DistantNews
Support us
🇦🇷 Argentina /Culture & Society

Used Book Festival Draws More Than 13,000 Visitors in Buenos Aires

From Clarín · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Outcome reported
  • More than 13,000 people attended Buenos Aires’ fifth Fiesta del Libro Usado at the Centro Cultural Recoleta on Sept. 5 and 6.
  • The 43 participating bookstores reported sales above last year’s levels, with many visitors buying between one and three books.
  • The free outdoor festival featured talks, readings, live music and mate while promoting used books, specialist sellers and affordable reading.

More than 13,000 people visited Buenos Aires’ Fiesta del Libro Usado over the weekend, filling the terrace of the Centro Cultural Recoleta with readers searching for second-hand books.

The festival held its fifth edition on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 5 and 6, at Junín 1930. It moved to the Recoleta cultural center for the first time after earlier editions took place at Plataforma Nave and Plaza del Lector Rayuela. Admission remained free.

Many readers came looking for books. People took home between one and three copies. Others bought more than five. They know what they want and come open to seeing what they can find.

· Patricio RagoThe festival creator described the buying habits of visitors.

The 43 participating bookstores said sales exceeded expectations, with most reporting stronger results than last year. Visitors came looking for specific authors and titles, but many were also willing to browse the selections curated by the booksellers. Most buyers took home one to three books, while some bought more than five.

At the beginning, I did it because I felt there was a big gap: a city like Buenos Aires, with its tradition of used books and its many bookstores, did not have a fair dedicated to used books.

· Patricio RagoRago explained why he launched the festival.

The event connected readers with authors and specialist used-book sellers through talks with established writers, readings and live music. Visitors also gathered with mate on the terrace despite the cold. Used books generally cost about half as much as new ones.

Patricio Rago, founder of Aristipo Libros and creator of the festival, said he wanted to fill a gap in a city with a strong used-book tradition. He recalled imagining “a festival with the best bookstores, the best books, good vibes, outdoors, with programming and music.” The festival’s audience mainly consisted of people aged 20 to 50, many of them demanding readers who knew what they wanted but remained open to unexpected finds.

A festival with the best bookstores, the best books, good vibes, outdoors, with programming and music.

· Patricio RagoHe recalled the kind of event he wanted to create as a reader.
About this summary

Originally published by Clarín in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog