Ottawa reads Arabic at the third Ottawa Kitab Book Fair 2026

By Tahani Elghazaly
Published May 3, 2026

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Canada’s capital is preparing to welcome the third edition of the Ottawa Kitab Book Fair on Saturday and Sunday, May 16 and 17, 2026, at Nepean Sportsplex, in a cultural event dedicated to strengthening the presence of Arabic books in Ottawa.

The fair will take place in Halls A and B at Nepean Sportsplex, 1701 Woodroffe Ave, Entrance 3, Back Parking Lot, from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., with free admission for visitors, according to the fair’s official website and event materials.

This year’s edition follows the success of the previous two Ottawa editions and reflects growing public interest among Arabic readers in accessing new and diverse titles in literature, fiction, poetry, thought, history, children’s books, and the humanities. The fair is not only a place to buy books. It is also a cultural gathering point where readers, publishers, artists, families, and community members meet around language, identity, and knowledge.

The 2026 edition carries the guiding line “We must therefore read,” a message that frames reading as an act of awareness, understanding, and cultural belonging. In that spirit, the fair aims to bring Arabic books closer to readers in Canada, not as a distant memory of home, but as a living part of everyday cultural life in a multilingual society.

The program includes Arabic-language publishers, bookstores, distributors, cultural organizations, literary talks, poetry readings, music, visual arts, and family-friendly activities. It also features a calligraphy workshop with artist and calligrapher Wisam on either Saturday, May 16, or Sunday, May 17, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. The workshop fee is $25, with materials included and limited spots available, according to the workshop announcement.

The third edition carries special importance for Ottawa’s Arab community because it offers a visible and organized Arab cultural presence in Canada’s public space. Here, the book is not only a cultural product. It is a bridge between generations, a way to protect language, and an opportunity for children and young people to build a warmer relationship with reading in Arabic.

The fair also gives Arab publishers and creators in Canada a direct platform to meet readers and open a wider conversation about the future of Arabic publishing in the diaspora. In a city like Ottawa, where communities, languages, and cultures meet, this kind of initiative becomes more than a seasonal event. It becomes part of a growing Arab Canadian cultural memory.

With books, calligraphy, literary encounters, and family activities, the message of the Ottawa Kitab Book Fair is clear: Arabic reading continues to bring people together, and Arabic books deserve a lasting place in the cultural life of Canada’s capital.