariel Senosiain for $22,300; and Susana Thénon: All the Voices of the Scream for $25,000.

"Of course, we always celebrate when there are more people because there are more opportunities to sell to them ," Pampín added.

Planeta 's immense, dazzling blue stand is packed to the rafters. Those responsible for it acknowledge in an interview with Clarín that the crush is significant . The pile of books displaying María Dueñas's new novel, "Por si un día volvemos," reveals that the Spanish novel is one of the publishing group's strong contenders: it costs $29,900, and yesterday, Thursday, the presentation in the José Hernández room was packed with readers, and especially female readers, who bought their copies.

Other new releases that are highly sought after include historian Felipe Pigna's debut novel , *Conspiracy in London: A Bourbon King for the Río de la Plata* , which costs $36,900; *The Day of My Death *, by Federico Axat, at $32,900; and *Here Be Dragons *, by Florencia Bonelli, which will be presented tomorrow, Saturday, and costs $39,900.

"Historically, May 1st is one of the days with the most sales at the Fair, and this year was no exception," they conclude.

Just a few steps away, the other giant is the Penguin Random House group, with a two-story mega-space where, to pay for a purchase, you have to wait in a line that snakes between displays and aisles . Diligent salespeople hold signs indicating where the queue ends, and that, the end, is always a little further away. The selection at the dozen tables is tempting, and visitors wait patiently for those who arrived earlier to leave a gap to peek through.

"There are a lot more people today," company spokespersons told Clarín . While the turnout for Labor Day was significant, they recall other larger events. "Yesterday was an atypical May Day. Today is more like the usual holiday where the aisles are packed ," they added.

The spaces at the stand are also packed, and you'll have to be patient to take home Esperanza. The autobiography and memoirs of Pope Francis are $36,999; Claudia Piñeiro's new novel, * La muerte ajena* , is $34,999; God's Fool at the End of the World , by the Spaniard Javier Cercas, is $32,999; and Eduardo Sacheri's *Demasiado lejos * is $37,499.

"Sales are going very well, we are up 20% on last year . The professional days, where many booksellers from all over the country come to buy, have been a success and so far have made a big difference. This weekend the fair is packed with families, young people and children and we are welcoming great authors, such as Claudia Piñeiro, Javier Cercas, Ludovica Squirru, Daniel Balmaceda, among others," added Valeria Fernández Naya, Marketing and Communications Director of Penguin Random House .

Another factor driving the crowd this Friday is the star presence : Spaniard Javier Cercas, Alejandra Kamiya, Camila Fabbri, Horacio Convertini, and Reynaldo Sietecase . At 5 p.m. in the Clarín/Ñ cultural space, actor Gonzalo Heredia presented his novel Extranjera to a packed auditorium, with many standing ovations.

A packed house at @ferialibro . Thank you all for coming to the presentation of "The Country the Owners Want." pic.twitter.com/vPVdH4D9oj

— Alejandro Bercovich (@aleberco) May 2, 2025

Also taking place today are some of the most anticipated book presentations: The Madman of God at the End of the World , by Spaniard Javier Cercas , which reestablishes his connection with Pope Francis during a trip to Mongolia. Writers Alejandra Kamiya, Magalí Etchebarne, and Marina Mariasch will meet at one of the panels of the Dialogue of Writers of Argentina . Economist Martín Redrado and lawyer José Urtubey , moderated by Luciana Geuna, will discuss the book Argentina Federal . And two radio journalists, Ernesto Tenembaum and Alejandro Bercovich, challenged the main hall, José Hernández, and passed the test.

They say in the football world that a coach who debuts wins, and that may be the case for Christian Rainone, as this is his first edition leading the El Libro Foundation , the organizer of the Fair, and he's pleased with the current situation. "The revenue figures are a success. Yesterday we surpassed May 1st of last year by 32%, and this Friday we're up 20% in revenue ," he explained to Clarín .

Rainone remains cautious because last year wasn't a good year . But even so, today he's encouraged to estimate a 20% increase in total visitors this year , which would increase from 1,126,351 people in 2024 to around 1,350,000. "We're exceeding expectations," concludes the president of the El Libro Foundation.