No book fair this year

Booklovers will be disappointed - again - as the Hong Kong Book Fair has been further postponed to next year.

The event, originally scheduled for July, was initially postponed to December due to the pandemic.

But with the recent rise infection cases, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council decided to cancel the December date and push it back to its usual July slot in 2021.

The council said it decided to postpone the fair again after discussions with representatives of supporting organizations.

It said a full refund will be provided for exhibitors' booth rental fees and added that an online fair can be found on the official Hong Kong Book Fair website.

Jimmy Pang Chi-ming, head of local publisher Subculture, said exhibitors have not received a refund yet but he understands that the council would need some time to iron out the details.

He added that publishers hope the government can still allocate a total of HK$40 million in subsidies - capped at HK$100,000 per exhibitor - for exhibitors next year. That was the amount alloted for the postponed December event.

STAFF REPORTER