Ahmedabad, Nov 11 : The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and the National Book Trust (NBT), India, are jointly organising the 'Ahmedabad International Book Festival 2025' under the 'Vanche Gujarat 2.0' initiative.

The 11-day literary extravaganza will be held from November 13 to 23, at the Sabarmati Riverfront Event Centre, Paldi, to position Ahmedabad - India's first UNESCO World Heritage City - on the global literary map.

Spread across more than 1 lakh sq. ft., the festival will host over 300 events, cultural performances, workshops, and interactive sessions. Entry is free, with complimentary parking provided by AMC.

The festival's vision goes beyond books; it aims to transform the venue into Gujarat's largest open classroom, encouraging students, educators, and citizens to celebrate the joy of learning.

AMC has appealed to schools, colleges, teachers, and principals to actively participate in the Ahmedabad International Book Festival 2025.

Students from Standards 1 to 12 and colleges can register for free and take part in sessions designed to inspire creativity and learning across disciplines. The festival is divided into multiple learning zones: Children's Corner (NCCL Pavilion) will feature storytelling, puppet theatre, mandala art, dance-drama, and creative reuse workshops.

The 'Gyaan Ganga Zone' will host daily writing and design studios focused on poetry, drama, film scripts, and biographies, along with hands-on craft sessions like terracotta horse-making, oil painting, and metal embossing. Meanwhile, the School Board Pavilion will serve as the stage for city-level finals of inter-school mega contests, including quizzes, storytelling, fancy dress, panel discussions, and book reading competitions scheduled from November 13 to 21.

The event also features a free Children's Film Festival, screening 4'7 globally award-winning films daily from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm, and evening cultural programs including performances by Kirtidan Gadhvi, poetic evenings with Ankit Trivedi, Sandeep Christian Orchestra, grand mushaira with renowned poets, and 'Shaurya Samvad' sessions with Lt. Gen. (Retd.) KJS Dhillon and IPS (Retd.) K. Vijay Kumar. College students will also have a chance to meet Acharya Prashant, Gurcharan Das, Nitin Sethi, and Kulpreet Yadav, and attend live sessions on AI, crime journalism, and the Gandhi'Mandela legacy, along with on-spot internships and content-writing opportunities with publishers.

To participate, schools and colleges must fill out a single Google form, choose their preferred date and zone, and receive bus parking slots and teacher passes via confirmation email. Entry is free for students in uniform and accompanying teachers (1:15 ratio) with valid ID cards.

/IANS