BABELL - Porto to Host Major New International Literary and Cultural Event

Conceived and produced by the Livraria Lello Foundation, with the support of Porto City Council, BABELL is the result of a cultural responsibility strategy aimed at enhancing the territory through sustained investment in culture

BABELL, a new international literary and cultural event promoted by the Livraria Lello Foundation, was officially presented at Livraria Lello, in Porto, at a session attended by the Mayor of Porto, Pedro Duarte, the City Councillor for Culture, Jorge Sobrado, and the Commissioner of BABELL, Rui Couceiro.

Designed as a public-space event, BABELL aims to transform Porto into a living literary ecosystem, with initiatives spread across the city’s streets, squares and cultural venues. Supported by Porto City Council, the event will take place from 24 to 30 June 2026.

The programme will bring together some of the most influential voices in contemporary literature and thought, with international figures already confirmed, including Olga Tokarczuk (Nobel Prize in Literature, 2018), Salman Rushdie, Margaret Atwood and Byung-Chul Han.

International in scope yet deeply rooted in the city, BABELL places Porto at its core. Alongside world-renowned writers and leading figures from other artistic disciplines connected to the written word, the programme is anchored by sessions and initiatives led by Porto-based and Portuguese writers and artists. In addition to author talks, BABELL will feature exhibitions, performances, concerts, colloquia and other cultural activities.

One of BABELL’s most distinctive features is its access model. In a pioneering approach on a global scale, participation in the event’s initiatives will be granted through the purchase of a book from any bookshop or antiquarian bookseller in the city. This model promotes reading, strengthens community engagement and reinforces Porto’s local bookshop network.

During the presentation, Porto Mayor Pedro Duarte stated: “This project is extraordinarily bold, highly ambitious and driven by an entrepreneurial spirit that I find truly inspiring. It is deeply Portuguese, and I would even say distinctly northern. (…) It is about thinking big, dreaming, and then rolling up our sleeves and making things happen.”

City Councillor for Culture Jorge Sobrado added: “The reason we believe in BABELL and commit to it wholeheartedly is that we are living in a time of urgency for the written word and a crisis of thought.”

BABELL Commissioner Rui Couceiro commented: “We are working to make BABELL the largest and best literary event in Portugal. The best, because Porto deserves nothing less. And the largest, not to outdo others, but because we want books and reading to reach as many people as possible.”

Promoted by the Livraria Lello Foundation, BABELL positions itself as a project of cultural responsibility, using literature as a driver for civic participation, critical thinking and territorial development.