Thousands of people fill La Rural tonight during the Night of the Fair, with free admission.

It had been an hour past 8 p.m. when the doors of La Rural opened wide for free admission , inaugurating the Night of the Fair , and the aisles were already revealing a steady flow . Barely an hour later, it was already difficult to move around or even peek at a shelf at the most popular stands, such as those of the Cúspide bookstore or the publishers Riverside, Planeta, or Penguin Random House. The first Saturday of the 49th Buenos Aires International Book Fair is giving reason for the cautious optimism displayed tonight by several of the exhibitors.

The El Libro Foundation, organizer of the country's most popular exhibition, never counts the number of attendees during this extended event, which adds two hours of activities until midnight , but the success or failure of the event can be felt precisely in the corridors, which, tonight, are well populated.

In the Green Pavilion, where the most powerful publishing groups are housed , the Spanish Megan Maxwell continued signing books, taking photos and hugging her readers at ten o'clock at night .

He had arrived around 4 p.m. to present his novel A Savage Inheritance in the José Hernández Room before half a thousand people and then tirelessly left a message on 560 books that were brought to him at the Planeta stand.

"With a large audience and a packed agenda of author signings, live shows and special activities , the Night of the Fair developed as a literary celebration," reported the El Libro Foundation.

For this special day, the organizers and publishers went all out.

Since the afternoon, there have been book presentations , including The Island of the Sleeping Woman , the new work by Spanish writer Arturo Pérez-Reverte ; The Prince , the unauthorized biography of Miguel Ángel Pichetto written by Pablo de León and accompanied by María O'Donnell and Nelson Castro, organized by the cultural space Clarín/Ñ ; and The Maxwell Warriors, 10. A Savage Inheritance , the latest title published by Spanish writer Megan Maxwell , who returned to the Fair after ten years.

The Clarín/Ñ cultural space also featured a talk titled "Criminal Investigation Protocols: How to Uncover the Murderer," with journalist Ignacio González Prieto , along with a discussion between Matilde Sánchez , editor-in-chief of Ñ Magazine, and Spanish journalist Juan Cruz Ruiz .

There were also long lines of young readers waiting for the signings of authors Melissa Ibarra and Laura G. Miranda, and there were journalists Victor Hugo Morales and Luis Novaresio, and cartoonist Liniers, who also had around a hundred followers waiting for his signing in the Yellow Pavilion.

One of the main events of the evening was the musical performance by Riyadh, Guest City of Honor, in the José Hernandez Hall . Its imposing space is constantly filled with visitors, and others who wander around it without daring to set foot inside. The staff is friendly and helpful, encouraging the curious to wander around the two floors of the stand from early on.

Two other activities that attracted audiences were the event organized by Netflix and CAF focused on New Audiovisual Narratives and the musical performance by La Luchi de Ópera Queer and its selection of songs.

Finally, the exhibitors' cash registers. At many of the stands surveyed by Clarín tonight, vendors and booksellers displayed cautious optimism .

Sales were slightly above last year's levels , which was calamitous. In 2024, publishers expected to sell between 30 and 50 percent less than in 2022. "The bar has been set very low," acknowledged a bookseller from the Yellow Pavilion.

But according to various sources, this edition started off better , perhaps because book prices did not keep up with the rise in general inflation , tickets to the Fair were also below the price increases and there are some interesting promotions that can reach 20% off with some bank cards, there are also interest-free installments and refunds from some financial institutions, in addition to discounts for cash payments.