NBDB Presents Philippines' Biggest Book Festival 2026

Hello friends and kindred book loving spirits! I recently had the privilege to attend The Philippine Book Festival Media Con. It is touted as the National Stage for Filipino books and the ultimate book experience. 

The Philippine Book Festival (PBF) is the country’s only book festival dedicated exclusively to Filipino-authored and published works. Powered by the National Book Development Board (NBDB), it brings together thousands of Filipino books, educational materials, and creative works in a single space for culture, learning, and conversation—and, more than a marketplace, a shared third place for readers, writers, teachers, illustrators, publishers, students, families, and literary enthusiasts, all under one roof.

Since its launch in 2023, the PBF has steadily grown in reach and scale across its first three editions. PBF 2026 runs from March 12 to 15 at the Megatrade Hall, SM Megamall, in Mandaluyong City.

Into the Gubat

This year’s PBF gathers under the theme Gubat ng Karunungan—The Rainforest of Knowledge. A gubat is alive, layered, and interconnected, and our literary ecosystem is no different. Featured as the festival’s four signature realms, each one represents a distinct corner of Philippine literature and learning: different audiences, different genres—one forest, thriving and alive.

Kid Lit is built for young readers, featuring picture books, learning materials, and titles that nurture a lifelong love of stories.

Komiks brings the universe of Filipino comics to life, honoring the legends of the form while spotlighting emerging visual storytellers.

Booktopia is a meeting ground for the many voices shaping the Filipino literary imagination—fiction, nonfiction, poetry, essays, and more.

Aral Aklat is dedicated to learning, featuring textbooks, teaching guides, and educational resources for classrooms, teachers, and library hubs across the country.

The Philippines is a nation of many languages, many regions, many voices—from Luzon to Mindanao,

from the city streets to rural barangays, from fantasy novels to research publications. Every story strengthens this ecosystem. Maglakad. Maglibot. Maligaw. Every reader is an explorer, every page a forest.

Creative Corners of PBF

Alongside its four realms, the PBF stages exhibitions that connect the literary with contemporary creativity—from rare historical texts to art installations. Past editions have featured:

• The Rare Books Collection from the National Library of the Philippines, including facsimiles of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.
• The Ang INK art installation, featuring the creative works of children’s book illustrators
• The History of Komiks by Randy Valiente
• Mundo ng Trese by Kajo Baldisimo
• NCCA School of Living Traditions
• NCCA-PVAS art installation and exhibition

For this year, five activation spaces complete the festival experience:

Lugar Lagdaan is your go-to spot for book signings. Meet the people behind the stories you love.

Bahay Ilustrador is where illustrators, comic artists, and graphic storytellers show how images speak louder than words.

Gubat ng Karunungan is a forest of learning, workshops, and masterclasses for curious minds of all ages.

Fiesta Stage is the main stage, the heartbeat of PBF, where grand performances and epic panels unfold.

Umpukan is the chill zone for intimate talks and idea-sharing sessions where conversations flow freely.

Together, these creative corners add new layers of visual and cultural depth to the PBF.

The Audience Pulse

From 2023 to 2025, the PBF drew more than 120,000 visitors and, through its partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd), helped generate PHP 946 million in institutional book sales in 2024 alone. Beyond retail, the festival has reshaped how books reach classrooms: through a coordinated review process between DepEd and the NBDB, regions can now identify and acquire books that reflect their local contexts and students’ needs.

The Vision of PBF

The PBF was launched as a national effort to improve access to quality, affordable Filipino-authored books, addressing long-standing gaps in distribution for both retail and institutional buyers. At the festival’s opening, welcome remarks from DepEd Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara and NBDB Executive Director Charisse Aquino-Tugade will set the tone for discussions that will shape the future of educational resources in the country.

The PBF Experience

PBF 2026 brings together the full spectrum of Philippine literary life. The writers whose pages many of us grew up with—Ricky Lee, Virgilio Almario, Ambeth Ocampo—will be on hand alongside trade-book favorites Jonaxx and Ron Canimo, kidlit masters Eugene Evasco and Luis Gatmaitan, and komiks legends Manix Abrera and Pol Medina. Viral reads, poetry, pop fiction, indie zines, and award-winning titles: every kind of reader finds their people here.

Honoring Filipino Stories

On March 14, the Fiesta Stage will host the 43rd National Book Awards (NBA)—honoring the authors, illustrators, editors, translators, and publishers whose work has shaped and sustained Philippine literature. It is the festival’s day set aside entirely for the recognition of excellence and affirmation of the strength, creativity, and diversity of Filipino storytelling today.

The Philippine Book Festival is more than a gathering of books. It is a gathering of the nation’s voices—where writers meet readers, teachers meet students, and communities come together around stories that are unmistakably ours. Literature lives when it is shared, celebrated, and felt together.

Come witness Filipino literature in its grandest form, in its fullest expression.

We will see you at the Philippine Book Festival 2026!

Thanks for reading this PR and hope to meet you on this momentous event! The book fair's bound to be not just educational, but so much fun! :)