Floating book fair Logos Hope to dock in Abu Dhabi for annual event

With more than 5,000 books on board, the ship's return to the UAE coincides with the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair

Logos Hope, the world's largest floating book fair, docked at Port Rashid, Dubai, on April 18, 2023. AFP

The world’s largest floating book fair will be docking in time for the capital’s most important literary event of the year.

The arrival of Logos Hope to the emirate coincides with the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, which will be running at the Abu Dhabi Exhibition Centre from May 22 to May 28. The floating fair will offer a variety of events, including workshops, panel discussions, as well as interactive and musical performances.

Logos Hope will dock at the Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal, Marsa Mina, on Wednesday. An opening ceremony will be held in the presence of Ali bin Tamim, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, as well as its executive director Saeed Al Tunaiji. The Logos Hope's exhibition manager, Sebastian Moncayo, will also be present.

The 'Logos Hope', the world’s largest floating book fair, is at Port Rashid in Dubai until April 23. All Photos: Pawan Singh / The National

The ship brings with it a collection of more than 5,000 books

The ship has been travelling the region this past year, visiting Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iraq

'Logos Hope' will be staying at Port Rashid until April 23, after which it will set sail to Abu Dhabi’s Cruise Terminal at Marsa Mina, where it will welcome visitors between May 17 and June 5

GBA Ships began in 1970 with the purchase of the first Logos ship. Since then, their ships have travelled some 480 ports in 150 countries and territories

Logos Hope has more than 5,000 books 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 ship was in Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah last month, after it visited Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iraq. It will remain in Abu Dhabi until June 4. From there, it will go to Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman.

The ship had previously visited Dubai in 2011 and Abu Dhabi in 2013.

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.