UAE BARQ برق الإمارات – نبضك
The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF) 2026, organised by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), has finalised the Educational Programme for its 35th edition. The programme turns reading into a lived experience that creates wide open spaces for children and young adults to explore, express themselves, and create.
It places them at the heart of the cultural and intellectual experience through an integrated series of sessions and workshops held throughout the Fair, which is set to take place from 13 to 18 September 2026 at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi.
Through its Educational Programme, the Fair is committed to aligning with the UAE’s strategic directions during the ‘Year of Family’, offering new and high-quality experiences that bring together children, young adults, families, and educational institutions in shared cultural space fosters a lasting relationship with books, language, and knowledge.
The Al Farahidi Stage, named after the ABIDF 2026 Focus Personality, will host most of the Educational Programme’s events, which include celebrating young literary talent, exploring the history of Arab knowledge, transforming heritage into contemporary stories, reintroducing the Arabic language through interactive approaches, and engaging children and young adults in creating and reimagining stories.
The Programme opens with ‘Young Authors’ Book Launch at Abu Dhabi International Book Fair’, organised by Learner Circle and bringing together Shankar Gomathinayagam, Co-Founder and CEO, and Anuradha Venkatachalam, Co-Founder and COO of Learner Circle. The event celebrates the creativity of more than 150 authors aged between 7 and 16, spotlighting the talents of a new generation in writing and authorship.
The Young Authors’ Book Launch offers an opportunity to celebrate their works and share their experiences with the Fair’s audience, while strengthening the role of families and educational institutions in supporting emerging talent and encouraging reading and writing. The session includes welcome remarks, guest speakers, official launches for various books, and short readings and reflections by a select group of young authors, highlighting their presence and strengthening their confidence and creative intellectual experience.
The Programme will also explore literature’s ability to re-present memory and heritage in a session titled ‘From Pearls to Portals: The Pearl Diver’s Daughter & the Cowrie Necklace’. The discussion features Emirati author and illustrator Maitha Al Khayat, who is the first Emirati ever nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award – the highest international distinction in children’s literature, awarded by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY).
Al Khayat was nominated in the writing category for penning and illustrating nearly 200 children’s books, several of which have been incorporated into UAE curricula and translated into multiple languages.
The session examines how pearl-diving tales, legends, and Emirati heritage can be transformed into a contemporary fantasy world. It reveals the behind-the-scenes process of writing the novel and building its world, while exploring how identity, culture, and collective memory can become literature that speaks to readers and crosses cultural boundaries.
Maitha Al Khayat will also present a session on the first day of the Programme, titled ‘What Is the Story Telling Us?’. The session offers an opportunity to interact with stories, which helps develop imagination, understand different perspectives, and build confidence and expression skills. Children are turned from listeners to active participants in the story’s events, and are invited after the reading to choose their favourite character and perform their role in the story as they imagine it.
The Educational Programme continues on the second and third days of the Fair with knowledge sessions and lectures, including ‘The Eight Series: Cities of Knowledge’, which explores the historical role of Arab cities and universities in producing knowledge, circulating foundational books, driving the translation movement, and transferring knowledge between major centres. It also highlights the role of scientific institutions in building cultural bridges across the ages.
The programme also offers the interactive narrative experience ‘Maya’s Stories’, which enriches children’s knowledge through three stories inspired by the region’s culture, heritage, and traditions. The experience combines storytelling, movement, imaginative play, puppetry, and hands-on creative activities, including desert adventures and Emirati heritage inspired experiences.
The agenda also includes activities designed to nurture a love of the Arabic language among younger generations through ‘The Arabic Language Friends Challenge’, featuring the 2024 and 2025 winners of the ‘Arabic Pals’ competition. The session focuses on developing reading and expression skills, strengthening confidence in using Arabic in daily life, and deepening participants’ connection to their linguistic and cultural identity. Students will take part in a collaborative educational experience that turns language into a tool for play, discovery, and challenge.
Meanwhile, the Programme presents ‘Where Is My Story in Young Adult Books?’, which invites young adults to explore themes and questions that reflect their interests and aspirations in young adult literature. The session draws on the novel ‘A Letter from Harvard’ by Emirati author Maryam AlZarooni who explores her experience of writing for young adults and gives participants an opportunity to share their ideas, opinions, interests, and aspirations. This interactive creative experience allows them to express their voices and explore how their own stories appear in contemporary literature.
The educational experiences continue with ‘The Stories of Maya and Grace’, presented by children’s author Nawal Benzawia, who showcases the sources of inspiration behind her characters and storylines, exploring the role of children’s literature in developing their imagination, creativity, curiosity, and love of reading.
The Educational Programme concludes this series of experiences with ‘Make the Story Your Own’, presented by children’s book author Dr Hamda Al Blooshi, inviting children to write a new ending to a story based on what they imagine might happen after reading it. This activity develops their writing and creative thinking skills, giving them a role in reshaping the story.
The ADIBF 2026 Educational Programme reflects a holistic vision that positions books as a starting point for learning, interaction, and creativity. It places children and young adults in the roles of participants and content creators rather than merely recipients. The programme also reflects the Fair’s continuous efforts to reinforce its position as a cultural and intellectual platform that brings together books, education, and creativity.
It also embodies the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre’s commitment to supporting the Arabic language, discovering talent, strengthening the participation of families and educational institutions, and presenting culture and knowledge to new generations through contemporary methods that can reach and engage them.
The Programme also includes collaborations with cultural museums with a series of interactive storytelling sessions that connect children and families with knowledge and culture in an enjoyable and innovative manner. These partnerships include sessions organised in collaboration with the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, and others inspired by the collections of Zayed National Museum.
These sessions introduce audiences to history, heritage, and nature through stories and interactive experiences, while strengthening children’s connection to cultural and intellectual content by combining learning and enjoyment.
The 35th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair offers a diverse selection of performances and interactive activities for children and families, combining entertainment, learning, and creativity. These include theatre, storytelling, and musical performances, puppet shows, as well as performances that blend movement and imagination.
The programme also presents a variety of performances and experiences that create a lively and interactive atmosphere at the Fair, giving children the chance to enjoy diverse cultural and artistic experiences that foster their love of reading, develop their imagination, and lead them towards engagement and exploration.
Furthermore, activities include a variety of workshops and interactive sessions for children and young adults in collaboration with the Emirates Literature Foundation, providing participants with inspiring experiences that strengthen their ability to express themselves and discover their talents.
These include poetry writing and performance sessions, drawing on the experience of Shamma Faisal Al Bastaki in creative writing and documentation, in addition to creative workshops designed equip children and young adults with tools to write stories and poetry and express their ideas and creativity. The programme also features interactive storytelling and illustration sessions inspired by Emirati culture and heritage, as well as a session combining yoga, meditation, and imagination to enhance children’s focus, confidence, and self-awareness.
The activities on the agenda are set to host a distinguished group of writers, artists, and specialists, allowing participants to engage with them directly and benefit from their experiences in an educational and creative environment that combines learning and enjoyment, while celebrating imagination, identity, and Emirati culture.
This year’s edition of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair brings together exhibitors from 95 countries, alongside dozens of writers, thinkers, and academics, with a programme of 1,500 events distributed across three main pillars: global culture and civilisational dialogue, innovation and the creation of the future, and the arts and live cultural experiences.
