The Chania Book Festival (CBF), organized by the Municipality of Chania in collaboration with the Region of Crete, returns to Chania for the fifth consecutive year, from Monday, June 22, through Sunday, June 28, 2026.

The visual identity of the 5th Thessaloniki International Film Festival (K2 Design) directly reflects this year’s central theme, “Worlds in Conflict.” With clean lines and stark contrasts, it brings to the forefront the fundamental dichotomies of our time—war and peace, open borders and walls, liberalism and the rise of the far right, feminism and toxic masculinity, economic growth and the climate crisis, artificial intelligence and human creativity, digital reality and “real” life, etc.—and encapsulates a reality where certainties are shaken and tensions are rising. At the same time, it serves as a continuation and culmination of the Festival’s trajectory in previous years, highlighting the book as a universal connecting link, forging connections and bridging divides.

Featuring prominent Greek authors, as well as more distinguished guests from around the world than ever before, including authors Maurice Attia, Katie Kitamura, Jonathan Coe, Vincenzo Latrono, Eri De Luca, Merjem El Meghdi, Niall Williams, Leonardo Padura, Laura Zwiernia, Caril Ferre, Alan Hollinghurst, and others, alongside academics, translators, philologists, literary critics, journalists, and artists who will take part in over 100 thematic discussions, book presentations, performances, theatrical readings, and more, centered on contemporary Greek and foreign prose, poetry, and essays. The 5th Chania Book Festival will take place again this year at the Venetian Harbor in Chania, between the Mediterranean Architecture Center and the “Mikis Theodorakis” Theater. The events of the Chania Book Festival are organized in collaboration with publishing houses and cultural organizations and institutions: the National Library of Greece, the Hellenic Book and Culture Foundation, the Municipal Regional Theater of Crete, the Chania Municipal Library, Chania Cultural Center, Hellenic-French Association of Chania, Association of Philologists of Chania, “Eleftherios K. Venizelos” National Research and Study Foundation, Velvento Cultural Association, Chania Film Festival, Chaniartoon, LEA Festival – Greek-Ibero-American Literature Festival in Athens, British Council, French Institute of Greece, Instituto Cervantes, Goethe-Institut, etc., and with the support of the Ministry of Culture.

BOOK BATTLES

1st Student Conference on Experimental Presentations of Literary Works

The clash and convergence of worlds through books, as seen

through the eyes of today’s children and teenagers

On Saturday, May 2, 2026, the 1st Student Conference on Experimental Presentations of Literary Works will be held at the “Mikis Theodorakis” Theater, where student groups from schools in the Prefecture of Chania (Kalives Elementary School, Nea Kydonia High School, Souda High School, Kantanos and Paleochora Middle and High Schools, Anopolis Elementary School, Drapania Elementary School, Alikianos Junior High School) that participated in the workshops of the educational program “Book Battles” will present collaborative, interdisciplinary projects based on literary works from Greek and world literature, followed by a discussion with the student and adult audience.

In addition, the Festival will present three different books—including both Greek-language titles and works from world literature—as a gift to the libraries of the schools that participated in the program (Agra Publications, Dioptra, Hellenic Publications, Hermes, Ilivaton, Thraka, Ikaros, Kaleidoscopio, Kedros, Metaixmio, Nefeli, Nisos, Patakis, Potamos, Psychogios, Futura), which was compiled as a bibliography specifically for the workshops.

Specifically, seven Greek creators (Christina Apostolidou, Theodoros Grigoriadis, Amanda Michalopoulou, Ioanna Lioutsi, Maria Papagianni, Agni Stroubouli, and Thanasis Petrou) conducted the “Book Battles” workshops in February and March 2026 at nine elementary and secondary schools, utilizing tools from various fields of the arts and humanities—creative writing, theater, poetry, history, visual arts, storytelling, music, dance, comics, new technologies, etc.—with the aim of fostering a love of reading through a creative approach to Greek and world literature, and in connection with the central theme of the 5th CBF. In addition to their in-person participation, the seven creators also collaborated remotely with school teachers and the Festival’s working group, from the beginning of 2026 through the conference’s implementation.

This new educational program, launched by the FBC, was organized by the Municipality of Chania in collaboration with the Region of Crete, in partnership with local schools and with the approval of the Chania Directorate of Secondary Education and the Chania Directorate of Primary Education. The Association of Philologists of the Prefecture of Chania contributed to the preparation of the program, as did Anna Nebavlaki, special advisor to the Mayor of Chania on educational matters, and Antonis Athanasakis, an educator, on primary and secondary education, respectively. The program is implemented with the support of the Intermunicipal Solid Waste Management Company [DEDISA S.A. (OTA)].