The 94th edition of the Lisbon Book Fair (FLL) will take place, as always, in Parque Eduardo VII, in Lisbon, between May 29 and June 16, reaching its maximum growth limit this year, which leaves the organizers with a challenge for the future, Pedro Sobral, president of the Portuguese Association of Publishers and Booksellers (APEL), told Lusa.

The problem is that, even though it is at its limit, requests from new participants continue to increase, which, in the future, could mean sacrificing the allocation of some pavilions, because removing the book fair from Parque Eduardo VII is out of the question, said the official, considering that "the FLL only makes sense there".

"Parque Eduardo VII is the cornerstone of this fair, it is one of the most critical factors of all this success, because it is central, because it is outdoors, because, regardless of having those ramps and uneven terrain, it is a place where people like to walk", he said.

Emphasizing that, in addition to books, there are music shows, outdoor cinema, restaurants, terraces, but also parking space and access to transportation, which justify keeping the fair in that space, Pedro Sobral added that it is preferable to "sacrifice or, at least, complicate" the challenge in the allocation of pavilions, "always giving priority to new participants".

"Editorial diversity is also one of the fundamental variables for reading rates to increase and, therefore, knowing and being certain that we do not want to leave there and that it is there that the fair has to be, we will have to face this challenge, and we will start working, probably since July, to manage this in the best possible way", he added.

Taking into account the dimension that the FLL reached this year, 10 more pavilions are planned than last year, for a total of 350, with 960 publishing brands, represented by 140 participants and 85 thousand titles available.

The main focus this year is on improving accessibility for people with reduced mobility, thanks to a protocol signed with Access Lab (a company that works on the issue of accessibility in Portugal, for the right to culture for people with disabilities) for the next three years.

After an investment in sustainability, the organization is now working on the issue of inclusion and how to facilitate visits and attendance by people with reduced mobility.

"There are a number of challenges that take time to be implemented and, therefore, it is necessary to do a series of surveys, but this year we will have, for example, more bathrooms with access for these people with reduced mobility", said Pedro Sobral, who added that there will also be changing tables, in response to requests from families.

Additionally, the ramps will be better signposted and there will be "very intensive training by Access Lab for both APEL staff and participants, so that they can provide adequate information to people with reduced mobility", specified the official.

The programming part will also be more accessible, with a specific agenda of events with Portuguese sign language, and the existence of a color alphabet for color blind people, which, among other things, helps people to find their way around the squares, which are defined by colors.

In this regard, the president of APEL pointed out that there will be two new squares, for holding events, also responding to the growing demand.

"Last year we had 2,600 events and [...] on Friday of last week, we already had 2,190 scheduled, when normally half of the events are scheduled during the fair itself, so we will far exceed the 2,600 events we had last year", he said.

One of the great novelties this year is the anticipation of the fair's opening hours - responding to the request of many families -, which will now open at 12:00 during the week, and at 10:00 on weekends and holidays.

The closing time remains at 10:00 pm, with the exception of Saturdays, Fridays and holiday eves, when it closes at 11:00 pm.

Regarding the number of visitors expected, Pedro Sobral believes that it will reach one million, a number that "is not relevant", in terms of "breaking records",

"What is important to us, and that is why this issue of one million visitors, is that the purpose of the fair, as well as a driver for training and promoting reading rates, is increasingly greater, because obviously we reach more people, we have more people there, the greater the probability that reading rates will be higher and approach the European Union", he considered.

This year's edition of the FLL resumes the initiative "Camping with stories", aimed at children, once again includes initiatives of the National Reading Plan, namely with the creation of the "Reading Clinic", which gives suggestions according to the reader's profile, and will once again have the "Donate your books" pavilion.

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