Oitijhya Book Carnival 2026 organised by creative publishing house Oitijhya will begin on Bangla Academy premises in Dhaka on Thursday.

The carnival will remain open to visitors daily from 10 am to 9 pm until October 31.

Its informal inauguration is scheduled for 10:15 am on October 15.

This year's theme is “Stories of a New Day on the Pages of Oitijhya”.

The event aims to bring readers, writers, publishers and book lovers closer to literature and creative expression.

The 17-day carnival will feature a range of daily programmes, including Writers' Day, Book Influencer Day, children's drawing and storytelling competitions, a children's art exhibition, typography and calligraphy workshops, an open-air podcast, Club Day and Publishers' Day.

Other attractions include a tree-identification programme at Bangla Academy, a solo play titled “Shahid Qadri” and musical evenings.

New book launches will also be held throughout the event, with 17 new titles, including collected works, scheduled to be unveiled over the 17 days.

Book lovers will have the opportunity to purchase books at special discounts.

Oitijhya will offer discounts of up to 71 percent on books in stock and up to 60 percent on its collected works. Individual volumes of collected works will be available for Tk 150 to Tk 200.

Visitors purchasing books in any quantity will receive a free bookmark. Other participating publishers will also offer special discounts on their publications.

Alongside Oitijhya, the participating publishers and brands include Ilham, Kakatuya, Gripper Mark, Nirbachito, Nu Books, Red and Dhrubapad. Nirbachito Pakerghor will serve as the event's food partner.

Oitijhya organises the carnival annually as its flagship event, combining book launches and cultural activities with opportunities for readers to discover books and engage with the literary community.