BRaK 2026

Bratislava will belong to literature from 27 to 31 May 2026.

The 13th edition of the BRaK Bratislava Book Festival will take place in the heart of the city, with its epicentre on Hlavné Square and Františkánske Square, as well as in nearby venues. This year’s festival theme is “We Need to Talk…” — a conversation BRaK will open across its programme for both the general public and the professional community.

The first 100 tickets are available at a special early-bird price of €15. Once they sell out, the advance price will be €19, and €25 at the door. Children under 12 enter free of charge.

BRaK brings together more than 100 events for all age groups: author talks, staged readings, theatre performances, live art, concerts, exhibitions and discussions.

Festival pass includes access to:

• the opening gala at DPOH on 27 May at 7:00 pm, including the presentation of the Eugen Gindl Award for Reportage Literature
• all literary, theatre and music events across the festival venues
• a two-day conference for book professionals and libraries (28–29 May) focusing on topics such as reading for visually impaired audiences and the production of tactile books, literary export, rights sales and licensing, the UNESCO Cities of Literature network, and much more
• exhibitions and the accompanying programme
• the comics zone, featuring a three-day programme of discussions, lectures and live drawing

BRaK will welcome more than 200 guests from over 15 countries. Highlights include bestselling Czech author Jakub Stanjura, whose novel Srpny is now also being published in Slovak; Constance Debré (France), whose Love Me Tender is currently screening in cinemas as a film adaptation; rising Icelandic literary star María Elísabet Bragadóttir; an exhibition by leading visual artist Andrej Dúbravský alongside the launch of his new book; and Joanna Kuciel-Frydryszak (Poland), author of the book that has taken Slovak bestseller charts by storm.

The festival will also feature Jeferson Tenório (Brazil), Michal Habaj (Slovakia), Adania Shibli (Palestine), Denis Bango (Fvck_Kvlt), Jessica Lind (Austria), Barbora Hrínová (Slovakia), Tim S. Jongers (Belgium), Anna Řezníčková (Czech Republic), and Kateřina Šedá, creator of the project Národní sbírka zlozvyků, along with many other outstanding guests from more than 15 countries around the world.