The Community of Madrid has decided to take a further step and transform The Night of the Books in a broader event, designed to reach a wider audience and more neighborhoods. The new format, dubbed LIBROMAD, aims to strengthen the bond between readers, bookstores, and libraries with a program spread over several days.
From 2026 onwards, the celebration will become a four-day literary festival around April 23rd. With this change, the regional administration seeks to revitalize cultural life and allow citizens to fit more than one event into their schedule without rushing or overlapping.
What changes compared to The Night of the Books
The transition from a single night to four full days (from Thursday to Sunday) pursues a clear goal: to expand attendance options and better distribute the flow of visitors. In contrast to the concentrated format, LIBROMAD will offer more time slots, more spaces, and more opportunities for interaction between authors and readers.
The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sport anticipates a minimum of 300 activities distributed throughout the region. This deployment will facilitate customized circuits for those who want to link presentations, talks or themed tours without sacrificing work-life balance.
When and where will it be held
LIBROMAD will be held around World Book Day (April 23) and will run from Thursday to Sunday. The program will reach at least 60 municipalities in the Madrid region, with activities in bookstores and libraries and outdoor events to encourage participation from diverse audiences, as in the Tres Cantos literary festival.
Decentralization is key: there will be appointments in neighborhoods and towns beyond the city center, reinforcing cultural reach and bringing events to areas with less usual offerings.
Planned schedule
The poster will combine meetings with authorsThe program includes storytelling, dramatizations, debates, and discussions, as well as reading and writing workshops. Musical performances, film screenings, and literary tours offering a fresh perspective on the city are also planned.
As a central focus, the festival will incorporate a central event of a playful and festive naturedesigned to bring together diverse audiences and turn literature into a shared, accessible and close experience.
The prominence of bookstores and libraries
The new format focuses on local commerce: it seeks to boost the activity of bookstores and to promote book sales throughout the four days. The staggered structure and program aim to attract more people to these spaces and retain them with appealing offerings.
Libraries will have a complementary role as reading mediation platforms, linking clubs, workshops and recommendations with the catalogs of local booksellers and publishers.
How the new format was designed
The renovation has been driven by the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and the Spanish Language Officewhich have incorporated input from booksellers, librarians, publishers, and cultural managers. This sector-wide consultation has guided the definition of content, venues, and time slots.
The Minister of Culture, Tourism and Sport, Mariano by Paco SerranoHe presented the project coinciding with Bookstore Day, emphasizing the need to align the cultural agenda with real reading and purchasing habits.
Madrid, reading data and bookstore network
The Community of Madrid remains one of the regions with higher readership In Spain: 76,8% compared to the national average of 70,3%. Among young people, the figure rises to 85,8%, a context that supports the commitment to a festival with a broader reach.
Regarding the book market, Spain has 2.792 bookstoresOf these, 392 are in the Community of Madrid (14% of the total) and the region has 5,7 independent bookstores per 100.000 inhabitants, an indicator of the weight of the local cultural fabric.
Support measures for the book sector
The regional government maintains a framework agreement of purchase of books for public libraries This regionally managed initiative has benefited 120 bookstores. It provides liquidity to the sector and replenishes the funds available to readers.
In addition, the modernization aid of bookstores, with 334 projects supported, and a bookstore management training program in collaboration with the Madrid Booksellers Association. Institutional support is also maintained for the Book Fair and other related events.
With an eye on 2026, LIBROMAD combines continuity and innovation: It maintains the spirit of the Night of the Books and adapts it to new demands, decentralizes the offer and reinforces bookstores and libraries as nodes of cultural, commercial and community activity.
