World's largest floating book fair coming to Dubai

The world’s largest floating book fair Logos Hope has docked in the UAE.

The ship, which has 5,000 titles on board, opened its doors to the public at Ras Al Khaimah Port on Tuesday, after setting sail from Basra, Iraq. More than 500 people visited within hours of its return to the country; it previously visited Dubai in 2011 and Abu Dhabi in 2013.

Book lovers in Ras Al Khaimah have been trawling through the shelves and piles of books aboard the ship since April 11. The fair will be running in the emirate until April 16 before heading to other parts of the country.

Logos Hope has docked in seven countries this year, making stops at Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, where more than 65,000 visitors were welcomed on board in the first 10 days at Cairo’s Port Said.

MV Logos Hope is set to sail to Dubai next week, opening its gangways in the emirate from April 18 to 23. On May 17, it will dock in Abu Dhabi where it will stay until June 4. Entry is free of charge, though those who wish to attend events can get tickets on-site for only Dh15.

The Logos Hope book fair launched in 1970, with the purchase of the original Logos, operated by the German non-profit group Good Books for All. It has since been to 480 different ports in more than 150 countries, welcoming 49 million people. The crew visiting the UAE is made up of 350 volunteers of more than 65 different nationalities

The ship had just come from a successful run on its first-ever visit to Basra, Iraq, where it spread knowledge and cheer to over 90,000 book lovers.

The fair also recently received a new container of Arabic books, which are available on board.
Entrance is free and titles on offer span a variety of genres, including science, sports, cookery, arts, medicine, languages and faith. There will also be children’s titles, academic texts, dictionaries and atlases.

The floating book fair will also host a number of activities on board, including a children’s play and cultural performances by the international crew.